Should I ship an Idler CRPG?
CRPG + Idler
Only 17 developers shipped an Idler CRPG in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, 👑Idle Calibur：Zero💕（选王之剑：零）, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 18 more are announced.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $2.2k, ×1.4 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $900; 1 in 20 cleared $140k, ×98 the market median. Revenue is down 40% on the market; 18 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $899 (exactly $899) |
|---|---|
| Median | $2.2k (exactly $2,156) |
| Top 25% | $12k (exactly $11,860) |
| Top 5% | $147k (exactly $146,716) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 17 |
| Released games | 55 |
| Announced | 18 |
| Effort | 7 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| 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 40% on the market, supply 85% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 31%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- CRPG, Idler; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Adventure, Strategy RPG
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $10.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $10.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 74% positive over 908 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $900. 6 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 18 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year.
Adjacent niches
CRPG with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Martial ArtsFair
- + Female ProtagonistFair
- + TabletopFair
- + Traditional RoguelikeFair
- + 2D PlatformerFair
- + IncrementalLong shot
- + FMVPoor odds
- + Card BattlerPoor odds
- + Grid-Based MovementPoor odds
- + SpacePoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + Souls-likePoor odds
Comparable games
👑Idle Calibur：Zero💕（选王之剑：零） 2024 · $147k 
XiuzhenWorld2 2024 · $52k 
The Legend of Pomodoro 2026 · $20k 
山上那个猴儿 2026 · $15k 
AFKandia - Epoch of Idle 2026 · $12k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 👑Idle Calibur：Zero💕（选王之剑：零） | $10.99 | 445 80% | 13k | $147k (exactly $146,716) | 绝汪 | |
| | XiuzhenWorld2 | $12.99 | 134 67% | 4.0k | $52k (exactly $52,220) | Noforgetit | |
| | The Legend of Pomodoro | $6.99 | 94 82% | 2.8k | $20k (exactly $19,712) | Tony Wang | |
| | 山上那个猴儿 | $8.99 | 56 76% | 1.7k | $15k (exactly $15,103) | 追忆创造 | |
| | AFKandia - Epoch of Idle | $5.99 | 66 45% | 2.0k | $12k (exactly $11,860) | Yang++ Game Studio | |
 | Last Lovers 绿洲之爱 | older | $8.99 | 39 79% | 1.2k | $11k (exactly $10,518) | P. G. 制作组, V.P. TEAM |
 | Let's Journey | older | $7.99 | 30 83% | 900 | $7.2k (exactly $7,191) | Garden of Dreams |
 | 鸿运修仙传 | $5.99 | 34 76% | 1.0k | $6.1k (exactly $6,110) | 玉米工作室 | |
 | Trap for the Heir | $8.99 | 21 90% | 630 | $5.7k (exactly $5,664) | MariLuzaria | |
 | Idle Inferno | $5.99 | 30 60% | 900 | $5.4k (exactly $5,391) | TUNA TUN | |
 | Mist | $5.99 | 12 75% | 360 | $2.2k (exactly $2,156) | Euphoria Games | |
 | Chilling Silence | $3.99 | 16 56% | 480 | $1.9k (exactly $1,915) | podushki |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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