- January 15, 2026
- Noah Games
Tabulo
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About Tabulo
Tabulo is a single player tactical turn-based strategy game. It was developed by Noah Games and was released on January 15, 2026. It received very positive reviews from players.
Position your pieces carefully to max out your score in this Balatro-inspired chess roguelike. Enhance your pieces, purchase powers, and win bonuses from optional challenges, but be careful - your board only has so much room. Build a unique chess board every run Choose from different pieces with different synergies …
Games Like Tabulo
Looking for games like Tabulo? Here are top tactical turn-based strategy recommendations, selected from player-similarity data — start with Die in the Dungeon, Combolands: Roguelike Citybuilder or 9 Kings.
Reviews
- Fun and addictive roguelike deckbuilder with a unique chess-inspired scoring system and deep strategy.
- Satisfying gameplay loop with extensive modifier and tile synergy encouraging creative optimization.
- Clean, minimalist presentation and great music that keep focus on strategic decision making.
- Some bosses and RNG elements can create unwinnable situations without reroll or mitigation options.
- Lacks certain quality-of-life features such as achievements, Steam Deck control support, and a voucher system.
- Runs can feel short and sometimes too easy, with less polish and fewer unlocks compared to its inspiration Balatro.
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral NegativeThe gameplay of Tabulo is praised for its addictive, chess-inspired mechanics and innovative twists like new board pieces, offering a smart and replayable roguelike experience. While it draws heavy inspiration from Balatro, Tabulo establishes its own distinct identity with strong core mechanics, satisfying progression, and engaging optimization puzzles, though some areas could benefit from further refinement. Overall, fans of strategy and score-chasing games find it both fun and strategically rewarding.
“For fans of score-chasing games, optimization puzzles, and modern roguelikes that transform familiar mechanics into something novel, Tabulo stands out as a smart, focused, and deeply replayable entry in the genre.”
“Some are simple stat changes, such as increasing starting money or number of playable pieces, but my favorites are the ones that directly impact the gameplay of the board itself, by introducing new, non-standard chess pieces to put down, such as dice, xiangqi [my favorite], or checkers.”
“The gameplay loop is just as addictive as the loop of Balatro but appeals to chess lovers.”
“While the core mechanics are strong, Tabulo’s ambition occasionally reveals areas that could benefit from further refinement.”
“It's evident from the graphics and gameplay that this game takes a lot of inspiration from Balatro, and while I don't think it will soar to the heights of Balatro, it definitely offers some fun at a reasonable price. The demo gives you a nice amount of content to get a good feel for the game, and at least on PC your progression carries over which is nice.”
“Though the game's design is inspired heavily by Balatro, Tabulo has enough of a distinct identity and gameplay to be able to stand on its own in the roguelike genre.”
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Frequently Asked Questions
Tabulo is a tactical turn-based strategy game. Common tags for Tabulo include turn-based, indie, roguelite, pixel graphics, deckbuilding and others.
Tabulo is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.
Tabulo was released on January 15, 2026.
Tabulo was developed by Noah Games.
Tabulo has received very positive reviews from players. Most players liked Tabulo for its gameplay but disliked it for its graphics.
Tabulo is a single player game.
Similar games include Die in the Dungeon, Combolands: Roguelike Citybuilder, 9 Kings, Wordatro, Drop Duchy and others.