Do I ship it?

Games › Combat › Combat + Dungeon Crawler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Combat Dungeon Crawler?

Combat + Dungeon Crawler

Of 439 developers who shipped a Combat Dungeon Crawler 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.. 890 more are announced, ×3.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.5k, ×2.4 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $560k, ×905 the market median. Revenue is flat on the market; 890 games are announced against 271 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.4 times the market baseline, revenue flat on the market, 890 announced, ×3.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Combat + Dungeon Crawler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 439
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.8k → $4.6k → $2.9k → $1.0k → $2.9k → $2.2k → $897 (still earning) → $719 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Combat + Dungeon Crawler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 439
Bottom 30% $359 (exactly $359)
Median $1.5k (exactly $1,498)
Top 25% $12k (exactly $12,142)
Top 5% $568k (exactly $568,273)
Developers, 2 yr 439
Released games 980
Announced 890
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 flat on the market, supply 60% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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.

Combat
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Dungeon Crawler
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Combat, Dungeon Crawler; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Action, Adventure
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 87% positive over 105,359 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $360, median $1.5k, 1 in 4 over $12k, 1 in 20 over $560k.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. 8 in 10 of the 198 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 890 games are announced against 271 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Real-Time with PauseStrong odds14 devs · median $15k · 12 announced
  2. + 4XFair32 devs · median $3.8k · 48 announced
  3. + TypingFair20 devs · median $2.2k · 26 announced
  4. + VampiresFair54 devs · median $1.9k · 64 announced
  5. + SnowFair21 devs · median $1.2k · 24 announced
  6. + Walking SimulatorFair51 devs · median $599 · 61 announced
  7. + Match 3Long shot13 devs · median $359 · 16 announced
  8. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds32 devs · median $55k · 85 announced
  9. + Political SimPoor odds14 devs · median $49k · 22 announced
  10. + Extraction ShooterPoor odds21 devs · median $31k · 47 announced
  11. + Dating SimPoor odds23 devs · median $19k · 45 announced
  12. + LGBTQ+Poor odds52 devs · median $16k · 90 announced

All 248 pairs on the Combat page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

AI LIMIT 2025 · $24M Shape of Dreams 2025 · $12M Death's Door 2021 · $12M Fellowship 2025 · EA · $12M Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors 2026 · $5.6M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
AI LIMIT $34.99 22,833 92% 685k $24M (exactly $23,967,800) Sense Games
Shape of Dreams $24.99 15,769 89% 473k $12M (exactly $11,822,019) Lizard Smoothie
Death's Door older $19.99 19,330 93% 580k $12M (exactly $11,592,201) Acid Nerve
Fellowship · EA $24.99 15,357 74% 461k $12M (exactly $11,513,143) Chief Rebel
Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors $9.99 18,587 96% 558k $5.6M (exactly $5,570,524) poncle, Nosebleed Interactive
Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling into Darkness older $59.99 2,650 79% 80k $4.8M (exactly $4,769,205) Chime Corporation
Len's Island $24.99 5,935 82% 178k $4.4M (exactly $4,449,470) Flow Studio
Lunacid older $13.99 10,371 90% 311k $4.4M (exactly $4,352,709) KIRA LLC
The Slormancer $19.99 6,926 81% 208k $4.2M (exactly $4,153,522) Slormite Studios
Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion $69.99 1,838 63% 55k $3.9M (exactly $3,859,249) Marvelous Inc.
Heroes of Hammerwatch II $19.99 5,806 82% 174k $3.5M (exactly $3,481,858) Crackshell
FlyKnight $5.99 10,432 96% 313k $1.9M (exactly $1,874,630) Wabbaboy
Three Kingdoms Mushouden $24.99 1,876 72% 56k $1.4M (exactly $1,406,437) NanBei Studio

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