Do I ship it?

Games › Tower Defense › Tower Defense + Board Game

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Board Game Tower Defense?

Tower Defense + Board Game

Of 24 developers who shipped a Board Game Tower Defense 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.. 24 more are announced.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $840, ×1.8 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $7.7k, ×16 the market median. Revenue is down 85% on the market; 24 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 85% on the market, 24 announced, ×1.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Tower Defense + Board Game
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: $59 → $150 → $4.8k → $5.1k → $839 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Tower Defense + Board Game: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 24
Bottom 30% $180 (exactly $180)
Median $839 (exactly $839)
Top 25% $4.8k (exactly $4,795)
Top 5% $7.8k (exactly $7,792)
Developers, 2 yr 24
Released games 52
Announced 24
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $5.99

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 85% on the market, supply 20% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 10%, 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Tower Defense
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high 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
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Tower Defense, Board Game; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Tactical RPG, Turn-Based Tactics
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Hand-drawn, Isometric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $12.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 80% positive over 183 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $180, median $840, 1 in 4 over $4.7k, 1 in 20 over $7.7k.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. All of the 12 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 24 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Tower Defense with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + DwarvesStrong odds10 devs · median $6.7k · 9 announced
  2. + MiningFair33 devs · median $6.3k · 45 announced
  3. + Survival HorrorFair14 devs · median $1.9k · 16 announced
  4. + CapitalismFair15 devs · median $1.6k · 20 announced
  5. + TanksFair14 devs · median $1.5k · 13 announced
  6. + MechsFair24 devs · median $1.5k · 24 announced
  7. + IdlerFair108 devs · median $1.2k · 136 announced
  8. + PuzzleFair64 devs · median $1.0k · 67 announced
  9. + Gun CustomizationFair26 devs · median $958 · 32 announced
  10. + LogicFair40 devs · median $955 · 44 announced
  11. + On-Rails ShooterFair11 devs · median $899 · 12 announced
  12. + Psychological HorrorFair8 devs · median $897 · 8 announced

All 150 pairs on the Tower Defense page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Isle of Arrows 2022 · $365k Sons of Ra 2021 · $17k Legacy of Sin: The Father Sacrifice 2021 · $13k Gigachess 2015 · $10k Escape Gaia 2024 · $9.9k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Isle of Arrows older $12.99 937 80% 28k $365k (exactly $365,149) Gridpop
Sons of Ra older $14.99 37 70% 1.1k $17k (exactly $16,639) Pharaoh Hound Games
Legacy of Sin: The Father Sacrifice older $7.99 55 65% 1.7k $13k (exactly $13,184) Absolute Power Game Studio
Gigachess older $3.99 85 82% 2.6k $10k (exactly $10,174) Drixxel Soft
Escape Gaia older $6.99 47 70% 1.4k $9.9k (exactly $9,856) Current Games
Legacy of Sin: Ill-Boding $12.99 23 69% 690 $9.0k (exactly $8,963) Absolute Power Game Studio
Hexrogue older $8.99 30 93% 900 $8.1k (exactly $8,091) FRIVER
MagicCar of Delicious $9.99 26 76% 780 $7.8k (exactly $7,792) YINGGUO GAME
HexaScape: Cyber Defense $14.99 15 100% 450 $6.7k (exactly $6,746) Clockwork Origins
Heroic Aegisio: Origins $7.99 27 77% 810 $6.5k (exactly $6,472) Vview Games
Unpredictable Star $8.99 19 78% 570 $5.1k (exactly $5,124) 不测之星
Dead Soul TowerDefense:Shadow Labyrinth $9.99 16 50% 480 $4.8k (exactly $4,795) HY Indie Game
Kemotaku $15.99 7 100% 210 $3.4k (exactly $3,358) Kojika Games
Demon Princess Retreat $3.99 21 85% 630 $2.5k (exactly $2,514) OneShotStudio, SamAFEI
Shapes of Memory: Jigsaw Puzzle $3.99 13 100% 390 $1.6k (exactly $1,556) Creative Hand, Abyssal Studios
Spin to Survive $2.99 16 93% 480 $1.4k (exactly $1,435) Seal

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