Gambonanza

Chess Roguelike

Ratings

Age

9+

Strategy

Languages

English

Latest Version 1.0.13

Fri May 01 2026

- Fixed restart/quit bonus exploits

- Fixed shop save overwrite bug

- Various gambit fixes and unlock corrections

- Fixed UI resolution and difficulty page glitch

- Fixed gamepad navigation issues

- Fixed medal display and bonus sort order

- Localization fixes

Coming May 2026! Gambonanza takes the tactical clarity of chess and turns it into a roguelike playground. Play snackable, high-impact runs on small boards where every decision counts. Use over 150 rule-bending Gambits to unlock devastating combos, manage a dynamic reserve system, and face off against epic bosses. With a retro pixel-art aesthetic and quirky fairground ambiance, Gambonanza is the chess revolution you've been waiting for.

Dinsun Expert Review

Our Expert Score

89/100

Gambonanza is a brilliant 'what-if' scenario: what if chess was designed for the modern roguelike era? The result is something that feels familiar yet completely chaotic. The tiny boards force you into tactical engagements immediately, and the 'Gambit' system allows for power-trips that would make a Grandmaster weep.

I love the fairground theme; it gives the game a personality that is often lacking in more 'serious' strategy titles. The tension of the board crumbling adds a necessary sense of urgency, preventing the 'infinite stall' problems some strategy games face. It’s punchy, clever, and highly replayable. This is definitely one to watch for when it drops in May.

Dinsun reviewed on: Sun Mar 10 2024

Features

150+ rule-bending Gambits for unique combos

Dynamic reserve system to deploy pieces strategically

Challenging boss battles and mini-games

Vibrant retro pixel art and fairground atmosphere

Featured In

Make Your Move in Gambonanza

Rewrite the rules of chess in a remarkable roguelike.

New Games We Love

Neverness to Everness, Gambonanza, and more!

Tips & Walkthrough

The Art of the Gambit

Gambits allow you to modify how your pieces move or interact with the board. Early in your run, prioritize Gambits that increase your mobility or allow you to 'reserve' pieces for later turns.

Gameplays

Managing Board Crumble

In Gambonanza, if you take too many turns, the board starts to crumble. You must balance aggressive play to finish the match quickly against defensive maneuvers to keep your king safe.

Screenshot

Q&A

Not at all! While it uses chess pieces, the roguelike elements and 'rule-bending' powers make it accessible to everyone.

Ratings & Reviews

Great game for people who liked Balatro

Sat May 02 2026 JUSTLETMEREVIEWTHEGAME

If you like Balatro or something on the line of that this game for you. I’ve been playing for a day and it awesome because I got overpowered build with the pawns and was able to move like knights and skip enemies turns not to mentioned the other difficulties in the game that makes it a lot more harder. Definitely worth the six dollars and would recommend to anyone who likes a game like this.

Very fun! One or two things

Mon May 04 2026 SomeFantastic76

This game is very like balatro, except it is also chess, which is very fun! I really enjoy the gambits, and the way the whole game balances out. However, as someone who also enjoys chess, there are a couple things that threw me for a loop. In chess, pawns can move two squares on their first turn. This isn’t present in the game, which is alright. But I would love if there was a reason for it, or a way that I could know, rather than having to find out when I die from placing the piece under the wrong expectations. The same problem is present with the king piece. In chess, the king MUST move out of check if he possibly can. He also cannot move into check. In this game, the king moves like a pawn with all directions unlocked. This is also fine, and I am sure there were good reasons for it, but could there maybe be a little pop or something, so that if I tap on a piece I am facing, I can get information about it? Or even just a compendium of “ways this game is like and unlike chess” in the main menu, so people don’t get too confused. The other thing which I have seen mentioned is battery life. I lost five percent from a 30-45 minute session, with a fairly powerful phone and a new battery. This isn’t really a problem, but I am including it in here for data purposes, as I buy mobile games for long road trips and other activities where I might not have access to a charger. All in all, this is a very good game! I would give it an 7.7-to-8.3 out of 10, especially if you like Balatro. Congratulations to the developer, as well, for making the top charts list! You have made a very quality game. It would be wonderful to see a resolution of some sort for the thing with the kings and pawns that I mentioned earlier, but I will keep playing the game either way.

Amazing Potential!

Sun May 03 2026 Stormii.Knights

Highly recommend trying this as it has a lot of high potential to be a really great version of chess. I love the concept and brings a unique twist to chess. buying power ups is a lot of fun as well. The only problem I have is style choices. I feel the shop looks a bit cluttered and not very appealing and I hate a majority of the boss designs. A robot boss felt very random for a chess based game. Would be better if the bosses were unique versions of chess pieces. The colors chosen can also be a bit painful on the eyes. The only real problem with the game is purely aesthetic and design. But still leagues better than Ai slop. Everything else is great!!

Great game, just want a few more things.

Mon May 04 2026 Squirrelguy09

This game is great, I haven’t played anything similar before but as someone who loves playing chess I think this is cool. I’m crazy about customization, so being able to get rewards for successful runs like different pieces, boards, themes, etc would make this game absolutely perfect for me, and also I’d love to be able to just play a game of chess on this, I like the style of the pieces. Overall though, I’ve really like playing so far and I hope the devs take something out of this review!

its like chess mixed with tcg & slots

Sun May 03 2026 subtlerussle

this game is actually a masterpiece. BUT its stressful because you cant keep your strategy if you lose. i build a solid strategy around knights, and never was able to get the same knight gambits for the rest of the day. i'd say i dont like how rng it is but i understand that may be what makes dying more risky when u finally do have a good deck.

Great entry into Roguelikes

Fri May 01 2026 Harry W57

I played the demo a lot and found this to be a great parallel to the style similar to Balatro. I’m excited for the full game and really think they captured enough of what makes that game great while doing their own thing. Rogueslikes were a bit confusing to me at first but wait till you start making pawns the most powerful piece on the board.

Balatro chess

Sat May 02 2026 bobdoleoo

We all know where this game got its inspiration and it shows, in a great way. If youre a fan of balatro like games, this game is for you. Im still not that great at this game but its fun trying to get gambits with synergys. I have already bought this game on mobile and steam and it was worth both purchases because i love supporting game developers like this.

The game doesn’t shut up…

Sat May 02 2026 KesaGatame

I gave up during the intro. It just talks and talks and talks and talks. It’s trying to copy Balatro, but with chess - which is cool (both fun games), but it didn’t pick up that Balatro let you just play the game instead of never, ever, shutting up. I don’t know how much longer it would have been before I was allowed to actually play the game, but I just gave up almost 10minutes of my life and I’m not betting anymore. Bodes poorly.