All Games > Free To Play Games > Death of a Grandmaster
Community Hub
Death of a Grandmaster
A tactical chess roguelike where you build a custom board, survive escalating combats, and break enemy kings with powerful relic and piece synergies.

Sign in to add this item to your wishlist, follow it, or mark it as ignored

Features
Single-player
Stats
Family Sharing
Steam is learning about this game 
Languages:
Interface Full Audio Subtitles
English ✔ ✔

Coming Soon To Early Access

The developers of this game intend to release as a work in progress, developing with the feedback of players.

Note: Games in Early Access are not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“We’re launching in Early Access because the core game loop is already playable and fun, but balancing and long-term progression still need live player feedback at scale. We want the community to help shape run balance, boss pacing, new mechanics, and build diversity while we continue expanding content and polish.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We currently estimate 3 to 6 months of Early Access. We plan regular updates throughout that period and will adjust timeline expectations publicly if major feedback changes scope.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“The full release is planned to include:

Expanded archetype depth and build variety.
More boss phase scripting and encounter identity.
Deeper metaprogression and mastery objectives.
Additional content, tuning, UX polish, and performance/stability hardening.
Broader platform support.
”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The game is already fully playable as a run-based tactical chess roguelike with:

Multi-act campaign runs.
Combat, event, and shop nodes on a branching map.
Deployment + battle loop, rewards, relics, and leveling.
Guided tutorial and mechanic sandbox.


Current limitations:

Balance is still actively tuned, especially around difficulty spikes and late-run consistency.
Some progression/content systems are still being expanded.
Save/replay compatibility may change during major updates.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“Yes. While the full 1.0 release will be at full price, Early Access is less expensive to reward early supporters. We will announce any price change in advance.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“We’ll involve the community through:

Steam Discussions and our feedback channels for bug reports and balance feedback.
Regular patch notes and development updates.
Prioritized fixes based on recurring player issues and telemetry.
Public communication about roadmap changes, known issues, and what feedback is being acted on.”
Read more

Join the Death of a Grandmaster Playtest

Request access and you’ll get notified when the developer is ready for more participants.
Request Access
This game is not yet available on Steam

Planned Release Date: Mar 23, 2026

This game plans to unlock in approximately 3 weeks

Interested?
Add to your wishlist and get notified when it becomes available.
Add to your wishlist
 
See all discussions

Report bugs and leave feedback for this game on the discussion boards

About This Game

Every run is a new build. Draft rewards, route into shops and events, and stack synergies that turn your formation into a different ruleset each time.
Your choices compound node by node, from opener deployment to late-run boards where multiple effects fire at once.

Huge Build Variety

  • 213 rewards to draft, reroute around, and combine.

  • 484 shop items across field, mid, late, and final tiers.

  • 71 encounters (45 combat, 21 events, 5 shops) plus 3 selectable run identities.

Pick Your Identity

  • Vanguard Bastion: front-line shields, controlled space, and punishing counterpunches.

  • Arcane Gambit: tempo spikes, early initiative, and king-hunt finishes.

  • Graveyard Swarm: reborn attrition that wins by trading bodies efficiently.

  • Economy Engine: snowball gold into absurd upgrades and overpower late nodes.

Clear Win Conditions, Deep Runs
Win by capturing the enemy king, or by eliminating every enemy piece until only their king remains.
Battles are deterministic; replayability comes from route, reward, shop, and synergy decisions between fights.
Includes a guided tutorial and mechanic sandbox so new players can learn fast and still scale into high-depth runs.

System Requirements

Windows
macOS
    Minimum:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: Windows 10 64-bit
    • Processor: Dual-core x64 CPU, 2.0 GHz
    • Memory: 4 GB RAM
    • Graphics: DirectX 11 compatible GPU
    • DirectX: Version 11
    • Storage: 1 GB available space
    • Additional Notes: Requires 64-bit processor and OS
    Recommended:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS: Windows 11 64-bit
    • Processor: Quad-core x64 CPU, 2.5+ GHz
    • Memory: 8 GB RAM
    • Graphics: DirectX 11/12 compatible GPU
    • DirectX: Version 12
    • Storage: 1 GB available space
    • Additional Notes: 1920x1080 display recommended
    Minimum:
    • OS: macOS 12.0 Monterey
    • Processor: Apple Silicon (M1)
    • Memory: 4 GB RAM
    • Graphics: Apple integrated GPU
    • Storage: 1 GB available space
    • Additional Notes: Apple Silicon only (Intel Macs not supported by current build)
    Recommended:
    • OS: macOS 13 Ventura or newer
    • Processor: Apple Silicon (M1 or newer)
    • Memory: 8 GB RAM
    • Graphics: Apple integrated GPU
    • Storage: 1 GB available space
* Starting February 15, 2024, the Steam Client will no longer support 32-bit games or macOS 10.14 or lower.
There are no reviews for this product

You can write your own review for this product to share your experience with the community. Use the area above the purchase buttons on this page to write your review.