Do I ship it?

GamesAction-AdventureAction-Adventure + Tactical

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Tactical Action-Adventure?

Action-Adventure + Tactical

Of 152 developers who shipped a Tactical Action-Adventure in the last 2 years: 3 in 10 made under est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 4 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 20 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 340 more are announced, ×3.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $600, level with the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $580k, ×937 the market median. Revenue is flat on the market; 340 games are announced against 87 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.0 times the market baseline, revenue flat on the market, 340 announced, ×3.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Action-Adventure + Tactical
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 152
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.5k → $1.1k → $2.7k → $1.4k → $1.2k → $540 → $959 (still earning) → $359 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Action-Adventure + Tactical: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 152
Bottom 30% $178 (exactly $178)
Median $599 (exactly $599)
Top 25% $8.6k (exactly $8,626)
Top 5% $588k (exactly $588,306)
Developers, 2 yr 152
Released games 476
Announced 340
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $6.99

momentum: how a niche's revenue percentiles and developer count moved between two equal, adjacent periods, divided by the market's own move. See method., 12 months: revenue flat on the market, supply 30% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 14%, excluded from money figures.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Action-Adventure
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band
Tactical
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
Systems
Action-Adventure, Tactical; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Combat
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Atmospheric, Realistic
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 76% positive over 30,017 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $180, median $600, 1 in 4 over $8.6k, 1 in 20 over $580k.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. 9 in 10 of the 82 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 340 games are announced against 87 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.9 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Action-Adventure with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Dating SimFair63 devs · median $12k · 69 announced
  2. + MinigamesFair18 devs · median $6.7k · 19 announced
  3. + BikesFair11 devs · median $2.5k · 11 announced
  4. + TransportationFair21 devs · median $2.3k · 22 announced
  5. + MotorbikeFair9 devs · median $2.3k · 12 announced
  6. + TypingLong shot14 devs · median $360 · 16 announced
  7. + Time AttackLong shot12 devs · median $150 · 17 announced
  8. + Character Action GamePoor odds23 devs · median $58k · 93 announced
  9. + MMORPGPoor odds15 devs · median $25k · 116 announced
  10. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds49 devs · median $25k · 133 announced
  11. + LGBTQ+Poor odds81 devs · median $24k · 135 announced
  12. + Villain ProtagonistPoor odds12 devs · median $17k · 26 announced

All 242 pairs on the Action-Adventure page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
DEATHLOOP older $59.99 19,910 76% 597k $36M (exactly $35,832,027) Arkane Studios
METAL GEAR SOLID Δ: SNAKE EATER $49.99 13,554 82% 407k $20M (exactly $20,326,934) KONAMI
Aliens: Dark Descent older $39.99 15,310 87% 459k $18M (exactly $18,367,407) Tindalos Interactive
Kingdom Rush - Tower Defense older $9.99 14,584 97% 438k $4.4M (exactly $4,370,825) Ironhide Game Studio
SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada $39.99 3,303 40% 99k $4.0M (exactly $3,962,609) Game Studio Inc.
Kingdom Rush Origins - Tower Defense older $14.99 7,466 95% 224k $3.4M (exactly $3,357,460) Ironhide Game Studio
METAL GEAR SOLID 3: Snake Eater - Master Collection Version older $19.99 5,403 89% 162k $3.2M (exactly $3,240,179) KONAMI
Commandos: Origins $49.99 1,844 79% 55k $2.8M (exactly $2,765,447) Claymore Game Studios
Crown Trick older $19.99 4,509 85% 135k $2.7M (exactly $2,704,047) NEXT Studios
METAL GEAR SOLID - Master Collection Version older $19.99 4,283 84% 128k $2.6M (exactly $2,568,515) KONAMI
PATAPON 1+2 REPLAY $29.99 2,091 83% 63k $1.9M (exactly $1,881,273) SAS CO.,LTD.
Wild Assault $14.99 3,861 68% 116k $1.7M (exactly $1,736,292) Combat Cat Studio
PIGFACE · EA $12.99 2,598 96% 78k $1.0M (exactly $1,012,441) titolovesyou
Blades of Fire $39.99 523 74% 16k $627k (exactly $627,443) MercurySteam
Relic Guardian - Tower Defense $19.99 981 94% 29k $588k (exactly $588,306) Mystrigger
FEROCIOUS $24.99 742 63% 22k $556k (exactly $556,277) OMYOG
Chains of Freedom $24.99 520 80% 16k $390k (exactly $389,844) Nordcurrent

Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.