Games › CRPG › CRPG + Life Sim
Should I ship a Life Sim CRPG?
CRPG + Life Sim
Of 43 developers who shipped a Life Sim CRPG 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.. 84 more are announced, ×3.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $900, ×0.6 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $270. 84 games are announced against 27 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.1 per shipper, while revenue is down 95% on the market.
| Bottom 30% | $269 (exactly $269) |
|---|---|
| Median | $899 (exactly $899) |
| Top 25% | $24k (exactly $24,068) |
| Top 5% | $248k (exactly $248,173) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 43 |
| Released games | 104 |
| Announced | 84 |
| 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 95% on the market, supply 70% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 9%, 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, Life Sim; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Simulation, Exploration
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $11.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Cute, Story Rich
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $11.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 91% positive over 21,657 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $270. 7 in 10 of the 21 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 84 games are announced against 27 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.1 per shipper.
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
Big Ambitions 2026 · $11M 
Chinese Online Game 2024 · $2.0M 
Immortal Life 2024 · $2.0M 
Sword and Fairy Inn 2 2022 · $1.2M 
Handyman Fantasy 2025 · $385k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Big Ambitions | $25.99 | 14,003 92% | 420k | $11M (exactly $10,918,139) | Hovgaard Games | |
| | Chinese Online Game | older | $9.99 | 6,610 82% | 198k | $2.0M (exactly $1,981,017) | 648工作室 |
| | Immortal Life | older | $16.99 | 3,853 79% | 116k | $2.0M (exactly $1,963,874) | YiFang Studio |
| | Sword and Fairy Inn 2 | older | $19.99 | 2,013 49% | 60k | $1.2M (exactly $1,207,196) | SOFTSTAR ENTERTAINMENT |
| | Handyman Fantasy | $7.99 | 1,607 95% | 48k | $385k (exactly $385,198) | SupaShinKen Studio | |
 | Your Mom | $1.99 | 4,157 95% | 125k | $248k (exactly $248,173) | Mom Game | |
 | High School Odyssey | older | $8.99 | 591 92% | 18k | $159k (exactly $159,393) | 傲雪小组 |
 | Princess Maker 2 Regeneration | older | $39.99 | 129 58% | 3.9k | $155k (exactly $154,761) | Bliss Brain, Monkey Craft |
 | Monarch : Medieval Remastered | $11.99 | 365 80% | 11k | $131k (exactly $131,290) | Mr.Lordy | |
 | Wishful Journey:Love Across Time | older | $9.99 | 426 88% | 13k | $128k (exactly $127,672) | Hillhouse Holdings Limited |
 | 这个CEO我当定了！ | $7.99 | 462 82% | 14k | $111k (exactly $110,741) | 叁石肆两 | |
 | The Next Journey Of Life | $12.99 | 147 63% | 4.4k | $57k (exactly $57,286) | FOREVER GAME | |
 | Pact Between Us | $6.99 | 267 86% | 8.0k | $56k (exactly $55,990) | MYSTERY CROWN | |
 | Song's Fantasy | $7.99 | 229 55% | 6.9k | $55k (exactly $54,891) | 南十字座工作室 | |
 | Immortal Farmer: System’s Mandate | · EA | $4.99 | 297 68% | 8.9k | $44k (exactly $44,461) | oyogame |
 | Herbals tycoon | · EA | $9.99 | 123 76% | 3.7k | $37k (exactly $36,863) | Orange Paper Studio |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.