Do I ship it?

Games › Action Roguelike › Action Roguelike + Psychological

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Psychological Action Roguelike?

Action Roguelike + Psychological

Of 21 developers who shipped a Psychological 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.. 52 more are announced, ×3.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.8k, ×3.8 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $90; 1 in 20 cleared $130k, ×285 the market median. Revenue is up 13700% on the market; 52 games are announced against 14 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.8 times the market baseline, revenue up 13700% on the market, 52 announced, ×3.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Action Roguelike + Psychological
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 21
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $719 → $2.7k → $11k (still earning) → $269 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Action Roguelike + Psychological: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 21
Bottom 30% $90 (exactly $90)
Median $1.8k (exactly $1,798)
Top 25% $6.1k (exactly $6,081)
Top 5% $135k (exactly $135,191)
Developers, 2 yr 21
Released games 35
Announced 52
Effort 4 / 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 up 13700% on the market, supply 100% 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 Roguelike
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Psychological
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

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; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Survival Horror, Action, Roguelike
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $7.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, Atmospheric, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $7.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 89% positive over 1,439 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $90, median $1.8k, 1 in 4 over $6.0k, 1 in 20 over $130k.

3 in 10 developers made under $90. All of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 52 games are announced against 14 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Action Roguelike with a different setting or mood, 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

It Has My Face 2026 · $182k CAPTURED 2 2026 · $135k Killer: Infected One of Us 2021 · $41k Blackjack Descent 2026 · $21k GwenBlade 2023 · $16k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
It Has My Face $9.99 608 88% 18k $182k (exactly $182,218) NightByte Games
CAPTURED 2 $7.99 564 99% 17k $135k (exactly $135,191) Puck Redflix
Killer: Infected One of Us older $6.99 196 52% 5.9k $41k (exactly $41,101) DreamTeamGames
Blackjack Descent $7.99 88 79% 2.6k $21k (exactly $21,094) CGI LAB GAMES
GwenBlade older $9.99 54 75% 1.6k $16k (exactly $16,184) ArcWillow
S.E.M.I. – Side Effects May Include... $7.99 47 78% 1.4k $11k (exactly $11,266) Two Horn Unicorn
Shoot Trip Die older $4.99 57 87% 1.7k $8.5k (exactly $8,533) Levi Ramirez
SCREAM NOTE $7.99 35 2% 1.1k $8.4k (exactly $8,390) REAL PLAYERS
Grit Shot $6.99 29 75% 870 $6.1k (exactly $6,081) nithic
Vaccine Rebirth older $6.99 27 77% 810 $5.7k (exactly $5,662) Rainy Night Creations
The Night Shift $6.99 22 68% 660 $4.6k (exactly $4,613) Red Spiral Studios
16 Cyber-Personalities: Survivors $6.99 22 95% 660 $4.6k (exactly $4,613) MBTactIcs Lab
LYMBUS $9.99 11 90% 330 $3.3k (exactly $3,297) Happy Accident Studios
Dungeon & Poker $6.99 13 92% 390 $2.7k (exactly $2,726) Vansonstudio

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