Do I ship it?

Games › Strategy RPG › Strategy RPG + Dungeon Crawler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dungeon Crawler Strategy RPG?

Strategy RPG + Dungeon Crawler

Of 165 developers who shipped a Dungeon Crawler Strategy RPG 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.. 303 more are announced, ×3.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.7k, ×2.7 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $330; 1 in 20 cleared $420k, ×671 the market median. Revenue is down 10% on the market; 303 games are announced against 86 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.7 times the market baseline, revenue down 10% on the market, 303 announced, ×3.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Strategy RPG + Dungeon Crawler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 165
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $4.6k → $40k → $5.0k → $3.6k → $2.5k → $2.7k → $899 (still earning) → $839 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Strategy RPG + Dungeon Crawler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 165
Bottom 30% $330 (exactly $330)
Median $1.7k (exactly $1,678)
Top 25% $21k (exactly $20,509)
Top 5% $421k (exactly $421,078)
Developers, 2 yr 165
Released games 386
Announced 303
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 10% on the market, supply 10% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 14%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Strategy RPG
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Dungeon Crawler
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Strategy RPG, Dungeon Crawler; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Strategy, Adventure
Price point
$8.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.

The top 10 games average 78% positive over 13,479 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $330, median $1.7k, 1 in 4 over $20k, 1 in 20 over $420k.

3 in 10 developers made under $330. 7 in 10 of the 91 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 303 games are announced against 86 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + SportsFair23 devs · median $4.7k · 26 announced
  2. + SwordplayFair22 devs · median $2.7k · 28 announced
  3. + Bullet HellFair40 devs · median $2.0k · 31 announced
  4. + EconomyFair95 devs · median $2.0k · 128 announced
  5. + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair8 devs · median $1.6k · 13 announced
  6. + ConspiracyFair19 devs · median $1.2k · 21 announced
  7. + Shop KeeperFair21 devs · median $987 · 25 announced
  8. + 2D PlatformerFair108 devs · median $479 · 113 announced
  9. + Point & ClickFair43 devs · median $450 · 47 announced
  10. + Turn-BasedPoor odds58 devs · median $63k · 76 announced
  11. + Dating SimPoor odds30 devs · median $35k · 41 announced
  12. + 4XPoor odds15 devs · median $31k · 33 announced

All 158 pairs on the Strategy RPG page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Black Book 2021 · $4.0M Age of Reforging: The Freelands 2025 · $2.1M Our Adventurer Guild 2024 · $1.5M Low Magic Age 2017 · EA · $1.5M Three Kingdoms Mushouden 2025 · $1.4M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Black Book older $24.99 5,306 93% 159k $4.0M (exactly $3,977,908) Morteshka
Age of Reforging: The Freelands $29.99 2,291 71% 69k $2.1M (exactly $2,061,213) PersonaeGame Studio
Our Adventurer Guild older $14.99 3,392 95% 102k $1.5M (exactly $1,525,382) GreenGuy
Low Magic Age · EA older $14.99 3,342 89% 100k $1.5M (exactly $1,502,897) Low Magic Studios
Three Kingdoms Mushouden $24.99 1,876 72% 56k $1.4M (exactly $1,406,437) NanBei Studio
Erenshor · EA $19.99 2,153 94% 65k $1.3M (exactly $1,291,154) Burgee Media
Siralim Ultimate older $19.99 2,145 92% 64k $1.3M (exactly $1,286,356) Thylacine Studios
Megaloot older $9.99 3,808 71% 114k $1.1M (exactly $1,141,258) axilirate
Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked $29.99 1,235 82% 37k $1.1M (exactly $1,111,130) Resolution Games
Hadean Tactics older $19.99 1,725 89% 52k $1.0M (exactly $1,034,482) Emberfish Games
Dungeon Settlers · EA $24.99 1,117 79% 34k $837k (exactly $837,415) CanOpener
Blackthorn Arena: Reforged $24.99 882 66% 26k $661k (exactly $661,235) PersonaeGame Studio
Lootbound $14.99 1,248 77% 37k $561k (exactly $561,226) ArtDock
Knights in Tight Spaces $19.99 831 69% 25k $498k (exactly $498,351) Ground Shatter
Terrinoth®: Heroes of Descent $34.99 441 75% 13k $463k (exactly $462,918) Artefacts Studio, Shine Group
Overlooting $9.99 1,405 81% 42k $421k (exactly $421,078) Posing Possums

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