Pride Mahjong

Pride Mahjong is a digital adaptation of the traditional Chinese tile-based game of Mahjong, developed with a thematic focus on LGBTQ+ culture and pride symbolism. The game was released in 2021 by independent studio Rainbow Tiles Interactive. It is available on Windows, macOS, and mobile platforms via the App Store and Google Play. The software replaces standard Mahjong tile sets with designs featuring rainbow colors, pride flags, and icons representing various identities within the LGBTQ+ community. The core rules adhere to the Hong Kong Old Style (HKOS) variant of Mahjong, with a single-player mode against AI opponents and a local multiplayer mode for up to four players. The game includes a customizable background and tile skin system, allowing players to select from different pride flag color schemes. Pride Mahjong does not include any gambling mechanics or real-money transactions; it is a purely recreational puzzle and strategy game. The soundtrack consists of ambient electronic music composed by LGBTQ+ artists. The game received a content rating of E for Everyone from the ESRB.

The objective of Pride Mahjong is to be the first player to form a complete winning hand of 14 tiles, consisting of four melds (three-tile sets) and one pair. A meld can be either a pung (three identical tiles), a chow (three consecutive numbers in the same suit), or a kong (four identical tiles, which requires drawing an extra tile). The game uses a standard 144-tile set divided into three suits (bamboo, characters, and dots), four wind tiles (east, south, west, north), three dragon tiles (red, green, white), and eight flower/season tiles. Players begin with 13 tiles. On each turn, a player draws one tile from the wall or claims a discarded tile from another player. After drawing, the player must discard one tile face-up to the center of the table. A player may call "pung" or "kong" on any player's discard if holding two or three matching tiles. A player may call "chow" only on the discard of the player to the immediate left. A player may call "mahjong" on any discard or self-drawn tile to declare a winning hand. The interface displays each player's hand at the bottom of the screen, with the current player's tiles highlighted. Controls are mouse-based on desktop (click to select and discard) and touch-based on mobile (tap to select and discard). A "sort hand" button arranges tiles by suit and number. The game automatically highlights valid melds and indicates when a player can call a discard. A score tracker shows points for each player based on hand value and winning conditions.