Do I ship it?

GamesCard GameCard Game + Dating Sim

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Card Game Dating Sim?

Card Game + Dating Sim

Of 23 developers who shipped a Card Game Dating Sim 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.. 48 more are announced, ×4.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 2 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $18k, ×147 the market's $120 for a 2 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $1.3k; 1 in 20 cleared $1.5M, ×13084 the market median. Revenue is up 120% on the market; 48 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 147.2 times the market baseline, revenue up 120% on the market, 48 announced, ×4.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Card Game + Dating Sim
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 23
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $32k → $36k → $359 → $6.9k → $18k → $21k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Card Game + Dating Sim: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 23
Bottom 30% $1.3k (exactly $1,258)
Median $18k (exactly $17,515)
Top 25% $78k (exactly $78,055)
Top 5% $1.6M (exactly $1,556,978)
Developers, 2 yr 23
Released games 85
Announced 48
Effort 2 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $9.99

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 120% on the market, supply 10% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 9%, 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 Game
effort 2 / 10 · high · rules engine and card data
Dating Sim
effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
2 / 10 · static 2D art, simple logic
Systems
Card Game, Dating Sim; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Card Battler, Deckbuilding
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, Cute, 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 83% positive over 15,479 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $1.3k, median $18k, 1 in 4 over $78k, 1 in 20 over $1.5M.

3 in 10 developers made under $1.3k. 5 in 10 of the 13 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 48 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.4 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + SteampunkFair15 devs · median $7.6k · 18 announced
  2. + Immersive SimFair43 devs · median $3.6k · 43 announced
  3. + Inventory ManagementFair65 devs · median $1.6k · 86 announced
  4. + DogsFair11 devs · median $1.5k · 8 announced
  5. + MahjongFair28 devs · median $748 · 24 announced
  6. + Artificial IntelligenceFair40 devs · median $719 · 54 announced
  7. + GamblingFair126 devs · median $600 · 167 announced
  8. + Point & ClickFair62 devs · median $539 · 69 announced
  9. + Hidden ObjectFair17 devs · median $537 · 15 announced
  10. + Board GameFair293 devs · median $479 · 382 announced
  11. + PuzzleFair198 devs · median $479 · 206 announced
  12. + LovecraftianPoor odds23 devs · median $16k · 50 announced

All 159 pairs on the Card Game page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Neon White older $24.99 17,259 97% 518k $13M (exactly $12,939,072) Angel Matrix
Potionomics older $24.99 6,973 90% 209k $5.2M (exactly $5,227,658) Voracious Games
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist older $24.99 4,443 96% 133k $3.3M (exactly $3,330,917) Northway Games
School Days $14.99 6,023 77% 181k $2.7M (exactly $2,708,543) 白雨工作室
Matchmaking Inc. $8.99 5,773 87% 173k $1.6M (exactly $1,556,978) Wave Games
Rebellion GODSOUL: Awakening · EA $17.99 2,458 85% 74k $1.3M (exactly $1,326,583) U-Secret Studio
ISEKAI QUEST older $3.99 3,679 85% 110k $440k (exactly $440,376) Studio Ginkgo
AURA: Hentai Cards older $9.99 1,045 80% 31k $313k (exactly $313,186) TopHouse Studio, AniCore Team
Love of Magic older $14.99 417 88% 13k $188k (exactly $187,525) Droid Productions
FUTA FUCKS FEMBOYS $12.99 276 88% 8.3k $108k (exactly $107,557) Horny Capybara Studio
Hypnosis Card 2 Happy Life $12.99 270 91% 8.1k $105k (exactly $105,219) Naku Kinoko
Fuckstone $11.99 217 88% 6.5k $78k (exactly $78,055) Anime Mania
SEXOPHOBIA 🔞 $14.99 168 78% 5.0k $76k (exactly $75,550) Lewd Star
Isekai Big Dick $10.99 122 87% 3.7k $40k (exactly $40,223) Hippo Games
Hypnosis Card 2 $12.99 65 78% 2.0k $25k (exactly $25,330) Naku Kinoko
Deadly Heart Gambit $6.99 107 90% 3.2k $22k (exactly $22,438) Blink Hydrate ブリンク

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