Merlin's Chess: Magical fantasy VR boardgame comes to Meta Quest
Teleporter Realities is bringing classic chess into the fantasy realm, launching Merlin’s Chess for Meta Quest — with magical visuals, animated pieces, and a social VR focus.
On May 22, Teleporter Realities will drop Merlin’s Chess in Early Access, exclusively for Meta Quest headsets. The regular price is set at $12.99, but early birds can pick it up on the Meta Store for $9.99 during the pre-order window.
Merlin’s Chess is aiming to stand out from the usual crowd of VR chess apps like MR Chess and Chess Club by putting the spotlight on lively, character-driven pieces and a whimsical setting. The game’s visual style is straight out of a fantasy MMORPG — think glowing spells, enchanted boards, and avatars that wouldn’t feel out of place in pop culture or gaming history. Even the UI and character design tip their hat to classic fantasy tropes.
Play chess by voice — or by spell
You can square off against other real players or take on AI opponents, with difficulty levels ranging from absolute beginner to nearly unbeatable. More AI personalities will roll out over the course of Early Access, so the single-player challenge is only going to grow.
Merlin’s Chess gives you multiple ways to play: call your moves out loud using natural voice commands (no need to memorize strict phrasing), or go hands-on with either hand tracking or traditional touch controllers. You can keep things cozy with a tabletop board or size it up to a larger-than-life chess arena, complete with towering pieces.
Social Play, Mixed Reality, and Chess.com Integration
A big part of the Merlin’s Chess pitch is its deep integration with Chess.com. You can link your account for verified status and dive into matches against the massive Chess.com community. What’s especially fun: you get access to official Chess.com bots modeled after big names like Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, MrBeast, and the Botez sisters.
Social features are front and center. You can pick either orc or elf avatars and customize your look, hop into cross-platform play with friends, and chat in real time through in-game voice. Built-in safety tools let you mute or block other players to keep things friendly. The automatic matchmaking system pairs you with opponents at your level, using a professional rating system to keep matches competitive.
At launch, Merlin’s Chess will include both ranked and casual modes. But that’s just the start: Teleporter Realities has a roadmap packed with new features, including a puzzle mode, mixed reality support, additional AI characters, and the “Merlin’s Chess Academy”—a structured training program for leveling up your skills. There’s a story campaign in the works, along with upcoming DLC collaborations with well-known brands. Plans for Discord tournaments and content creator support are all part of the push to make Merlin’s Chess the go-to VR chess platform.
What do you think of chess in VR? Join the conversation on Facebook, Bluesky or X or share your opinion in the comments below.
For feedback, topic suggestions, or other ideas, please email us at hello@mixed-news.com.
Note: Links to online stores in articles can be so-called affiliate links. If you buy through this link, MIXED receives a commission from the provider. For you the price does not change.
