Do I ship it?

Games › Deckbuilding › Deckbuilding + Grid-Based Movement

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Grid-Based Movement Deckbuilding?

Deckbuilding + Grid-Based Movement

Of 52 developers who shipped a Grid-Based Movement Deckbuilding 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, ×4.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.9k, ×4.1 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $640k, ×1351 the market median. Revenue is down 85% on the market; 129 games are announced against 30 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 4.1 times the market baseline, revenue down 85% on the market, 129 announced, ×4.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Deckbuilding + Grid-Based Movement
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 52
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $132k → $46k → $3.3k → $25k → $16k → $539 → $539 (still earning) → $2.4k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Deckbuilding + Grid-Based Movement: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 52
Bottom 30% $299 (exactly $299)
Median $1.9k (exactly $1,946)
Top 25% $32k (exactly $32,346)
Top 5% $642k (exactly $641,743)
Developers, 2 yr 52
Released games 96
Announced 129
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $8.99

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 85% on the market, supply 35% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 11%, 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Deckbuilding
effort 3 / 10 · high · card pools and run logic
Grid-Based Movement
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Deckbuilding, Grid-Based Movement; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Roguelike, Card Game
Price point
$8.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.

The top 10 games average 94% positive over 25,581 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $300, median $1.9k, 1 in 4 over $32k, 1 in 20 over $640k.

3 in 10 developers made under $300. 8 in 10 of the 22 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 129 games are announced against 30 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + AutomationFair44 devs · median $2.8k · 51 announced
  2. + Inventory ManagementFair98 devs · median $2.5k · 137 announced
  3. + ArcadeFair170 devs · median $1.9k · 234 announced
  4. + 2D FighterFair17 devs · median $959 · 12 announced
  5. + Party GameFair22 devs · median $719 · 30 announced
  6. + SwordplayFair11 devs · median $599 · 13 announced
  7. + Point & ClickFair34 devs · median $598 · 36 announced
  8. + Traditional RoguelikeFair53 devs · median $537 · 79 announced
  9. + LogicFair84 devs · median $419 · 118 announced
  10. + LovecraftianPoor odds19 devs · median $72k · 56 announced
  11. + Dating SimPoor odds13 devs · median $30k · 31 announced
  12. + Visual NovelPoor odds36 devs · median $26k · 64 announced

All 141 pairs on the Deckbuilding page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors 2026 · $5.6M Cobalt Core 2023 · $2.4M Sol Cesto 2026 · $2.0M Card-en-Ciel 2024 · $642k Abalon: Roguelike Tactics CCG 2023 · $533k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors $9.99 18,587 96% 558k $5.6M (exactly $5,570,524) poncle, Nosebleed Interactive
Cobalt Core older $19.99 4,067 95% 122k $2.4M (exactly $2,438,980) Rocket Rat Games
Sol Cesto $13.99 4,838 91% 145k $2.0M (exactly $2,030,509) Tambouille, Géraud Zucchini, Chariospir… (Tambouille, Géraud Zucchini, Chariospirale)
Card-en-Ciel $24.99 856 90% 26k $642k (exactly $641,743) INTI CREATES CO., LTD.
Abalon: Roguelike Tactics CCG older $29.99 592 95% 18k $533k (exactly $532,622) D20Studios
Dungeon Drafters older $24.99 563 76% 17k $422k (exactly $422,081) Manalith Studios
For The Warp older $14.99 434 72% 13k $195k (exactly $195,170) Massive Galaxy Studios
Pawnbarian older $9.99 450 91% 14k $135k (exactly $134,865) j4nw
Dark Quest 3 older $18.99 231 73% 6.9k $132k (exactly $131,601) Brain Seal Ltd
Master of Piece · EA $14.99 197 86% 5.9k $89k (exactly $88,591) I M GAME, I M fine
Slot & Dungeons $8.99 304 83% 9.1k $82k (exactly $81,989) MUC GAMES
Takara Cards $14.99 112 83% 3.4k $50k (exactly $50,366) Post Mortem Pixels
Merge Maestro $3.99 384 93% 12k $46k (exactly $45,965) Stingless
2 Fights in 2 Tight Spaces · EA $12.99 115 84% 3.5k $45k (exactly $44,816) Ground Shatter
Shuffle Tactics $14.99 95 70% 2.9k $43k (exactly $42,722) Club Sandwich
Meteorfall: Rustbowl Rumble $14.99 93 91% 2.8k $42k (exactly $41,822) Slothwerks

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