Do I ship it?

Games › Action RPG › Action RPG + Runner

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Runner Action RPG?

Action RPG + Runner

Of 24 developers who shipped a Runner 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.. 40 more are announced, ×3.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $240 in the last 2 years and $150 over 4, against a market of $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build. 12 developers shipped in the last year and 40 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.2 times the market baseline, revenue down 10% on the market, 40 announced, ×3.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Action RPG + Runner
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 24
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.5k → $60 → $298 → $359 → $60 → $0 (still earning) → $408 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Action RPG + Runner: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 24
Bottom 30% $59 (exactly $59)
Median $238 (exactly $238)
Top 25% $750 (exactly $750)
Top 5% $3.9k (exactly $3,896)
Developers, 2 yr 24
Released games 78
Announced 40
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $3.99

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 down 10% on the market, supply 10% fewer 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Action RPG
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Runner
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Action RPG, Runner; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Action-Adventure, 2D Platformer
Price point
$3.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Abstract, Colorful
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $3.99.

The top 10 games average 96% positive over 348 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $59, median $240, 1 in 4 over $750, 1 in 20 over $3.8k.

3 in 10 developers made under $59. 9 in 10 of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 40 games are announced against 12 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + NavalFair17 devs · median $15k · 11 announced
  2. + Local Co-OpFair68 devs · median $6.0k · 82 announced
  3. + WesternFair13 devs · median $5.5k · 15 announced
  4. + Local MultiplayerFair43 devs · median $5.5k · 56 announced
  5. + Walking SimulatorLong shot35 devs · median $450 · 33 announced
  6. + WuxiaPoor odds7 devs · median $198k · 28 announced
  7. + Character Action GamePoor odds14 devs · median $105k · 55 announced
  8. + MechsPoor odds21 devs · median $59k · 43 announced
  9. + Colony SimPoor odds11 devs · median $58k · 35 announced
  10. + Dating SimPoor odds31 devs · median $44k · 47 announced
  11. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds23 devs · median $26k · 69 announced
  12. + Bullet HeavenPoor odds77 devs · median $25k · 91 announced

All 211 pairs on the Action RPG page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

CONERU -DIMENSION GIRL- 2025 · $158k Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World 2021 · $86k Sex Apocalypse 2 2023 · $58k Zombodesert 2024 · $18k The Deletion 2015 · $11k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
CONERU -DIMENSION GIRL- $19.99 263 96% 7.9k $158k (exactly $157,721) HIKE Inc., Eallin Japan Co.Ltd.
Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World older $19.99 144 79% 4.3k $86k (exactly $86,357) G CHOICE, Monkey Craft
Sex Apocalypse 2 older $9.99 195 55% 5.9k $58k (exactly $58,442) Octo Games
Zombodesert older $49.99 12 91% 360 $18k (exactly $17,996) Gamesforgames
The Deletion older $1.99 188 76% 5.6k $11k (exactly $11,224) russpuppy
Buff Knight Advanced older $2.99 65 70% 2.0k $5.8k (exactly $5,830) Buff Studio Co.,Ltd.
Lab Inspect older $4.99 37 86% 1.1k $5.5k (exactly $5,539) 8BITLAB
Barking Puzzle older $4.99 29 72% 870 $4.3k (exactly $4,341) Fenous
Super Miners · EA $9.99 13 92% 390 $3.9k (exactly $3,896) METAGAR
Maniac Path 3 $9.99 12 100% 360 $3.6k (exactly $3,596) Gamesforgames
Echobreaker $8.99 12 100% 360 $3.2k (exactly $3,236) Upstream Arcade
MEMOLOGY: ESCAPE OF MEMES $0.99 35 91% 1.1k $1.0k (exactly $1,040) Gamesforfarm, Piece Of Voxel
The Pilgrim's Progress $24.99 1 100% 30 $750 (exactly $750) Elvio Lujan
Echoes of the Deep : Incremental Endless Miner $6.80 2 100% 60 $408 (exactly $408) Konstantinos "Spellmystery" V… (Konstantinos "Spellmystery" Voukelatos)
Isles Above · EA $5.99 2 100% 60 $359 (exactly $359) UVW Game Studio
福报镖局 $3.99 3 100% 90 $359 (exactly $359) Flappy Cow Studio
The Fallen Kingdom $1.99 5 100% 150 $298 (exactly $298) Lucas Baldi Aragão

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