Do I ship it?

GamesTurn-Based StrategyTurn-Based Strategy + Local Multiplayer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Local Multiplayer Turn-Based Strategy?

Turn-Based Strategy + Local Multiplayer

Of 97 developers who shipped a Local Multiplayer 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.. 122 more are announced.

Verdict: long shot, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $240, ×0.4 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, but 1 in 20 cleared $49k, ×79 the market median. Revenue is up 155% on the market; 122 games are announced against 71 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.4 times the market baseline, revenue up 155% on the market, 122 announced, ×1.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Turn-Based Strategy + Local Multiplayer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 97
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $4.8k → $3.1k → $2.4k → $1.1k → $179 → $899 → $239 (still earning) → $180 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Turn-Based Strategy + Local Multiplayer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 97
Bottom 30% $0 (exactly $0)
Median $240 (exactly $240)
Top 25% $1.8k (exactly $1,798)
Top 5% $50k (exactly $49,750)
Developers, 2 yr 97
Released games 379
Announced 122
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $5.99

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 155% on the market, supply 165% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 12%, 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
Local Multiplayer
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
Turn-Based Strategy, Local Multiplayer; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, PvP, Tactical
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 70% positive over 1,946 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $50, median $240, 1 in 4 over $1.7k, 1 in 20 over $49k.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. 9 in 10 of the 39 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 122 games are announced against 71 developers who shipped in the last year.

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

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Songs of Conquest older $29.99 12,127 85% 364k $11M (exactly $10,910,662) Lavapotion
For The King II older $24.99 12,708 71% 381k $9.5M (exactly $9,527,188) IronOak Games
Worms W.M.D older $29.99 10,435 85% 313k $9.4M (exactly $9,388,370) Team17
Heroes® of Might & Magic® III - HD Edition older $14.99 20,127 79% 604k $9.1M (exactly $9,051,112) Dotemu
Wingspan older $19.99 9,807 94% 294k $5.9M (exactly $5,881,258) Monster Couch
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI with Power Up Kit older $39.99 3,754 92% 113k $4.5M (exactly $4,503,674) KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
Worms Armageddon older $14.99 7,851 94% 236k $3.5M (exactly $3,530,595) Team17 Digital Ltd
Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword older $29.99 3,888 96% 117k $3.5M (exactly $3,498,034) Firaxis Games
Terraforming Mars older $19.99 5,194 71% 156k $3.1M (exactly $3,114,842) Artefacts Studio
Football, Tactics & Glory older $24.99 3,998 87% 120k $3.0M (exactly $2,997,301) Creoteam
NEW MONOPOLY® $29.99 531 36% 16k $478k (exactly $477,741) UBISOFT, Engine Software
The Conquest of Go $14.99 581 94% 17k $261k (exactly $261,276) Wolfey Studios
Franchise Hockey Manager 11 $19.99 148 70% 4.4k $89k (exactly $88,756) game54 Software, Out of the Park Develo… (game54 Software, Out of the Park Developments)
Franchise Hockey Manager 12 $19.99 132 78% 4.0k $79k (exactly $79,160) game54 Software, Out of the Park Develo… (game54 Software, Out of the Park Developments)
Yomi 2 $19.99 104 92% 3.1k $62k (exactly $62,369) Sirlin Games
Heroes Of Might And Magic III $9.99 166 50% 5.0k $50k (exactly $49,750) Ubisoft, New World Computing
Bonesaw $6.66 179 89% 5.4k $36k (exactly $35,764) Blood Pact Studios
Headquarters: Cold War $29.99 37 64% 1.1k $33k (exactly $33,289) Starni Games
Nature Game System $19.99 49 73% 1.5k $29k (exactly $29,385) North Star Digital Games
Sword & Siege Crusades: Book I $39.95 19 100% 570 $23k (exactly $22,772) Wargame Design Studio

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