If you’ve glanced at the most played games on Twitch in the past few months, you’ve likely noticed a few unfamiliar titles rising to the top of the ranks. Team Fight Tactics? Dota Underlords? What is all this stuff? In short: it’s auto chess, and it’s gaming’s newest genre.

If you actually attempted to watch a stream of one of the above games being played, chances are you became even more confused. At any given moment there’s a ton of action happening on screen at once, but no clear reason as to how or why. But worry not. Auto chess games certainly look confusing on the surface, but once you have a basic understanding of what makes the genre tick, it will all fall into place.