Games › Deckbuilding › Deckbuilding + Incremental
Should I ship an Incremental Deckbuilding?
Deckbuilding + Incremental
Of 63 developers who shipped an Incremental 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.. 113 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $840, ×1.8 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $210; 1 in 20 cleared $130k, ×275 the market median. Revenue is down 25% on the market; 113 games are announced against 49 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $210 (exactly $210) |
|---|---|
| Median | $839 (exactly $839) |
| Top 25% | $12k (exactly $11,534) |
| Top 5% | $131k (exactly $130,636) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 63 |
| Released games | 107 |
| Announced | 113 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| 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 25% on the market, supply 225% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 18%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Incremental
- effort 1 / 10 · high · formulas and upgrade tables
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Deckbuilding, Incremental; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Roguelike, Roguelite
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Relaxing, Colorful
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 87% positive over 6,597 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $210. 8 in 10 of the 19 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 113 games are announced against 49 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Deckbuilding with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + AutomationFair
- + Inventory ManagementFair
- + ArcadeFair
- + 2D FighterFair
- + Party GameFair
- + SwordplayFair
- + Point & ClickFair
- + Traditional RoguelikeFair
- + LogicFair
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
- + Dating SimPoor odds
- + Visual NovelPoor odds
Comparable games
Book of Demons 2018 · $6.0M 
Q-UP 2025 · $337k 
This Ain’t Even Poker, Ya Joker 2025 · $320k 
Bones and Coins 2026 · $153k 
Legacy of Defense 2026 · $131k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Book of Demons | older | $24.99 | 8,010 91% | 240k | $6.0M (exactly $6,005,097) | Thing Trunk |
| | Q-UP | $9.99 | 1,126 93% | 34k | $337k (exactly $337,462) | Everybody House Games | |
| | This Ain’t Even Poker, Ya Joker | $5.99 | 1,781 86% | 53k | $320k (exactly $320,046) | Mash | |
| | Bones and Coins | $7.99 | 638 72% | 19k | $153k (exactly $152,929) | Troyd Games | |
| | Legacy of Defense | $7.99 | 545 72% | 16k | $131k (exactly $130,636) | Enter the Game Studios | |
 | ROGUE LIGHT DECK BUILDER | $3.99 | 888 94% | 27k | $106k (exactly $106,294) | Gil Lawson | |
 | The Loopler | $9.99 | 349 90% | 10k | $105k (exactly $104,595) | Mheep | |
 | Ultrapool | $11.99 | 265 88% | 8.0k | $95k (exactly $95,320) | Icedrop Games | |
 | Lucky Hunter | $5.99 | 413 89% | 12k | $74k (exactly $74,216) | 159 Studio | |
 | Brothel Simulator 🍓 | older | $9.99 | 235 46% | 7.1k | $70k (exactly $70,430) | Pirates Of The Digital Sea |
 | Replicat | $9.99 | 213 99% | 6.4k | $64k (exactly $63,836) | Brainoid Games | |
 | All Aboard! The Train Defense Express | $4.99 | 379 84% | 11k | $57k (exactly $56,736) | Likadev |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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