Do I ship it?

Games › Action Roguelike › Action Roguelike + Card Battler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Card Battler Action Roguelike?

Action Roguelike + Card Battler

Of 47 developers who shipped a Card Battler Action Roguelike 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.. 101 more are announced, ×3.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $450, ×0.9 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $50; 1 in 20 cleared $89k, ×188 the market median. Revenue is up 350% on the market; 101 games are announced against 31 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.9 times the market baseline, revenue up 350% on the market, 101 announced, ×3.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Action Roguelike + Card Battler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 47
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $44k → $1.6k → $0 → $807 → $1.3k → $628 (still earning) → $450 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Action Roguelike + Card Battler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 47
Bottom 30% $0 (exactly $0)
Median $450 (exactly $450)
Top 25% $2.2k (exactly $2,156)
Top 5% $89k (exactly $89,355)
Developers, 2 yr 47
Released games 107
Announced 101
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $5.99

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 up 350% on the market, supply 95% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 10%, 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 Roguelike
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Card Battler
effort 3 / 10 · high · card rules plus simple encounter logic

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Action Roguelike, Card Battler; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Deckbuilding, Roguelike, Action
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $13.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $13.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 96% positive over 19,088 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $50, median $450, 1 in 4 over $2.1k, 1 in 20 over $89k.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. Nearly all of the 27 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 101 games are announced against 31 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + RomanceStrong odds22 devs · median $6.5k · 17 announced
  2. + Creature CollectorFair39 devs · median $1.8k · 54 announced
  3. + SportsFair41 devs · median $1.6k · 39 announced
  4. + Boss RushFair20 devs · median $1.6k · 19 announced
  5. + VampiresFair55 devs · median $1.3k · 52 announced
  6. + IdlerFair44 devs · median $1.0k · 55 announced
  7. + DogsFair19 devs · median $899 · 18 announced
  8. + Precision PlatformerFair36 devs · median $629 · 38 announced
  9. + FaithFair16 devs · median $449 · 21 announced
  10. + Character Action GamePoor odds9 devs · median $20k · 40 announced
  11. + Dating SimPoor odds13 devs · median $12k · 14 announced
  12. + MechsPoor odds44 devs · median $12k · 85 announced

All 205 pairs on the Action Roguelike page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors 2026 · $5.6M One Step From Eden 2020 · $3.6M Aces & Adventures 2023 · $1.3M Duelists of Eden 2024 · $128k Pro Jank Footy 2026 · $97k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors $9.99 18,587 96% 558k $5.6M (exactly $5,570,524) poncle, Nosebleed Interactive
One Step From Eden older $19.99 6,039 94% 181k $3.6M (exactly $3,621,588) Thomas Moon Kang
Aces & Adventures older $19.99 2,220 89% 67k $1.3M (exactly $1,331,334) Triple.B.Titles
Duelists of Eden older $4.99 856 95% 26k $128k (exactly $128,143) Thomas Moon Kang
Pro Jank Footy $14.99 215 80% 6.5k $97k (exactly $96,686) Powerbomb Games, Tinker Town
Liberte older $19.99 152 63% 4.6k $91k (exactly $91,154) Superstatic
Golden Swirl $19.99 149 92% 4.5k $89k (exactly $89,355) Snako Production
Arcana of Paradise —The Tower— older $19.99 74 66% 2.2k $44k (exactly $44,378) 株式会社タストα
Criminal Dissidia older $12.99 105 62% 3.2k $41k (exactly $40,918) 双星骑
Love n Dream: Virtual Happiness older $2.99 316 74% 9.5k $28k (exactly $28,345) Secret Labo
Moon Watch · EA $9.99 56 57% 1.7k $17k (exactly $16,783) Jaspel
Trial of Ariah $11.95 12 91% 360 $4.3k (exactly $4,302) 30 Minute Games
Echoes Of Spellcraft $13.99 10 60% 300 $4.2k (exactly $4,197) Fossil Circuit
Slots and Dungeons · EA $6.99 16 100% 480 $3.4k (exactly $3,355) SuperCrew Games
Tower of Jank $6.99 13 92% 390 $2.7k (exactly $2,726) Matas Dragūnas
Dungeon & Poker $6.99 13 92% 390 $2.7k (exactly $2,726) Vansonstudio
Luck of the Draw $4.99 17 100% 510 $2.5k (exactly $2,545) SuperFake Games

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