Auto chess dominated China’s livestreaming landscape in August 2026, standing out as some of the month’s most-watched content. Niko Partners China Games & Livestreaming Tracker reveals that auto chess remained one of the most-watched genres in China’s livestreaming market in September 2026, with new launched title Honor of Kings: Ace emerging as the latest driver of the genre’s overall performance.
- The overall Niko Index for games in the auto chess genre increased 43.10% MoM to 124.6 million, mainly driven by Tencent’s newly launched Honor of Kings: Ace and evergreen title Teamfight Tactics.
- Tencent led September’s auto chess rankings with Teamfight Tactics, Honor of Kings: Ace and The Battle of Golden Spatula, which together accounted for 92.20% of the genre’s overall Niko Index.
- Tencent’s Honor of Kings: Ace ranked as the #14 most-viewed game on our Niko Index chart, and at #2 when isolating the auto chess genre, amassing a total of 35.8 million viewers across Huya, Douyu and Bilibili in September. The F2P auto chess cross-platform mobile/PC game launched across key platforms like iOS, Android, HarmonyOS, alongside a PC version distributed via its official website and WeGame on September 10.
- The title accumulated more than 70 million pre-registrations ahead of launch. The launch version includes 85 heroes and 18 commanders from the Honor of Kings (HoK) universe. The project was first announced in 2022 as an auto chess-style spinoff, following the popularity of Dota Auto Chess and the broader emergence of the genre in China.
- Tencent tapped into the existing Hok ecosystem aggressively to drive conversion by offering HoK in-game items and rewards for those that logged into Ace. Tencent also invested heavily in building awareness through creators, celebrities, and esports. The strong launch tests Tencent’s strategy to expand HoK from MOBA into a multi-genre IP ecosystem.
- September viewership was sustained by a new chess master introduced on September 17 and the first “Super Weekend” on September 19–20, during which all chess masters were free to use.
- The title holds a 6.5 rating on TapTap and an 8.9 rating on WeGame. Players praise its familiar Hok characters and the Lingbao AI assistant, which makes the game easier for newcomers to learn. Criticism focuses on lengthy matches and dominant preset lineups that discourage experimentation.
The above is an extract from our China Games & Livestreaming Tracker September 2026 summary. See the free sample here.
Niko Partners’ China Games & Livestreaming Tracker views all current and historical data in our dashboard, updated every 24 hours. Niko’s Analysts write and post monthly analysis of key trends and data observed in the Tracker to help our clients with important insights. Learn more about the platform here. Book your free demo!
RPG titles dominated China’s livestreaming landscape in August 2026, standing out as some of the month’s most-watched content. Niko Partners Learn more >
China’s video game market reached a new milestone in 2025, generating $51.8 billion in revenue, up 5.4% year-over-year and surpassing Learn more >
RPG titles dominated China’s livestreaming landscape in July 2026, standing out as some of the month’s most-watched content. Niko Partners Learn more >
RPG titles dominated China’s livestreaming landscape in August 2026, standing out as some of the month’s most-watched content. Niko Partners Learn more >
China’s video game market reached a new milestone in 2025, generating $51.8 billion in revenue, up 5.4% year-over-year and surpassing Learn more >
RPG titles dominated China’s livestreaming landscape in July 2026, standing out as some of the month’s most-watched content. Niko Partners Learn more >