Chess-like game Relay vs Lobby vs Dedicated Server

I am building a multiplayer game for my friends and I that is chess-like in the sense that it is turn based and there may be multiple days until someone takes their turn.

I am trying to figure out which of Unity’s multiplayer frameworks to use. Security, latency, and high load are not concerns. Relay looks good, but I am worried that if no one is connected to the game for more than a minute, it will delete itself. It is also fair to assume that at some point everyones devices might be completely dead+disconnected, but I would still want the game to be saved with the ability to reconnect. Which of these frameworks should I use?

Considering your requirements and concerns, it seems like Photon Unity Networking (PUN) might be a suitable choice for your multiplayer game. PUN is a popular framework for Unity that supports turn-based games, handles disconnects well, and allows for reconnection. It provides features like room management, synchronization, and support for different platforms.

While Relay could be an option, your concern about it potentially deleting the game if no one is connected for more than a minute might be a significant factor. PUN is known for its reliability and flexibility in handling various multiplayer scenarios, making it a good fit for your chess-like, turn-based game.

For more, check out this blog post: Choosing the best networking middleware for your Unity based multiplayer or MMO game

I know this is old but I add my comments anyhow. I am developing a similar type of game and decided to save costs by using an Always Free Oracle Autonomous Database (json), which I access from Cloud Code to protect client secrets and some of the basic game logics. So far in the dev it works well.

To address the turns that can last for days, or longer, I create a json doc for each match where I control and manage all the turns and results.