Games › Strategy RPG › Strategy RPG + Modern
Should I ship a Modern-Day Strategy RPG?
Strategy RPG + Modern
Of 25 developers who shipped a Modern-Day Strategy RPG 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.. 29 more are announced, ×2.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $2.7k, ×4.3 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $50; 1 in 20 cleared $550k, ×888 the market median. Revenue is flat on the market; 29 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $30 (exactly $30) |
|---|---|
| Median | $2.7k (exactly $2,699) |
| Top 25% | $19k (exactly $18,887) |
| Top 5% | $557k (exactly $557,442) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 25 |
| Released games | 43 |
| Announced | 29 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $8.99 |
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 flat on the market, supply 20% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 7%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Strategy RPG
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
- Modern
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Strategy RPG; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry RPG, Strategy, Choose Your Own Adventure
- Price point
- $8.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Emotional, Third Person, 2D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.
The top 10 games average 80% positive over 50,204 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $50. 8 in 10 of the 15 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 29 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Strategy RPG with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + SportsFair
- + SwordplayFair
- + Bullet HellFair
- + EconomyFair
- + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair
- + ConspiracyFair
- + Shop KeeperFair
- + 2D PlatformerFair
- + Point & ClickFair
- + Turn-BasedPoor odds
- + Dating SimPoor odds
- + 4XPoor odds
Comparable games
Revenge on gold diggers 2025 · $9.8M 
Retirement Simulator 2022 · EA · $1.6M 
极速营救 2025 · $557k 
我打不过漂亮的她们 2025 · $366k 
大千世界 2020 · $274k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Revenge on gold diggers | $6.99 | 46,610 80% | 1.4M | $9.8M (exactly $9,774,117) | 前方工作室 | |
| | Retirement Simulator | · EA older | $13.99 | 3,757 34% | 113k | $1.6M (exactly $1,576,813) | DoubleThink Studio |
| | 极速营救 | $9.99 | 1,860 86% | 56k | $557k (exactly $557,442) | 优映文化, 想象颗粒 | |
| | 我打不过漂亮的她们 | $10.99 | 1,111 95% | 33k | $366k (exactly $366,297) | 想象颗粒 | |
| | 大千世界 | older | $3.99 | 2,289 86% | 69k | $274k (exactly $273,993) | 滑稽工作室 |
 | High School Odyssey | older | $8.99 | 591 92% | 18k | $159k (exactly $159,393) | 傲雪小组 |
 | Black Gold - Shining Town | $13.99 | 255 80% | 7.7k | $107k (exactly $107,024) | Morexingame | |
 | 中年失业模拟器When a man lose his job | older | $7.99 | 344 77% | 10k | $82k (exactly $82,457) | Kwing works |
 | Mega Mall Story | older | $8.99 | 302 94% | 9.1k | $81k (exactly $81,449) | Kairosoft Co.,Ltd |
 | The Next Journey Of Life | $12.99 | 147 63% | 4.4k | $57k (exactly $57,286) | FOREVER GAME | |
 | Political Arena | · EA | $14.99 | 69 73% | 2.1k | $31k (exactly $31,029) | Wayside Press |
 | Mushroom Island Work Diary | $14.99 | 42 47% | 1.3k | $19k (exactly $18,887) | イルカのヒレ | |
 | Business War: ERP Sandbox Simulation | $15.99 | 33 84% | 990 | $16k (exactly $15,830) | 夜与潜伏者 | |
 | 中年失业模拟器2-When a man lose his job 2 | $5.99 | 43 60% | 1.3k | $7.7k (exactly $7,727) | Kwing works | |
 | Schoolgirl Card Pull Simulator | $6.99 | 34 61% | 1.0k | $7.1k (exactly $7,130) | Violet Soft |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.