Dota Auto Chess was called “the next big thing” after its meteoric rise back in January 2019. While It hasn’t exactly turned the masses away from the current Battle Royale craze just yet, its potential has yet to be fully realised. Just as we saw with the Puzzle, MOBA, and Battle Royale genres in the past; clones, copycats, and tributes are quick to spring up across gaming landscape.
If you gave Dota Auto Chess a shot and have always wanted the option to play on the go, mobile is finally stepping up to the plate to deliver just that. The genre is spreading on PC thanks to Riot Games and even Valve itself. But with such lacklustre vetting processes on mobile, there are at least 5 cash-grab clones for every decent attempt at mimicking the formula. We’ve gone through the best and worst Auto Chess variants mobile has to offer right now, and we’re ready to give some recommendations (and some hard passes).
And you needn’t worry about price. All ‘Auto-Battler’ games (legitimate or otherwise) are Free-to-Play. These things make their money through cosmetic micro-transactions like board skins and avatars – there’s nothing we’ve found so far that lets you spend real money to have an in-game advantage, which the way it’s meant to be done.
Those that don’t follow this model gain swift admittance into our ‘Ones to Avoid’ section.
Auto Chess: Origin
Developer: Dragonest Game/Drodo
Platforms: iOS Universal, Android
If you were quick to the scene on Android and assumed Auto Chess by Dragonest to be nothing but a Chinese copycat, you’d be forgiven. It happens with website domains all the time. But in actuality, this is the ‘OG’ Auto Chess game that started it all. It comes from the same developers – Drodo. Washing itself of its Dota roots, Auto Chess (or Auto Chess: Origin as it’s now known on iOS) is the real deal.
Separating from its Dota foundation means Auto Chess: Origin no longer has access to familiar assets like sounds and models. So, while you might recognize its logo from the original PC version, you’ll find a pretty different looking game when you fire it up, with humour that might seem a little too juvenile for some. If you can get passed that, you’ll find a mobile replacement almost exactly the same as the PC version minus the obvious (and better suited) touch interface. If not, maybe consider the next title on our list.
Arena of Evolutions: Red Tides
Developer: HERO Game
Platforms: iOS Universal, Android
Now this is what we’re talking about. A grittier, more sci-fi take on the Auto Chess formula. With some moody splash artwork and even a full-fledged opening movie to boot, our first thought when firing up this game was just how quickly the company must have got the ball rolling when Dota Auto Chess originally broke onto the scene.
Everything about Arena of Evolution: Red Tides screams respectable production value. If you’re trying to avoid being called out as a clone, this is the way to do it. The units don’t always match the space war vibe the opening movie sets up (thank you, kung-fu panda), but there’s a nice variety of unique characters to pick up and play with. If you’re not into multiplayer, AI brawls will still give anyone but the pros a decent (and welcoming) challenge. If you’re looking for a more mature Auto Chess experience, this is a solid recommendation over the official counterpart. Everything from the chess board – which is less a board and more a stone battlefield – to the crude iron fence separating the brawl from your bench screams quality in the face of what comes next.
Dota Underlords
Developer: Valve
Platforms: iOS, Android (PC, Mac)
Just like how Valve created Dota 2 from the foundations of the original WarCraft III mod, the overlords of Steam are prepping their own official Dota Auto Chess – Dota Underlords. And it’s coming to mobile real soon. It’ll officially place Auto Chess in the Dota lore with its armies battling it out for dominance of the city of White Spire. Announced in May, it’ll be released in beta for Dota 2 Battle Pass owners in the first instance, with an Open Beta planned on all platforms, including iOS & Android, not long after that.
Auto Chess Legends
Developer: Imba/Suga
Platforms: iOS Universal, Android
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoruAgLVXu8?controls=0]
This one was down for maintenance when we first tried to test it out. It wasn’t a good look, and we honestly thought the game was just dead on arrival… Turned out we were wrong! It fired up without a hitch the next day and was a pleasant surprise. There’s a clean UI and most of the of the details you’d come to expect from a game of Auto Chess, but without an AI mode after the initial tutorial, it might scare off newcomers looking to practice before diving into the real thing. It’s a little sparse of the extra game modes, but at least the developers found the time to offer micro-transaction goodies, right?
While it starts off looking like one of those cheap mobile ads on a dodgy website, Auto Chess Legends is one of the better made alternatives out there. Nowhere near the same level of depth and detail of the above games, but enough to avoid the bucket list below.
Ones To Avoid
We’re not going to call out the lack of direct competition on the app stores right now. After all, Auto Chess isn’t even a year old. But what we will call out are deplorable cash grabs siphoning the Auto Chess name and bewildering any curious mind that dares search for the next big thing. These games aren’t vying for your time at all – just your money. They function mostly the same as any other Auto Battler game would, albeit for once little thing – they’re all pay to win. Avoid these unless you’re looking for the quick and easy route to learn the fundamentals of the game.
Heroes Auto Chess
Developer: Tap2Play LLC
Platforms: iOS/Android
The first of the lot we tested out, Heroes Auto Chess is one of the better efforts of the bunch – but it’s still pretty gnarly. Its low-poly art-style is reminiscent of old Steam shovelware riding the ‘voxel’ hype train. Hop into a match, however, and the quality starts to rapidly deteriorate further. It’s a very basic take on Auto Chess, with no notable polish. Units lack personality as they’re absolutely mute, while battles are nothing more than a slight wiggle animation with a cheap stock sword clash sound playing out every second or two.
Then comes the worst part – you can forgo any need for actual strategy by watching an ad to re-roll and buy additional units in the shop. Not cool. With only three slots on the bench, there’s very little actually strategy to be had here, anyway. Without the ads, we could let Heroes Auto Chess slide as a decent way to introduce the game to a far younger audience. Accept donations or charge for skins by all means, but don’t nullify the whole point of your game just to make 1c on an ad click. You’re better than that.
AutoChess War
Developer: Phoenix Mobile/Chengdu Phoenix Electronic Arts Co. Limited
Platforms: iOS/Android
We wanted to like this one, but it flops out of the gate a little too soon. AutoChess War looked promising – and actually could be if development keeps up – but what little it does is quickly soured yet again by in-game ads. A unique Adventure mode is a nice little touch. It doesn’t really add much to the Auto Chess formula (aside from the horizontal board), but it does separate the game into bite-sized rounds you can drop in and out of at will, making the game more commute-friendly. When you’re at home, the Endless Challenge mode can be a good way to test out some strategies. But you’ll need to play another game entirely to actually execute them against another player.
Auto Chess Defense
Developer: Phoenix Mobile/Chengdu Phoenix Electronic Arts Co. Limited
Platforms: iOS/Android
The first thing I noticed is that this one calls itself Auto Chess Mobile in game. Looks like someone paid for a logo a little too soon. Diving deeper, Auto Chess Defense (Mobile?) feels like a game you would have found on the original iPhone. The first app of its kind. While that would have been a glowing recommendation back in 2007, it’s the worst kind of criticism you can have in 2019. We appreciate the option to skip straight into battle rather than waiting on a laborious timer, but, again, the ads creep in the sour the experience.
Seen any other games worthy of people’s attention, or ones they should definitely avoid? Let us know in the comments!
