Do I ship it?

Games › Action Roguelike › Action Roguelike + Roguelike Deckbuilder

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Roguelike Deckbuilder Action Roguelike?

Action Roguelike + Roguelike Deckbuilder

Of 38 developers who shipped a Roguelike Deckbuilder 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.. 67 more are announced, ×2.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $4.1k, ×8.7 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.7k; 1 in 20 cleared $680k, ×1442 the market median. Revenue is up 65% on the market; 67 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 8.7 times the market baseline, revenue up 65% on the market, 67 announced, ×2.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Action Roguelike + Roguelike Deckbuilder
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 38
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.4k → $2.5k → $1.5k → $4.5k → $4.2k → $4.3k → $5.1k (still earning) → $2.5k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Action Roguelike + Roguelike Deckbuilder: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 38
Bottom 30% $1.6k (exactly $1,647)
Median $4.1k (exactly $4,133)
Top 25% $17k (exactly $16,997)
Top 5% $685k (exactly $684,893)
Developers, 2 yr 38
Released games 69
Announced 67
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $9.99

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 65% on the market, supply 70% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 7%, 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
Roguelike Deckbuilder
effort 3 / 10 · high · deckbuilding rules plus procedural runs

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, Roguelike Deckbuilder; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Deckbuilding, Roguelike, Action
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Pixel Graphics, 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 95% positive over 21,842 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $1.7k, median $4.1k, 1 in 4 over $16k, 1 in 20 over $680k.

3 in 10 developers made under $1.7k. 8 in 10 of the 18 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 67 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.8 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 Hand of Fate 2015 · $4.8M Hand of Fate 2 2017 · $4.7M Omelet You Cook 2026 · $685k SealChain: Call of Blood 2026 · $145k
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
Hand of Fate older $19.99 8,009 89% 240k $4.8M (exactly $4,802,997) Defiant Development
Hand of Fate 2 older $29.99 5,273 84% 158k $4.7M (exactly $4,744,118) Defiant Development
Omelet You Cook $14.99 1,523 97% 46k $685k (exactly $684,893) Dan Schumacher, Hjalte Tagmose
SealChain: Call of Blood $8.99 537 56% 16k $145k (exactly $144,829) AliveGameStudio
Goblin Sushi · EA $9.99 404 89% 12k $121k (exactly $121,079) Old Cake Factory
Seraph's Last Stand older $0.99 4,010 93% 120k $119k (exactly $119,097) Sad Socket
Rack and Slay older $5.99 516 91% 15k $93k (exactly $92,725) Ludokultur
Golden Swirl $19.99 149 92% 4.5k $89k (exactly $89,355) Snako Production
Towerful Defense: A Rogue TD older $9.99 209 70% 6.3k $63k (exactly $62,637) Mini Fun Games
Lucky Shot $12.99 147 97% 4.4k $57k (exactly $57,286) Deliver Games
Into the Restless Ruins $14.99 109 83% 3.3k $49k (exactly $49,017) Ant Workshop Ltd
Ricochet Abyss · EA $12.99 78 75% 2.3k $30k (exactly $30,397) DreamForge
Kill the Brickman $4.99 166 75% 5.0k $25k (exactly $24,850) Doonutsaur
From The Top $3.99 142 85% 4.3k $17k (exactly $16,997) JUNKFALL33

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