Games › Political Sim › Political Sim + Sci-fi
Should I ship a Sci-fi Political Sim?
Political Sim + Sci-fi
Of 24 developers who shipped a Sci-fi Political Sim 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.. 33 more are announced, ×2.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $17k, ×36 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $750; 1 in 20 cleared $570k, ×1203 the market median. Revenue is up 105% on the market; 33 games are announced against 14 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $750 (exactly $750) |
|---|---|
| Median | $17k (exactly $17,094) |
| Top 25% | $136k (exactly $136,064) |
| Top 5% | $572k (exactly $571,514) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 24 |
| Released games | 51 |
| Announced | 33 |
| Effort | 4 / 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 up 105% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 16%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Political Sim
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
- Sci-fi
- 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
- Political Sim; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Strategy, 4X
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 65% positive over 15,736 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $750. 6 in 10 of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 33 games are announced against 14 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.4 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Political Sim with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + DetectiveFair
- + Psychological HorrorFair
- + IdlerFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + Board GameFair
- + TabletopFair
- + CombatPoor odds
- + FuturisticPoor odds
- + 4XPoor odds
- + Cold WarPoor odds
- + BuildingPoor odds
- + SpacePoor odds
Comparable games
Halo: Campaign Evolved 2026 · $19M 
Thank You For Your Application 2026 · $572k 
Base One 2021 · $343k 
Solar Nations 2 2025 · EA · $274k 
Realpolitiks 3: Earth and Beyond 2025 · $190k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Halo: Campaign Evolved | $49.99 | 12,512 61% | 375k | $19M (exactly $18,764,246) | Halo Studios | |
| | Thank You For Your Application | $19.99 | 953 81% | 29k | $572k (exactly $571,514) | IceLemonTea Studio | |
| | Base One | older | $24.99 | 458 36% | 14k | $343k (exactly $343,363) | PixFroze |
| | Solar Nations 2 | · EA | $14.99 | 609 85% | 18k | $274k (exactly $273,867) | Flomgus Games |
| | Realpolitiks 3: Earth and Beyond | $24.99 | 253 39% | 7.6k | $190k (exactly $189,674) | Jujubee | |
 | Lightracer: For Judge | $9.99 | 462 92% | 14k | $138k (exactly $138,461) | Smartmelon Games | |
 | Security 51 | $9.99 | 454 71% | 14k | $136k (exactly $136,064) | Alawar | |
 | Galaxy Princess Zorana | $24.99 | 154 88% | 4.6k | $115k (exactly $115,454) | Hanako Games | |
 | Supreme Ruler 2020 Gold | older | $9.99 | 206 80% | 6.2k | $62k (exactly $61,738) | BattleGoat Studios |
 | Emperor of the Fading Suns Enhanced | $9.99 | 174 95% | 5.2k | $52k (exactly $52,148) | Holistic Design, Inc. | |
 | Lunar Ascendant | $14.99 | 86 44% | 2.6k | $39k (exactly $38,674) | Darts Games | |
 | Epoch Cycle | $8.99 | 79 68% | 2.4k | $21k (exactly $21,306) | GeometricUniverse |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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