Do I ship it?

GamesCard BattlerCard Battler + Incremental

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Incremental Card Battler?

Card Battler + Incremental

Of 30 developers who shipped an Incremental Card Battler 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.. 42 more are announced.

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

The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×2.6 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $420; 1 in 20 cleared $130k, ×275 the market median. Revenue is down 55% on the market; 42 games are announced against 21 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.6 times the market baseline, revenue down 55% on the market, 42 announced, ×2.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Card Battler + Incremental
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 30
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $269 → $4.6k → $2.2k → $1.4k → $598 (still earning) → $418 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Card Battler + Incremental: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 30
Bottom 30% $418 (exactly $418)
Median $1.3k (exactly $1,258)
Top 25% $2.8k (exactly $2,792)
Top 5% $131k (exactly $130,636)
Developers, 2 yr 30
Released games 62
Announced 42
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $6.99

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 55% on the market, supply 110% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 26%, 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.

Card Battler
effort 3 / 10 · high · card rules plus simple encounter logic
Incremental
effort 1 / 10 · high · formulas and upgrade tables

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Card Battler, Incremental; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Card Game, Deckbuilding
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $10.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Cute
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $10.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 79% positive over 1,746 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $420, median $1.3k, 1 in 4 over $2.7k, 1 in 20 over $130k.

3 in 10 developers made under $420. 9 in 10 of the 16 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 42 games are announced against 21 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Card Battler with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + ArcadeFair68 devs · median $1.9k · 75 announced
  2. + Bullet HellFair24 devs · median $1.2k · 22 announced
  3. + GamblingFair64 devs · median $1.0k · 77 announced
  4. + 2D FighterFair10 devs · median $1.0k · 11 announced
  5. + ZombiesFair17 devs · median $839 · 22 announced
  6. + Point & ClickFair25 devs · median $629 · 34 announced
  7. + CollectathonFair35 devs · median $628 · 33 announced
  8. + Traditional RoguelikeFair43 devs · median $449 · 57 announced
  9. + Party GameFair28 devs · median $449 · 35 announced
  10. + SolitaireLong shot77 devs · median $299 · 79 announced
  11. + Asynchronous MultiplayerPoor odds33 devs · median $31k · 56 announced
  12. + CRPGPoor odds15 devs · median $25k · 28 announced

All 125 pairs on the Card Battler page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Berserk B.I.T.S $6.99 667 81% 20k $140k (exactly $139,870) BerserkBoy Games
Legacy of Defense $7.99 545 72% 16k $131k (exactly $130,636) Enter the Game Studios
Iron Carnage $39.99 91 91% 2.7k $109k (exactly $109,173) Andrew Monteiro B
Idle Quest Simulator $4.99 183 78% 5.5k $27k (exactly $27,395) 所以然
Chosen Garden $9.99 90 93% 2.7k $27k (exactly $26,973) Winter Cabin Games
Telltale Texas Hold ‘Em older $0.99 235 79% 7.1k $7.0k (exactly $6,980) Telltale
The Midnight Crimes $10.99 20 60% 600 $6.6k (exactly $6,594) DeadlyCrow Games
Idle Banshee Alliance older $4.99 41 68% 1.2k $6.1k (exactly $6,138) okyakusama
Cat Guardian $7.99 19 84% 570 $4.6k (exactly $4,554) Yaeegy
Citadel Siege $0.99 94 93% 2.8k $2.8k (exactly $2,792) ·
Pacremental $3.99 23 100% 690 $2.8k (exactly $2,753) Erocol
Casino Simulator · EA $5.99 14 21% 420 $2.5k (exactly $2,516) Game Studios

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