Do I ship it?

GamesRogueliteRoguelite + Modern

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Modern-Day Roguelite?

Roguelite + Modern

Of 45 developers who shipped a Modern-Day Roguelite 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.. 61 more are announced, ×2.7 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.1k, ×2.3 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $59; 1 in 20 cleared $180k, ×394 the market median. Revenue is up 75% on the market; 61 games are announced against 23 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.3 times the market baseline, revenue up 75% on the market, 61 announced, ×2.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Roguelite + Modern
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 45
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $12k → $120 → $599 → $180 (still earning) → $41k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Roguelite + Modern: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 45
Bottom 30% $59 (exactly $59)
Median $1.1k (exactly $1,077)
Top 25% $13k (exactly $12,590)
Top 5% $187k (exactly $186,940)
Developers, 2 yr 45
Released games 67
Announced 61
Effort 4 / 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 75% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 7%, 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.

Roguelite
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
Roguelite; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Arcade, Roguelike
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, 2D, Cute
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 90% positive over 16,888 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $59, median $1.1k, 1 in 4 over $12k, 1 in 20 over $180k.

3 in 10 developers made under $59. 9 in 10 of the 23 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 61 games are announced against 23 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.7 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Roguelite with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Real-TimeFair11 devs · median $11k · 14 announced
  2. + ProgrammingFair24 devs · median $9.3k · 28 announced
  3. + VampiresFair60 devs · median $4.8k · 62 announced
  4. + TypingFair29 devs · median $2.4k · 34 announced
  5. + Grand StrategyFair21 devs · median $2.0k · 23 announced
  6. + IdlerFair166 devs · median $1.5k · 235 announced
  7. + DogsFair30 devs · median $1.3k · 22 announced
  8. + Walking SimulatorFair23 devs · median $1.1k · 23 announced
  9. + Score AttackFair344 devs · median $719 · 450 announced
  10. + Point & ClickFair94 devs · median $600 · 121 announced
  11. + LogicFair144 devs · median $599 · 143 announced
  12. + DwarvesPoor odds21 devs · median $74k · 24 announced

All 229 pairs on the Roguelite page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Yet Another Zombie Survivors $14.99 14,123 91% 424k $6.4M (exactly $6,351,113) Awesome Games Studio
Welcome to the Game III $19.99 648 78% 19k $389k (exactly $388,606) Reflect Studios
大千世界 older $3.99 2,289 86% 69k $274k (exactly $273,993) 滑稽工作室
Mad Smartphone Tycoon older $11.99 577 71% 17k $208k (exactly $207,547) Miradil
Metal Thunder · EA $10.99 567 76% 17k $187k (exactly $186,940) Dumbbell Games
Shooters, Ready! $4.99 807 99% 24k $121k (exactly $120,808) おこめたべたべず
Tokyo Valkyries $22.99 87 75% 2.6k $60k (exactly $60,004) qureate
Lunchbreak Tactics $14.99 124 76% 3.7k $56k (exactly $55,763) Borealys Games
Calculate It · EA older $6.99 264 87% 7.9k $55k (exactly $55,361) SVGames
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
SEX Route 69 $9.99 126 63% 3.8k $38k (exactly $37,762) Play and Cum 💦
Typing Break $8.99 96 80% 2.9k $26k (exactly $25,891) Tholus

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