Do I ship it?

Games › Deckbuilding › Deckbuilding + Time Management

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Deckbuilding Time Management game?

Deckbuilding + Time Management

Of 28 developers who shipped a Deckbuilding 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.. 50 more are announced, ×3.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $7.4k, ×16 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $240; 1 in 20 cleared $1.5M, ×3278 the market median. Revenue is down 100% on the market; 50 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 15.6 times the market baseline, revenue down 100% on the market, 50 announced, ×3.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Deckbuilding + Time Management
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 28
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $9.9k → $57k → $22k → $240 (still earning) → $419 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Deckbuilding + Time Management: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 28
Bottom 30% $239 (exactly $239)
Median $7.4k (exactly $7,431)
Top 25% $90k (exactly $89,910)
Top 5% $1.6M (exactly $1,556,978)
Developers, 2 yr 28
Released games 48
Announced 50
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $7.99

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 100% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 10%, 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
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
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Deckbuilding, Time Management; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Management, Resource Management
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $18.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, 3D, Funny
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $18.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 87% positive over 19,014 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $240, median $7.4k, 1 in 4 over $89k, 1 in 20 over $1.5M.

3 in 10 developers made under $240. 5 in 10 of the 15 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 50 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.3 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

Loop Hero 2021 · $15M Potionomics 2022 · $5.2M The King is Watching 2025 · $4.0M BOOK OF HOURS 2023 · $3.1M Matchmaking Inc. 2025 · $1.6M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Loop Hero older $14.99 33,816 92% 1.0M $15M (exactly $15,207,055) Four Quarters
Potionomics older $24.99 6,973 90% 209k $5.2M (exactly $5,227,658) Voracious Games
The King is Watching $14.99 9,006 88% 270k $4.0M (exactly $4,049,998) Hypnohead
BOOK OF HOURS older $24.99 4,129 89% 124k $3.1M (exactly $3,095,511) Weather Factory
Matchmaking Inc. $8.99 5,773 87% 173k $1.6M (exactly $1,556,978) Wave Games
Office Life $19.99 1,725 88% 52k $1.0M (exactly $1,034,482) LeiYun Games
Roots of Yggdrasil older $19.99 300 85% 9.0k $180k (exactly $179,910) ManaVoid Entertainment
Goblin Sushi · EA $9.99 404 89% 12k $121k (exactly $121,079) Old Cake Factory
ROGUE LIGHT DECK BUILDER $3.99 888 94% 27k $106k (exactly $106,294) Gil Lawson
Entertainment Simulator $18.99 181 73% 5.4k $103k (exactly $103,116) Grizzbera Studio
City Defense Z $9.99 300 74% 9.0k $90k (exactly $89,910) Good Mood Games
Infinity Sweeper $9.99 256 59% 7.7k $77k (exactly $76,723) Longshot Studio
All Aboard! The Train Defense Express $4.99 379 84% 11k $57k (exactly $56,736) Likadev
TypInc. $9.99 102 74% 3.1k $31k (exactly $30,569) Game Game Games

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