Do I ship it?

Games › Combat › Combat + Time Management

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Combat Time Management game?

Combat + Time Management

Of 56 developers who shipped a Combat Time Management 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.. 129 more are announced, ×3.8 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 $90; 1 in 20 cleared $710k, ×1146 the market median. Revenue is down 70% on the market; 129 games are announced against 34 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.4 times the market baseline, revenue down 70% on the market, 129 announced, ×3.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Combat + Time Management
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 56
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $299 → $5.8k → $5.8k → $3.6k → $1.4k → $638 (still earning) → $480 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Combat + Time Management: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 56
Bottom 30% $90 (exactly $90)
Median $1.5k (exactly $1,492)
Top 25% $12k (exactly $11,745)
Top 5% $720k (exactly $719,960)
Developers, 2 yr 56
Released games 134
Announced 129
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 70% on the market, supply 55% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 24%, 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
Time Management
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Combat, Time Management; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Action, RPG
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $17.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, 3D, Story Rich
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $17.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 86% positive over 30,307 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $90, median $1.5k, 1 in 4 over $11k, 1 in 20 over $710k.

3 in 10 developers made under $90. 7 in 10 of the 26 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 129 games are announced against 34 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.8 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

The Blood of Dawnwalker 2026 · $33M The King is Watching 2025 · $4.0M Punch Club 2: Fast Forward 2023 · $2.3M Welcome to Elderfield 2026 · $720k Godlike Burger 2022 · $477k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
The Blood of Dawnwalker $69.99 15,789 86% 474k $33M (exactly $33,152,163) Rebel Wolves
The King is Watching $14.99 9,006 88% 270k $4.0M (exactly $4,049,998) Hypnohead
Punch Club 2: Fast Forward older $19.99 3,808 81% 114k $2.3M (exactly $2,283,658) Lazy Bear Games
Welcome to Elderfield $17.99 1,334 87% 40k $720k (exactly $719,960) Chris Cote
Godlike Burger older $19.99 796 75% 24k $477k (exactly $477,361) Liquid Pug
Jacksmith: Weapons and Warriors $5.99 1,897 97% 57k $341k (exactly $340,891) Flipline Studios
Ocean Keeper: Dome Survival $9.99 826 77% 25k $248k (exactly $247,552) RetroStyle Games
SEDAP! A Culinary Adventure $14.99 517 70% 16k $232k (exactly $232,495) kopiforge
Captain Blood $24.99 266 77% 8.0k $199k (exactly $199,420) Seawolf Studio, General Arcade
Yolk Heroes: A Long Tamago older $7.99 725 89% 22k $174k (exactly $173,782) 14 Hours Productions
Rocky Idle $9.99 308 83% 9.2k $92k (exactly $92,308) Rocky Games Studio
Private Military Manager: Tactical Auto Battler · EA $5.99 291 69% 8.7k $52k (exactly $52,293) 5minlab Corp.
Crazy Islands $13.99 73 68% 2.2k $31k (exactly $30,638) Ge-Aivan

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