Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗Crown Tactics
OfficeLabs Studios · Published by OfficeLabs Studios
Last updated 6 Sept 2026
Race up an endless chessboard against a ticking clock. Capture pieces, earn upgrades, and deploy powerful units to extend your climb.
Indie, Strategy, Casual · More free games
About this game
Crown Tactics transforms chess into a fast-paced roguelike sprint. Race up an endless chessboard against a relentless clock, switching between powerful chess pieces, building game-changing upgrades, and making split-second tactical decisions. Every run offers new opportunities, forcing you to adapt your strategy instead of relying on perfect play.
Strategic Infinite Scrolling
You begin every run as a humble Pawn with one objective: keep climbing. Every row advanced earns score, but the endless board is filled with moving enemy pieces, valuable captures, and difficult decisions. Race straight ahead to maximise distance, or risk precious seconds hunting enemies for gold, upgrades, and tactical advantages. Every detour could make your build stronger, or cost you the run.
Master the Sub-In System
Unlock powerful chess pieces during your climb and add them to your arsenal. At any time, you can Sub-In to instantly take control of a Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight, gaining their unique movement for a limited number of moves before they enter cooldown. Deciding when to unleash each piece becomes just as important as deciding where to move, turning every run into a careful balance of timing, positioning, and resource management.
Shop, Upgrade, and Adapt
Between climbs, seek refuge in the King's Shop, where the clock finally stops. Spend the gold you've earned to strengthen your tactical arsenal, buy precious time, and shape the direction of your run with powerful modifiers.
Build around aggressive captures, faster tactical cooldowns, higher scoring combos, stronger economy, or even entirely new ways to manage time. Every purchase nudges your strategy in a different direction, making no two runs feel exactly alike.
Key Features
Rapid-Fire Runs: Intense tactical sessions designed to be completed in just 3–5 minutes.
Chess Reimagined: Familiar chess movement meets endless progression, real-time pressure, and roguelike decision making.
Master the Sub-In System: Switch between powerful chess pieces, balancing limited moves and cooldowns to overcome every challenge.
Build Powerful Synergies: Discover modifiers that transform your strategy, from score-focused speed runs to capture-heavy economy builds and cooldown-focused tactics.
A Living Chessboard: Enemy pieces follow familiar movement rules, creating constantly shifting threats, opportunities, and tactical puzzles.
Climb the Leaderboards: Push further with every run and compete for the highest score on Steam Leaderboards.
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: 7, 8, 10, 11 x64
- Processor: Intel Core i3
- Memory: 512 MB RAM
- Graphics: OpenGL 2.1 compatible graphics card, integrated graphics
- Storage: 32 MB available space
Recommended
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
Supported Languages
Latest news
Patch NotesOfficial
Demo Content Update!
What an amazing first week!Seeing people jump into the demo has been incredible. Every download, every run, every piece of feedback, and every new wishlist genuinely means a lot to me.One thing that really made me smile was noticing that one player spent over two hours straight playing the demo. For a game I've spent so long building, seeing someone get that invested is an amazing feeling. I hope you're still climbing the board!Thank You for the WishlistsSince the demo launched, I've also seen a fantastic influx of new wishlists.Wishlists make a huge difference for indie games. They help more people discover the game and give developers like me confidence that I'm building something players are excited about. If you've already wishlisted the game, thank you for helping support the project.I'm ListeningI've been reading through all of your feedback, bug reports, and suggestions. It's been incredibly helpful, and I'm already working through improvements.A couple of things that have come up repeatedly:Modifier translations: I'm taking another pass over the wording to improve the accuracy and clarity of modifier descriptions so they're easier to understand at a glance.Control remapping: Good news on this front! An update adding control remapping for keyboards is already ready to go and will be available soon.Please keep the feedback coming. Whether it's balance, difficulty, UI, controls, or just something that feels a little off, every comment helps make the full game better.What's Coming NextThe demo is only getting started, and I'm already hard at work on its first major content update.Here's what's coming up in this weeks patch:A brand new playable board - I'm bringing in one of my favourite boards from the main game, Blitz! I think those of you that like fast paced gameplay will appreciate this one. Steam Leaderboards - I've made demo leaderboards, so you can compete for the highest score and see how your best runs stack up against everyone else before the full rele...Read full article on Community Announcements (OfficeLabs)AnnouncementsOfficial
The Crown Tactics Demo is Live!
Today is a huge milestone for Crown Tactics - the demo is officially live on Steam!If you've been following the game, thank you for all the support so far. And if this is your first time hearing about it, welcome! This is your chance to jump into the world of fast-paced roguelike chess and see how far you can climb.What You'll Find in the DemoThe demo gives you a taste of what Crown Tactics is all about:Race up an endlessly scrolling chessboard before the clock runs out.Switch between powerful chess pieces using the Sub-In system.Build your run with upgrades and modifiers.Try to survive just one more row... and then another.Runs are short, frantic, and designed to be replayed as you experiment with different strategies.This Demo Is Just the BeginningWhile the demo offers the core gameplay experience, there's still plenty to come in the full release.Here's what you can look forward to:Steam Leaderboards & AchievementsThe demo doesn't include Steam Leaderboards or Steam Achievement syncing, but both will be available in the full game.Once the full version launches, you'll be able to migrate your scores and achievements over, compete for new scores, chase more achievements, and see how your best runs stack up against everyone else.More Boards to ConquerThe full game expands beyond the demo with additional game boards, each introducing fresh mechanics, challenges, and tactical decisions to master.Every new board changes the way you approach your climb, keeping each run feeling fresh.More Modifiers, More BuildsOne of my favourite parts of developing Crown Tactics has been designing modifiers that completely change how you play.The full release will include many more modifiers, giving you even more opportunities to create powerful synergies - whether you want to focus on captures, economy, cooldowns, scoring, or something a little more unconventional.I'd Love Your FeedbackThe demo is an important step in shaping the final game, and I'd love to hear what you think.Whether ...Read full article on Community Announcements (OfficeLabs)
