Games › Top-Down Shooter › Top-Down Shooter + Modern
Should I ship a Modern-Day Top-Down Shooter?
Top-Down Shooter + Modern
Only 13 developers shipped a Modern-Day Top-Down Shooter in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, Yet Another Zombie Survivors, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 19 more are announced, ×2.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.3k, ×6.9 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $6.3M, ×13371 the market median. Revenue is down 90% on the market; 19 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $299 (exactly $299) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.3k (exactly $3,293) |
| Top 25% | $26k (exactly $25,891) |
| Top 5% | $6.4M (exactly $6,351,113) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 13 |
| Released games | 43 |
| Announced | 19 |
| Effort | 4 / 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 down 90% on the market, supply 125% more 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.
- Top-Down Shooter
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- Modern
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Top-Down Shooter; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Arcade, Roguelite
- Price point
- $8.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Top-Down, 3D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.
The top 10 games average 90% positive over 14,975 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $300. 8 in 10 of the 5 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 19 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.1 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Top-Down Shooter with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + VampiresFair
- + Turn-Based StrategyFair
- + World War IIFair
- + IdlerFair
- + ArcheryFair
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
- + Tactical RPGPoor odds
- + Action RTSPoor odds
- + HistoricalPoor odds
- + CraftingPoor odds
- + DystopianPoor odds
- + Bullet HeavenPoor odds
Comparable games
Yet Another Zombie Survivors 2026 · $6.4M 
Midnight Fight Express 2022 · $1.2M 
Metal Thunder 2024 · EA · $187k 
Truxton Extreme 2026 · $70k 
Typing Break 2026 · $26k | 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 | |
| | Midnight Fight Express | older | $19.99 | 1,981 90% | 59k | $1.2M (exactly $1,188,006) | Jacob Dzwinel |
| | Metal Thunder | · EA | $10.99 | 567 76% | 17k | $187k (exactly $186,940) | Dumbbell Games |
| | Truxton Extreme | $24.99 | 93 95% | 2.8k | $70k (exactly $69,722) | Tatsujin | |
| | Typing Break | $8.99 | 96 80% | 2.9k | $26k (exactly $25,891) | Tholus | |
 | Seven Cities | · EA | $14.99 | 32 87% | 960 | $14k (exactly $14,390) | IMV Studio |
 | Status One | $14.99 | 30 73% | 900 | $13k (exactly $13,491) | LastCall Studio | |
 | Practical Shooting Simulator | · EA older | $29.99 | 8 87% | 240 | $7.2k (exactly $7,198) | 269th lab games softworks |
 | Dead City | · EA older | $6.99 | 29 58% | 870 | $6.1k (exactly $6,081) | Novalink |
 | The War Enders: First Strike | · EA older | $14.99 | 9 88% | 270 | $4.0k (exactly $4,047) | Crystal Heart's Studio |
 | Territorial Conquest | $4.99 | 22 50% | 660 | $3.3k (exactly $3,293) | Uğur CAN | |
 | Final Hunter | $4.99 | 6 50% | 180 | $898 (exactly $898) | Game Matrix | |
 | Super Firefighter | $6.99 | 4 100% | 120 | $839 (exactly $839) | William Giguère | |
 | Soul Machine | $4.99 | 2 0% | 60 | $299 (exactly $299) | Zanarka Studio |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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