Do I ship it?

Games › Hex Grid › Hex Grid + Grid-Based Movement

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Grid-Based Movement Hex Grid game?

Hex Grid + Grid-Based Movement

Of 30 developers who shipped a Grid-Based Movement Hex Grid 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.. 82 more are announced, ×4.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $750, ×1.6 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $150; 1 in 20 cleared $120k, ×258 the market median. Revenue is down 70% on the market; 82 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.6 times the market baseline, revenue down 70% on the market, 82 announced, ×4.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Hex Grid + Grid-Based Movement
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 30
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.5k → $570 → $3.1k → $22k → $150 → $898 → $150 (still earning) → $2.4k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Hex Grid + Grid-Based Movement: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 30
Bottom 30% $150 (exactly $150)
Median $748 (exactly $748)
Top 25% $6.1k (exactly $6,138)
Top 5% $122k (exactly $122,339)
Developers, 2 yr 30
Released games 92
Announced 82
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 down 70% on the market, supply 60% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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.

Hex Grid
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
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
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Hex Grid, Grid-Based Movement; 9 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Tactical, Turn-Based Strategy
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 88% positive over 1,655 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $150, median $750, 1 in 4 over $6.1k, 1 in 20 over $120k.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. 9 in 10 of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 82 games are announced against 19 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Local MultiplayerFair12 devs · median $4.5k · 14 announced
  2. + Open WorldPoor odds12 devs · median $24k · 20 announced
  3. + Post-apocalypticPoor odds7 devs · median $19k · 18 announced
  4. + Turn-BasedPoor odds22 devs · median $13k · 35 announced
  5. + SandboxPoor odds23 devs · median $12k · 40 announced
  6. + ExplorationPoor odds35 devs · median $12k · 55 announced
  7. + RPGPoor odds39 devs · median $10k · 96 announced
  8. + Strategy RPGPoor odds26 devs · median $10k · 60 announced
  9. + 4XPoor odds26 devs · median $9.9k · 60 announced
  10. + Card BattlerPoor odds12 devs · median $8.2k · 29 announced
  11. + RoguelitePoor odds42 devs · median $7.9k · 101 announced
  12. + RoguelikePoor odds37 devs · median $7.8k · 102 announced

All 69 pairs on the Hex Grid page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

NEO Scavenger 2014 · $2.0M Those Who Rule 2025 · $602k Möbius Front '83 2020 · $197k Vestaria Saga II: The Sacred Sword of Silvanister 2022 · $141k Veterum 2026 · $122k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
NEO Scavenger older $14.99 4,437 89% 133k $2.0M (exactly $1,995,319) Blue Bottle Games
Those Who Rule $17.99 1,116 89% 33k $602k (exactly $602,305) Eldin Turulja
Möbius Front '83 older $19.99 328 74% 9.8k $197k (exactly $196,702) Zachtronics
Vestaria Saga II: The Sacred Sword of Silvanister older $19.99 235 87% 7.1k $141k (exactly $140,930) Vestaria Project
Veterum $19.99 204 85% 6.1k $122k (exactly $122,339) Crasleen Games
Can't Live Without Electricity older $4.99 229 94% 6.9k $34k (exactly $34,281) MELOVITY
ColdRidge $9.99 97 73% 2.9k $29k (exactly $29,071) Frog Collective
Godless older $9.99 95 90% 2.9k $28k (exactly $28,472) Danil Kalyupa
Railway Islands - Puzzle older $3.99 230 94% 6.9k $28k (exactly $27,531) Rising Moon Games
Tactical Annihilation $15.99 56 98% 1.7k $27k (exactly $26,863) B.G. Game Studio
Astro Protocol $11.99 66 93% 2.0k $24k (exactly $23,740) Null Vector Studios
Combat Directive : Napoleonic Wars $19.99 36 88% 1.1k $22k (exactly $21,589) Fatice Games
Cold War Battles $19.99 12 91% 360 $7.2k (exactly $7,196) Kudos Games
Antiyoy $4.99 41 85% 1.2k $6.1k (exactly $6,138) yiotro
Turn Based Boxing: Tactics - Legends Edition $9.99 14 85% 420 $4.2k (exactly $4,196) The Slanted Room
Starbug Troopers : The 4 horseflies of the apocalypse $8.99 13 84% 390 $3.5k (exactly $3,506) Big Loot Games

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