Games › Action RPG › Action RPG + Idler
Should I ship an Idler Action RPG?
Action RPG + Idler
Of 44 developers who shipped an Idler Action RPG 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.. 73 more are announced, ×2.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.7k, ×1.1 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $100k, ×72 the market median. Revenue is up 40% on the market; 73 games are announced against 26 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $358 (exactly $358) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.7k (exactly $1,678) |
| Top 25% | $16k (exactly $15,840) |
| Top 5% | $108k (exactly $107,557) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 44 |
| Released games | 125 |
| Announced | 73 |
| Effort | 7 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $4.99 |
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 40% on the market, supply 45% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 35%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Action RPG
- effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
- Idler
- effort 1 / 10 · high · number growth curves and a UI
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- Action RPG, Idler; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Combat, Action
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $12.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 83% positive over 3,506 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $360. 7 in 10 of the 24 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 73 games are announced against 26 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.8 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Action RPG with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + NavalFair
- + Local Co-OpFair
- + WesternFair
- + Local MultiplayerFair
- + Walking SimulatorLong shot
- + WuxiaPoor odds
- + Character Action GamePoor odds
- + MechsPoor odds
- + Colony SimPoor odds
- + Dating SimPoor odds
- + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds
- + Bullet HeavenPoor odds
Comparable games
Swords & Souls: Neverseen 2019 · $2.7M 
Dark Hunting Ground 2025 · $300k 
欺神弄鬼 2025 · EA · $240k 
Legendary Hoplite 2024 · $151k 
Cultivation Magic World 2026 · EA · $108k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Swords & Souls: Neverseen | older | $14.99 | 6,077 93% | 182k | $2.7M (exactly $2,732,827) | SoulGame Studio |
| | Dark Hunting Ground | $12.99 | 771 92% | 23k | $300k (exactly $300,459) | BingX | |
| | 欺神弄鬼 | · EA | $9.99 | 802 91% | 24k | $240k (exactly $240,359) | 猫台班子工作室 Cat Caboodle |
| | Legendary Hoplite | older | $14.99 | 335 63% | 10k | $151k (exactly $150,650) | TripleBricksGames |
| | Cultivation Magic World | · EA | $12.99 | 276 78% | 8.3k | $108k (exactly $107,557) | DMG Studio |
 | Drakkar Crew | older | $14.99 | 155 80% | 4.7k | $70k (exactly $69,704) | SiBear Games |
 | Raid Auctus | $4.99 | 423 56% | 13k | $63k (exactly $63,323) | Cosmic Whale Studio | |
 | Eldara | $7.50 | 243 83% | 7.3k | $55k (exactly $54,675) | Eldara Games | |
 | XiuzhenWorld2 | $12.99 | 134 67% | 4.0k | $52k (exactly $52,220) | Noforgetit | |
 | TryAndLove | older | $6.99 | 208 48% | 6.2k | $44k (exactly $43,618) | MYSTERY CROWN |
 | Duncrush | $3.99 | 321 82% | 9.6k | $38k (exactly $38,424) | Golden Pick Games | |
 | Book of Fei | $2.99 | 347 93% | 10k | $31k (exactly $31,126) | TAO Studio | |
 | 神魔山海经 Gods Monster | $11.99 | 57 59% | 1.7k | $21k (exactly $20,503) | 红尘背包客 | |
 | Mining Survivors | $4.99 | 132 74% | 4.0k | $20k (exactly $19,760) | Wonderbounce Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.