Do I ship it?

Games › Deckbuilding › Deckbuilding + Tower Defense

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Deckbuilding Tower Defense?

Deckbuilding + Tower Defense

Of 103 developers who shipped a Deckbuilding Tower Defense 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.. 180 more are announced, ×3.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $3.1k, ×6.6 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450; 1 in 20 cleared $510k, ×1075 the market median. Revenue is up 15% on the market; 180 games are announced against 59 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 6.6 times the market baseline, revenue up 15% on the market, 180 announced, ×3.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Deckbuilding + Tower Defense
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 103
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $9.3k → $4.5k → $18k → $4.3k → $8.5k → $1.5k → $3.1k (still earning) → $2.8k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Deckbuilding + Tower Defense: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 103
Bottom 30% $449 (exactly $449)
Median $3.1k (exactly $3,146)
Top 25% $33k (exactly $33,452)
Top 5% $511k (exactly $510,859)
Developers, 2 yr 103
Released games 205
Announced 180
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $6.99

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 up 15% on the market, supply 35% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 16%, 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
Tower Defense
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, Tower Defense; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Roguelike, Roguelite
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Top-Down
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 88% positive over 21,273 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $450, median $3.1k, 1 in 4 over $33k, 1 in 20 over $510k.

3 in 10 developers made under $450. 8 in 10 of the 55 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 180 games are announced against 59 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.1 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

The King is Watching 2025 · $4.0M Ratropolis 2020 · $2.8M Emberward 2026 · $2.3M Overdungeon 2019 · $1.3M Heretic's Fork 2023 · $928k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
The King is Watching $14.99 9,006 88% 270k $4.0M (exactly $4,049,998) Hypnohead
Ratropolis older $17.99 5,187 87% 156k $2.8M (exactly $2,799,424) Cassel Games
Emberward $19.99 3,775 96% 113k $2.3M (exactly $2,263,868) Refic Games
Overdungeon older $14.99 2,854 79% 86k $1.3M (exactly $1,283,444) Pocketpair
Heretic's Fork older $9.99 3,097 85% 93k $928k (exactly $928,171) 9FingerGames
Border Pioneer $14.99 1,675 86% 50k $753k (exactly $753,248) Yahzj Games
Tower Tactics: Liberation older $19.99 1,224 88% 37k $734k (exactly $734,033) asraworks
Deck of Haunts $19.99 1,206 84% 36k $723k (exactly $723,238) Mantis
ShapeHero Factory $23.99 991 88% 30k $713k (exactly $713,223) Asobism.Co.,Ltd
Knightica $14.99 1,136 74% 34k $511k (exactly $510,859) Mad Mango Games
Cubic Cosmos $12.99 941 92% 28k $367k (exactly $366,708) Inkstone Atelier
Epic Auto Towers · EA $14.99 768 70% 23k $345k (exactly $345,370) Aleksandr Golovkin
There Are No Orcs $8.99 1,188 93% 36k $320k (exactly $320,404) BaseTrade Studio
Poly TD $7.99 587 82% 18k $141k (exactly $140,704) Naroot

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