Pawnlords press kit
Last updated: November 12, 2026
Pawnlords is a free-to-play chess RTS: a real-time strategy game where every unit is a living chess piece. Each piece moves the way it does in chess: Knights leap in L shapes, Bishops move on diagonals, and ranged pieces fire along their chess lines. Pawns gather food, wood, gold and stone to grow your town, in the spirit of Age of Empires II. You play in real time against other players or computer opponents, with ranked 1v1 and team ladders, visible Elo and seasons. Pawnlords is made by Bruno Corigliano, a solo developer from Argentina, and is coming to Steam for Windows.
Fact sheet
- Name
- Pawnlords
- Genre
- Real-time strategy (RTS) played with chess pieces
- Developer
- Bruno Corigliano, solo developer, Argentina
- Publisher
- Bruno Corigliano
- Platform
- Windows PC, on Steam
- Price
- Free to play. Only cosmetics are sold.
- Players
- 1 to 6. Single player against the computer, online multiplayer and ranked.
- Release date
- Not announced yet
- Language
- English
- Steam
- store.steampowered.com/app/4628060
- Discord
- pawnlords.com/discord
- Website
- pawnlords.com
- Contact
- contact@pawnlords.com
Key features
- Chess movement. Every unit is a chess piece and moves like one. Knights leap in L shapes and Bishops move on diagonals.
- Firing lines. Ranged pieces shoot along their chess lines: the Bishop in an X, the Tower in a cross, the Queen in all eight directions.
- Economy. Pawns gather four resources: food, wood, gold and stone. You build a town and train new pieces at their own buildings.
- Combat. Fights use hit points and a counter cycle. Pawns beat Towers and Knights, Towers beat Knights, Knights beat Bishops and Bishops beat Pawns.
- Victory. Take the enemy King or raze their Town Center.
- Six biomes. Meadow, Dark Forest, The Old Board, Orchard, Tundra and Canals.
- Up to 6 players. 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 and free for all, online or against computer opponents.
- Ranked. Ranked 1v1 and Ranked Teams (2v2 and 3v3) with Elo matchmaking. Elo is always visible. Seasons last three months.
- Ranks. Wood, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond and Grandmaster. Each rank has its own shield, and every ladder has a public leaderboard.
- Five computer levels. Easiest, Easy, Standard, Hard and Hardest.
- Steam. Lobbies, invites and achievements.
- Free to play. The only paid items are cosmetics, and none of them change how the game plays.
Modes
- Classic. Build an economy, raise an army, then take the enemy King or raze their Town Center.
- King of the Hill. A throne stands in the center of the map. Keep your King on it long enough to win.
- Blitz. A short clock, and the map shrinks toward the center.
- Gambits. Each player gets four single-use powers, such as Promotion and Zugzwang.
- Hero King. Your King fights and levels up, to a maximum of level 3, from the pieces he takes himself. Each level adds health and damage, and levels 2 and 3 each unlock a new ability. If he falls, you lose.
FAQ
What is Pawnlords?
Pawnlords is a free-to-play real-time strategy game where every unit is a living chess piece. You gather resources, build a town, train Pawns, Knights, Bishops and a Queen, and win by taking the enemy King or razing their Town Center. It is coming to Steam for Windows.
Is there a real-time chess game?
Yes. Pawnlords is a real-time strategy game played with chess pieces. There are no turns: every player moves at the same time, and each piece still moves the way it does in chess.
Is Pawnlords free?
Yes. Pawnlords is free to play on Steam. The only things for sale are cosmetics, such as skins, portraits and titles, and they do not change how the game plays.
Does Pawnlords have ranked?
Yes. Pawnlords is a competitive RTS with a Ranked 1v1 ladder and a Ranked Teams ladder for 2v2 and 3v3. Your Elo is always visible, seasons last three months, and there are seven ranks from Wood to Grandmaster, with public leaderboards.
How is Pawnlords different from regular chess?
In chess, two players take turns on one board. In Pawnlords, up to six players play at the same time on maps in six biomes. Pawns gather food, wood, gold and stone, you build a town and train new pieces, and fights use hit points and counters. The pieces keep their chess moves.
Is Pawnlords like Age of Empires?
Yes, in many ways. Pawnlords is a real-time strategy game in the spirit of Age of Empires II: Pawns gather food, wood, gold and stone, you build a town and train an army. The difference is that every unit is a chess piece that moves the way it does in chess.
Does Pawnlords have a campaign?
No. Pawnlords has no story campaign. You play Random Map matches against the computer, custom games with friends and ranked matches online.
Who makes Pawnlords?
Pawnlords is made and published by Bruno Corigliano, a solo developer from Argentina.
When does Pawnlords come out?
There is no release date yet. Wishlist Pawnlords on Steam to get a notice when it launches, and join the Discord for news.
What platforms is Pawnlords on?
Pawnlords is for Windows PC, on Steam.
Logo and art
Click an image to download it. All files are PNG. The pixel art is scaled by whole numbers, so it stays sharp.
Logo, 768 x 192, transparent. Also at 192 x 48.
Icon, 512 x 512, transparent.
Key art, 1600 x 900.
Key art with logo, 1200 x 630.
Screenshot of a battle, 1800 x 708.
Gameplay close-ups, 512 x 448 each: a Knight's moves, the economy, a clash by a Tower, a 3v3 match.
Need something else? Write to contact@pawnlords.com.