Do I ship it?

Games › Strategy RPG › Strategy RPG + Board Game

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Board Game Strategy RPG?

Strategy RPG + Board Game

Of 64 developers who shipped a Board Game Strategy 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.. 87 more are announced, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.9k, ×3.0 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $240; 1 in 20 cleared $470k, ×750 the market median. Revenue is up 35% on the market; 87 games are announced against 39 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.0 times the market baseline, revenue up 35% on the market, 87 announced, ×2.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Strategy RPG + Board Game
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 64
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $7.8k → $17k → $3.1k → $3.7k → $9.0k → $3.1k → $449 (still earning) → $24k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Strategy RPG + Board Game: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 64
Bottom 30% $239 (exactly $239)
Median $1.9k (exactly $1,887)
Top 25% $27k (exactly $26,618)
Top 5% $471k (exactly $470,812)
Developers, 2 yr 64
Released games 166
Announced 87
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $7.99

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 35% on the market, supply 55% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 19%, 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.

Strategy RPG
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Board Game
effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Strategy RPG, Board Game; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Turn-Based Tactics, RPG
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 82% positive over 5,461 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $240, median $1.9k, 1 in 4 over $26k, 1 in 20 over $470k.

3 in 10 developers made under $240. 8 in 10 of the 31 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 87 games are announced against 39 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + SportsFair23 devs · median $4.7k · 26 announced
  2. + SwordplayFair22 devs · median $2.7k · 28 announced
  3. + Bullet HellFair40 devs · median $2.0k · 31 announced
  4. + EconomyFair95 devs · median $2.0k · 128 announced
  5. + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair8 devs · median $1.6k · 13 announced
  6. + ConspiracyFair19 devs · median $1.2k · 21 announced
  7. + Shop KeeperFair21 devs · median $987 · 25 announced
  8. + 2D PlatformerFair108 devs · median $479 · 113 announced
  9. + Point & ClickFair43 devs · median $450 · 47 announced
  10. + Turn-BasedPoor odds58 devs · median $63k · 76 announced
  11. + Dating SimPoor odds30 devs · median $35k · 41 announced
  12. + 4XPoor odds15 devs · median $31k · 33 announced

All 158 pairs on the Strategy RPG page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

For The King 2018 · $19M Ultimate General: Civil War 2017 · $7.5M Depersonalization 2024 · $3.6M Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked 2025 · $1.1M No Time to Relax 2019 · $1.0M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
For The King older $19.99 31,038 87% 931k $19M (exactly $18,613,489) IronOak Games
Ultimate General: Civil War older $29.99 8,331 88% 250k $7.5M (exactly $7,495,401) Game-Labs
Depersonalization older $19.99 6,041 92% 181k $3.6M (exactly $3,622,788) MeowNature
Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked $29.99 1,235 82% 37k $1.1M (exactly $1,111,130) Resolution Games
No Time to Relax older $13.99 2,486 92% 75k $1.0M (exactly $1,043,374) Porcelain Fortress
Frosthaven · EA $39.99 814 72% 24k $977k (exactly $976,556) Snapshot Games Inc.
Tales & Tactics older $17.99 1,737 80% 52k $937k (exactly $937,459) Table 9 Studio
Swords and Sandals Classic Collection older $9.99 2,905 92% 87k $871k (exactly $870,628) Whiskeybarrel Studios
Warhammer Quest (Classic) older $29.99 897 71% 27k $807k (exactly $807,031) Rodeo Games, Twistplay
The Legend of Fancy Realm Remake $24.99 897 86% 27k $672k (exactly $672,481) USERJOY Technology Co.,Ltd.
Burden of Command™ $24.99 628 83% 19k $471k (exactly $470,812) Green Tree Games LLC
Viractal: Will You Trust Your Party? $24.99 448 88% 13k $336k (exactly $335,866) Sting
Sandwalkers $19.99 490 73% 15k $294k (exactly $293,853) Goblinz Studio
Dead Grid $12.99 504 93% 15k $196k (exactly $196,409) Atom Void
Cell Command $17.99 159 97% 4.8k $86k (exactly $85,812) Alpherior
Underboard $14.99 181 74% 5.4k $81k (exactly $81,396) Headless
Moves Of The Diamond Hand · EA $19.99 105 100% 3.2k $63k (exactly $62,968) Cosmo D Studios

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