2024] Enjoyable for beginners and veterans alike! 11 recommended Shogi game apps!

Shogi, an ancient Japanese board game, has existed long before the advent of video games in the home. Even after home video games became popular, countless games based on Shogi have appeared on video game consoles from various eras.

Both beginners and veterans can enjoy them! 11 recommended Shogi games!

Teach me, Obedient Shogi

Compatibility: Switch/PS4/PC (Steam and Windows)
Release date: Switch version 2019/2/21 PS4 version 2019/5/21 Steam version 2023/2/1
Price: Switch version PS4 version 815 yen Steam version 990 yen Windows version 3,300 yen (tax included)
Manufacturer: Silver Star Japan
(C) 2023 Silver Star Japan, mebius

A slightly adult Shogi game in which you play against three cosplayers. During the game, the live-action cosplayers will liven up the game with various poses and voices. The biggest feature of this game is "begging" by the cosplayers when they are in a pinch. The most distinctive feature of the game is the "begging" that cosplayers perform when they are in a pinch. Since these requests affect the reward image that is unlocked at the end of the game, it is important to accept the requests actively to increase the cosplayers' favorability. The difficulty level is not so high, and there is a hint function that tells you candidate moves, so this title is recommended for beginners of Shogi.

Play and get stronger at Shogi! Ginsei Shogi DX

Compatibility: Switch/PS4/PC (Windows)
Release date: 2017/12/14 (Switch) / 2018/10/25 (PS4/PC)
Price:
Package version: Switch 5,280 yen (including tax) Download version: 4,730 yen (including tax)
PS4 Package version: 5,280 yen (including tax) Download version: 4,730 yen (including tax)
PC 5,280 yen (including tax) *Package only
Genre: Table game
Manufacturer: SilverStar Japan
(c)SilverStarJapan

The latest in the long-running "Ginsei Shogi" series. While maintaining the initial concept of Shogi software that can be played by both advanced players and beginners, this new title is equipped with 3 million moves in the standard format and offers a wide range of difficulty settings, from "4-dan" to "beginner" for beginners.

In the "Rating Game" system, the strength of the CPU changes according to the rating, making it easy to see and experience how one's Shogi game is getting stronger. Especially at the "4-dan" CPU level, even an amateur Shogi player can play a challenging game. In addition, in the "Tsume-shogi" section, you can challenge a total of 100 problems from 3 to 11 moves.

Shogi Training by Sota Fujii

A tutorial on how to move pieces is provided so that even beginners who have never played Shogi at all can enjoy the game, and the finely tuned AI will play the game according to their level. There is also a function that explains the results of rating games and mistakes made during the game, so that players can naturally improve their Shogi skills by repeatedly reviewing the game.

In addition, the game also includes original elements, such as a set of problems created by Nikan Fujii, making it an appealing original game. As of July 2021

Real-time Battle Shogi Online

Compatibility: Switch
Release date: 1/9/2020
Price: 2,200 yen for download version (tax included)
Genre: Fastest Shogi
Maker: SilverStar Japan
(c)SilverStarJapan

This game overturns the conventional wisdom of Shogi, in which players take turns moving their pieces, and the winner is the one who can move his or her pieces at any time, and win the game by capturing the opponent's Ousho (general) as quickly as possible. The game is also an e-sports title officially recognized by JeSU, and professional license certification tournaments are held.

According to Yoshio Hoshino 5-dan, a professional Shogi player who belongs to the developer, Silver Star Japan, the game is based on Shogi (Japanese chess), so so-called "joseki" is effective, but since the game is played in real time, it requires a different kind of judgment, such as which piece to move first.

Senri no Kifu: A Modern Shogi Mystery

Compatibility: Switch
Release date: 2020/2/27
Price: Download version price: 3,000 yen (tax included)
Genre: Modern Shogi Mystery Adventure
Maker: Chemco
(C) 2015-2020 Mista Stories
(C) 2019-2020 KEMCO

The objective of this game is to find out what is "clairvoyance" and "kamikaze", the hidden secrets of the Shogi world, and it would be more correct to call it a mystery adventure game than a Shogi game.

The game is supervised by Michio Takahashi 9-dan and Aio Kagawa Women's 3-dan (*at the time of supervision) as assistant supervisor, so it is not only a novel adventure game, but also a dramatic and exciting game. The game can be enjoyed even if you do not know the rules of Shogi well, so it is recommended for Shogi beginners.

Shogi Wars

Compatibility: PC (Windows, macOS) / iOS / Android
Release date: June 11, 2012
Price: Free for basic play (with charges)
Genre: Table game
Maker: HEROZ
©HEROZ, Inc.

One of the largest Shogi application games in Japan, boasting more than 6 million members and putting considerable effort into online games. The average number of daily games is said to be more than 240,000, making it a gathering place for strong amateur chess players who play mainly on the Internet.

There are three time-setting modes: 3 minutes out, 10 minutes out, and 10-second Shogi, and players are ranked according to their performance in each mode. There is also a Kijin analysis mode that shows a graph of the game you have just played, and other useful functions.

In addition, since this is an application game authorized by the Japan Shogi Federation, the player is entitled to apply for a diploma or certificate from the Federation.

Shogi with Aioi Kagawa

Compatibility: Switch
Release date: 2021/3/25
Price: 6,380 yen for package version, 5,742 yen for download version
Genre: Table game
Maker: Silver Star Japan
(c)AKALI (c)SilverStarJapan

This is a Shogi game planned, drafted, and performed by a female chess player, Ms. Kagawa, in which you and Ms. Kagawa learn Shogi through a two-person, three-legged game.

The game is aimed at beginners, and during the game, hints and the "stop" function, which stops the game, can be used. In addition to regular games, there is also a "Pair Game" mode in which players are paired with Kagawa sensei, and when they have trouble with a move, they can use the "Pass" function to have Kagawa sensei play for them.

There is also a "Shogi Dojo" mode in which you can play against characters with their own specialties, giving you a different kind of fun than in a regular game. Of course, the game also includes a Shogi Class in which Mr. Kagawa himself appears.

Neko Shogi: Katteyasama no 1te Zume

This is a collection of 1-move Tsume-Shogi problems and is a good game for people who are going to play Shogi seriously.

If you answer a problem correctly, you will see an explanation, which you can read to further understand the method of tsume-zume. Even intermediate and advanced players should be able to enjoy the game.

The game requires players to think carefully, because the problems are not passable and you cannot go to the next problem unless you clear the problem.

Piyo Shogi

Compatibility: PC (Windows, macOS)/iOS/Android
Release date: 2015/11/10
Price: free
Genre: Table game
Publisher: STUDIO-K

While the game has features for beginners who have never touched shogi at all, such as an introductory lecture and a guided display of how to move pieces, it is also a shogi game with depth, with 40 levels in the game and a rating game to determine the CPU's level by measuring the player's current strength in the game.

The highest level is set for amateur 6-dan or higher. The game features a number of useful tricks to help players who know how to move pieces and how to play the basic game to move on to the next step.

After the game, the game record analysis function shows bad moves and compares them with recommended moves, which is another attraction of the game. Also, you can save and manage game records of games played against AI with the game record management function.

A web version is also available for use on PCs. However, the web version has some limitations such as 30 levels and no game record analysis.

Doubutsu Shogi for Everyone

Compatibility: PS4/Switch
Release date: 2019/5/10 (PS4), 2019/5/23 (Switch)
Price: 5,280 yen for packaged version / 4,452 yen for download version (PS4)
Package version 5,280 yen / Download version 4,752 yen (Switch)
Genre: Table game
Manufacturer: Silver Star Japan
(c) Nekomado (c) Madoka Kitao (c) Maiko Fujita (c) Japan Shogi Federation (c) SilverStarJapan

The game of the same name was originally created in 2008 by Madoka Kitao Women's 2-dan, who devised the rules for a generation for whom shogi was not widely played, and Maiko Fujita, a former women's shogi player, who designed the pieces with animal motifs. The game is played with four different types of pieces (lion, elephant, giraffe, and chick) that take turns to play against each other, just like Shogi (Japanese chess).

Doubutsu Shogi" is played with 8 pieces, "Gorokoro Doubutsu Shogi" with 16 pieces, and "Ookina Mori no Doubutsu Shogi" with 40 pieces, making it ideal for children who have difficulty playing regular shogi. However, since anticipation and calculation skills are acquired in the same way as in regular Shogi, the game can also be enjoyed as an educational game.

Shogi King

Compatibility: PC (Windows, macOS) iOS/Android
Release date: 2012/5/15
Price: Free
Genre: Table game
Maker: ken1

This app was developed by a private developer and is certified by the Japan Shogi Federation as a sponsor because it was created with the concept of improving beginners' chess skills. It is the best application for intermediate level players to improve their skills.

In addition, there are a variety of systems to improve one's skill, such as "Jissen Tsume-Shogi," a real game style using the entire shogi board, and "Kachikiri Shogi," where the game starts with the player in an advantageous position and the objective is to win the game until the end.