The Gladiators matched their Division Three opponents for large parts of the game and were only six points down at the break before tiring late on as the visitors took advantage of greater bench depth.
Chester's new head coach Nathan Ainsworth was without a number of senior players for this pre-season opener but will have taken encouragement from his team's display.
Andrew Bowles opened the scoring for the Gladiators and added the conversion before Tom Benson touched down to keep the hosts in touch at half-time.
Wigan moved clear on the scoreboard in the second period but Damian Tierney hit back for the home side as he capped a solid outing with Chester's third score.
The Gladiators are back in action on Saturday 15th February when Blackpool Stanley visit for another pre-season fixture.