Do I ship it?

GamesCard GameCard Game + Modern

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Modern-Day Card Game?

Card Game + Modern

Of 32 developers who shipped a Modern-Day Card Game 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.. 53 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.1k, ×2.3 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $59; 1 in 20 cleared $100k, ×217 the market median. Revenue is down 65% on the market; 53 games are announced against 21 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 65% on the market, 53 announced, ×2.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Card Game + Modern
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 32
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $238 → $15k → $3.3k → $4.5k → $1.2k → $629 (still earning) → $538 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Card Game + Modern: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 32
Bottom 30% $59 (exactly $59)
Median $1.1k (exactly $1,079)
Top 25% $7.1k (exactly $7,130)
Top 5% $103k (exactly $103,116)
Developers, 2 yr 32
Released games 68
Announced 53
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 65% on the market, supply 90% 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Card Game
effort 2 / 10 · high · rules engine and card data
Modern
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Card Game; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Card Battler, Deckbuilding
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $22.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Anime, 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $22.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 73% positive over 1,488 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 $1.1k, 1 in 4 over $7.1k, 1 in 20 over $100k.

3 in 10 developers made under $59. 8 in 10 of the 13 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 53 games are announced against 21 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Card Game with a different setting or mood, 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. + Dating SimPoor odds23 devs · median $18k · 48 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
Cardfight!! Vanguard Dear Days older $69.99 1,186 76% 36k $2.5M (exactly $2,490,244) FURYU Corporation, LANCARSE Ltd.
Retirement Simulator · EA older $13.99 3,757 34% 113k $1.6M (exactly $1,576,813) DoubleThink Studio
Cardfight!! Vanguard Dear Days 2 $69.99 631 67% 19k $1.3M (exactly $1,324,911) FURYU Corporation, LANCARSE Ltd.
The Solitaire Conspiracy older $11.99 742 89% 22k $267k (exactly $266,897) Bithell Games
The Political Machine 2024 older $19.99 255 74% 7.7k $153k (exactly $152,924) Stardock Entertainment
A=B older $4.99 908 94% 27k $136k (exactly $135,928) Artless Games
Entertainment Simulator $18.99 181 73% 5.4k $103k (exactly $103,116) Grizzbera Studio
SEXOPHOBIA 🔞 $14.99 168 78% 5.0k $76k (exactly $75,550) Lewd Star
Yomi 2 $19.99 104 92% 3.1k $62k (exactly $62,369) Sirlin Games
Tokyo Valkyries $22.99 87 75% 2.6k $60k (exactly $60,004) qureate
Lunchbreak Tactics $14.99 124 76% 3.7k $56k (exactly $55,763) Borealys Games
2 Fights in 2 Tight Spaces · EA $12.99 115 84% 3.5k $45k (exactly $44,816) Ground Shatter
Schoolgirl Card Pull Simulator $6.99 34 61% 1.0k $7.1k (exactly $7,130) Violet Soft
Feminization Device $6.99 28 75% 840 $5.9k (exactly $5,872) FT Girl Studio
okey.gg · EA $9.99 16 50% 480 $4.8k (exactly $4,795) yilmaz.games

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