Do I ship it?

Games › Grid-Based Movement › Grid-Based Movement + Modern

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Modern-Day Grid-Based Movement game?

Grid-Based Movement + Modern

Of 20 developers who shipped a Modern-Day Grid-Based Movement 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.. 14 more are announced.

Verdict: dead, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $360 in the last 2 years and $360 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 4 / 10 build. 11 developers shipped in the last year and 14 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 50% on the market, 14 announced, ×1.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Grid-Based Movement + Modern
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 20
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $11k → $599 → $299 → $358 → $239 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Grid-Based Movement + Modern: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 20
Bottom 30% $180 (exactly $180)
Median $359 (exactly $359)
Top 25% $1.1k (exactly $1,078)
Top 5% $45k (exactly $44,816)
Developers, 2 yr 20
Released games 44
Announced 14
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $4.99

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 50% on the market, supply 10% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 11%, 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.

Grid-Based Movement
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Modern
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Grid-Based Movement; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Tactical, Turn-Based Tactics
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $15.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Colorful, Minimalist
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $15.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 88% positive over 352 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $180, median $360, 1 in 4 over $1.0k, 1 in 20 over $44k.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. All of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 14 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Grid-Based Movement with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + HistoricalFair22 devs · median $3.0k · 30 announced
  2. + EconomyFair20 devs · median $1.2k · 29 announced
  3. + AutomationFair28 devs · median $959 · 26 announced
  4. + MiningFair12 devs · median $899 · 14 announced
  5. + CollectathonFair17 devs · median $809 · 17 announced
  6. + BuildingFair50 devs · median $719 · 57 announced
  7. + HackingFair14 devs · median $719 · 11 announced
  8. + SokobanFair143 devs · median $657 · 135 announced
  9. + ProgrammingFair23 devs · median $599 · 24 announced
  10. + DogsFair14 devs · median $599 · 7 announced
  11. + PlatformerFair23 devs · median $539 · 18 announced
  12. + Puzzle PlatformerFair62 devs · median $449 · 56 announced

All 126 pairs on the Grid-Based Movement page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

2 Fights in 2 Tight Spaces 2026 · EA · $45k Stackflow 2026 · $41k RPG Stories 2023 · EA · $32k [International] AbsentedAge: Squarebound 2021 · $22k ●LIVE IN DUNGEON 2021 · $14k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
2 Fights in 2 Tight Spaces · EA $12.99 115 84% 3.5k $45k (exactly $44,816) Ground Shatter
Stackflow $6.99 195 88% 5.9k $41k (exactly $40,892) Caue Ferrareto
RPG Stories · EA older $29.99 36 77% 1.1k $32k (exactly $32,389) Brave Alice Games
[International] AbsentedAge: Squarebound older $15.99 46 93% 1.4k $22k (exactly $22,066) terunon's Lab
●LIVE IN DUNGEON older $9.99 46 82% 1.4k $14k (exactly $13,786) Heaviside Creations
Costa Verde Transport Department older $9.99 37 72% 1.1k $11k (exactly $11,089) Nikita Lisitsa
Advent Crossroad older $9.99 30 90% 900 $9.0k (exactly $8,991) NANKADA
3D Hentai Chess older $1.99 81 50% 2.4k $4.8k (exactly $4,836) Flying. Stone. Production
[English] AbsentedAge 2: Ghostbound $15.99 8 100% 240 $3.8k (exactly $3,838) terunon's Lab
3D Hentai Checkers older $1.99 29 75% 870 $1.7k (exactly $1,731) Flying. Stone. Production
Tracktopia $4.99 8 100% 240 $1.2k (exactly $1,198) GalaDev
DragonMirroreD with Hyoga & Magma $4.49 8 100% 240 $1.1k (exactly $1,078) Hyoga the Juggling Dragon, ジャグリングドラゴンヒョ… (Hyoga the Juggling Dragon, ジャグリングドラゴンヒョウガ)
Dorpie $3.99 9 100% 270 $1.1k (exactly $1,077) Chosen Interactive
GameSyndicates $29.99 1 100% 30 $900 (exactly $900) GameSyndicates
Grid Warriors: Battles $9.99 3 66% 90 $899 (exactly $899) Junjo
Fire and Movement · EA $6.99 3 100% 90 $629 (exactly $629) 星川友亮
Beam Bound $5.99 2 100% 60 $359 (exactly $359) GhostJam Games

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