Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate

Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate

Released May 2022

Chess, but you replace your entire army with a royal shotgun. A unique strategy roguelike based on the timeless checkboard classic.

90% positive · 7,455 reviews
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
High confidence
Active Development
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
High confidence
Active Development

Where to buy

Prices in USD, as listed by each store.
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Evaluation

Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate launched on May 12, 2022, and has received a consistent stream of substantial free content updates ever since. Major updates include: a large content drop in November 2022 (v1.1, adding a new difficulty system, game mode, and 40+ cards), v1.4 in January 2024 (controller support, tutorial, Steam Workshop modding), v1.5 in September 2024 (43 new cards, 2 new shotguns, new mechanics), and most recently the "Bad Company" update (v1.6) on April 11, 2026, released to celebrate the game's 4th anniversary. v1.6 hit the game's highest concurrent player count in four years. Between major updates, PUNKCAKE Delicieux has remained active with feature patches and bug fixes. The mobile port also launched in February 2026 after a year of development. The store description explicitly advertises "free content updates," signalling the developer's ongoing intent. No specific future content has been announced beyond v1.6, but given the sustained multi-year cadence of major releases — typically every 6-12 months — and active post-launch patch support as recently as April 29, 2026, the game continues to receive meaningful development attention well within its historical update window.
Evidence
Major 'Bad Company' update (v1.6) released for the game's 4th anniversary, adding new cards and gameplay content. Reached highest concurrent player count in 4 years.
news post · Apr 11, 2026 source content shipped
high
Public beta for v1.6 launched with 30+ new cards, new Charnier mode, and rebalancing. Developers actively seeking community feedback.
news post · Mar 31, 2026 source content planned
high

Content

1 of 1 released · no outstanding content

Media

Details

Publisher
PUNKCAKE Delicieux
Achievements
127
Platform
Windows, macOS, Linux
Controller
full support
Steam Deck
Verified
Players
Single-player

About this game

Chess, but all your army has gone over to the white side, leaving you with nothing but your royal shotgun and your wounded pride. Carried by your dark folly, you decide it's time to teach those white pieces to fear the Shotgun King.

Every turn, you may either move your king or shoot at enemy pieces, after what you'll need to move again to reload your shotgun. Avoid checkmate and kill the enemy king to complete the floor. After each floor, you may choose between two random combinations of one upgrade for you and one upgrade for the other side. Choose wisely and keep on winning floors and you just may get your kingdom back.

The game features many unlockable cards, 20 ranks of difficulty, over 100 achievements to complete, an endless mode, an arcade-style chase mode, a new charnier mode where you go raiding the kingdom, mod support, and free content updates.

Runs may take ~20 minutes to complete.
Play with mouse and keyboard, or with a game controller.
Plays great on the Steam Deck!

Last evaluated Jun 18, 2026
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