Do I ship it?

Games › Combat Racing › Combat Racing + Action Roguelike

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Action Roguelike Combat Racing game?

Combat Racing + Action Roguelike

Of 22 developers who shipped an Action Roguelike Combat Racing game 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.. 50 more are announced, ×3.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $630, level with the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $89; 1 in 20 cleared $42k, ×68 the market median. Revenue is down 95% on the market; 50 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.0 times the market baseline, revenue down 95% on the market, 50 announced, ×3.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Combat Racing + Action Roguelike
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 22
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.7k → $0 → $210 (still earning) → $150 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Combat Racing + Action Roguelike: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 22
Bottom 30% $89 (exactly $89)
Median $628 (exactly $628)
Top 25% $6.0k (exactly $5,992)
Top 5% $43k (exactly $42,906)
Developers, 2 yr 22
Released games 50
Announced 50
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $5.00

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 down 95% on the market, supply 115% more developers than the period before.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

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

Combat Racing
effort 6 / 10 · low · vehicle physics plus weapons and AI drivers
Action Roguelike
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 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
Combat Racing, Action Roguelike; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Roguelike, Arcade
Price point
$5.00 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Top-Down, Colorful
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $5.00.

The top 10 games average 74% positive over 1,177 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $89, median $630, 1 in 4 over $5.9k, 1 in 20 over $42k.

3 in 10 developers made under $89. All of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 50 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Combat Racing with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + CollectathonFair10 devs · median $2.2k · 12 announced
  2. + SandboxFair21 devs · median $1.8k · 26 announced
  3. + PlatformerFair28 devs · median $899 · 38 announced
  4. + RhythmFair10 devs · median $802 · 9 announced
  5. + ParkourFair26 devs · median $719 · 23 announced
  6. + RPGFair22 devs · median $629 · 28 announced
  7. + 2D PlatformerLong shot18 devs · median $270 · 14 announced
  8. + Beat 'em upLong shot15 devs · median $89 · 15 announced
  9. + SurvivalPoor odds10 devs · median $3.6k · 32 announced
  10. + Post-apocalypticPoor odds13 devs · median $2.7k · 50 announced
  11. + DystopianPoor odds10 devs · median $2.7k · 22 announced
  12. + Split ScreenPoor odds44 devs · median $2.4k · 57 announced

All 79 pairs on the Combat Racing page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Carmageddon: Rogue Shift 2026 · $902k Bloody Rally Show 2020 · $149k PAKO 2 2017 · $72k Nautical Survival 2026 · $43k REDLINE CROOKS 2024 · $26k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Carmageddon: Rogue Shift $39.99 752 62% 23k $902k (exactly $902,174) 34BigThings srl
Bloody Rally Show older $19.99 248 89% 7.4k $149k (exactly $148,726) Kodo Linija
PAKO 2 older $5.99 398 94% 12k $72k (exactly $71,521) Tree Men Games
Nautical Survival $7.99 179 97% 5.4k $43k (exactly $42,906) Idan Rooze
REDLINE CROOKS $11.99 73 100% 2.2k $26k (exactly $26,258) Alexander Golke
Pest Apocalypse $9.99 75 94% 2.3k $22k (exactly $22,478) Kikimora Games
Derby Heroines: Run, Bet, Win! $14.99 17 94% 510 $7.6k (exactly $7,645) SHINISE GAMES, MFC STUDIO
Tides of The Endless · EA $7.99 25 84% 750 $6.0k (exactly $5,992) Shimmer High Sea
WARPZONE DRIFTER older $0.99 117 80% 3.5k $3.5k (exactly $3,475) Walter Machado
Drift Survivor 2 $3.99 26 92% 780 $3.1k (exactly $3,112) MEWSTURBO
ULTIMATE ARMORED TURBODRIFTER ~ SaGa Chapter 2 ~【TANK AUTHORITY WOLFRAM】 $4.99 16 100% 480 $2.4k (exactly $2,395) The Dark Union
Carnage Kart X · EA $4.99 11 90% 330 $1.6k (exactly $1,647) Two Brain Games
Careening · EA $7.99 3 100% 90 $719 (exactly $719) Sean N Richardson

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