Do I ship it?

Games › Turn-Based Strategy › Turn-Based Strategy + Inventory Management

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Inventory Management Turn-Based Strategy?

Turn-Based Strategy + Inventory Management

Of 71 developers who shipped an Inventory Management Turn-Based Strategy 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.. 134 more are announced, ×2.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $3.0k, ×4.8 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $540; 1 in 20 cleared $430k, ×698 the market median. Revenue is down 15% on the market; 134 games are announced against 48 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 4.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 15% on the market, 134 announced, ×2.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Turn-Based Strategy + Inventory Management
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 71
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.9k → $37k → $300 → $6.0k → $2.2k → $7.2k → $1.7k (still earning) → $1.7k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Turn-Based Strategy + Inventory Management: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 71
Bottom 30% $539 (exactly $539)
Median $3.0k (exactly $2,998)
Top 25% $22k (exactly $22,035)
Top 5% $438k (exactly $438,458)
Developers, 2 yr 71
Released games 147
Announced 134
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $9.99

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 15% on the market, supply 85% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 6%, 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.

Turn-Based Strategy
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Inventory 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
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Turn-Based Strategy, Inventory Management; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Roguelike, Roguelite
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 82% positive over 10,535 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $540, median $3.0k, 1 in 4 over $22k, 1 in 20 over $430k.

3 in 10 developers made under $540. 8 in 10 of the 26 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 134 games are announced against 48 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.8 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Turn-Based Strategy with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + WuxiaFair12 devs · median $19k · 17 announced
  2. + Cold WarFair18 devs · median $9.9k · 22 announced
  3. + RomeFair15 devs · median $9.0k · 18 announced
  4. + LootFair86 devs · median $6.3k · 97 announced
  5. + MiningFair10 devs · median $4.5k · 14 announced
  6. + DwarvesFair7 devs · median $3.7k · 12 announced
  7. + IdlerFair50 devs · median $3.6k · 45 announced
  8. + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair43 devs · median $3.6k · 54 announced
  9. + TanksFair25 devs · median $3.0k · 24 announced
  10. + SokobanFair11 devs · median $2.1k · 11 announced
  11. + Top-Down ShooterFair13 devs · median $1.6k · 13 announced
  12. + SpaceFair107 devs · median $1.5k · 143 announced

All 187 pairs on the Turn-Based Strategy page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Backpack Hero 2023 · $4.5M NEO Scavenger 2014 · $2.0M Deadly Days: Roadtrip 2025 · EA · $1.3M City of Gangsters 2021 · $1.2M Megaloot 2024 · $1.1M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Backpack Hero older $19.99 7,423 85% 223k $4.5M (exactly $4,451,573) Jaspel
NEO Scavenger older $14.99 4,437 89% 133k $2.0M (exactly $1,995,319) Blue Bottle Games
Deadly Days: Roadtrip · EA $14.99 2,855 87% 86k $1.3M (exactly $1,283,894) Pixelsplit
City of Gangsters older $29.99 1,332 73% 40k $1.2M (exactly $1,198,400) SomaSim
Megaloot older $9.99 3,808 71% 114k $1.1M (exactly $1,141,258) axilirate
Legends of Eisenwald older $19.99 1,394 76% 42k $836k (exactly $835,982) Aterdux Entertainment
Slice & Dice older $8.99 2,484 96% 75k $670k (exactly $669,935) Tann
Lootbound $14.99 1,248 77% 37k $561k (exactly $561,226) ArtDock
Knightica $14.99 1,136 74% 34k $511k (exactly $510,859) Mad Mango Games
Wretch: Divine Ascent $14.99 975 75% 29k $438k (exactly $438,458) Ogopogo
Overlooting $9.99 1,405 81% 42k $421k (exactly $421,078) Posing Possums
NO-SKIN $6.99 1,227 95% 37k $257k (exactly $257,302) NoEye-Soft
Monster Battles $14.99 459 74% 14k $206k (exactly $206,412) Fourteen
Apokerlypse $9.99 612 81% 18k $183k (exactly $183,416) Breaker Games
Moonsigil Atlas $19.99 261 81% 7.8k $157k (exactly $156,522) Snake Tower Games
NEODUEL: Backpack Monsters $11.99 357 79% 11k $128k (exactly $128,413) dicehit, Rogue Duck Interactive

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