Do I ship it?

Games › Strategy RPG › Strategy RPG + Roguelike

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Roguelike Strategy RPG?

Strategy RPG + Roguelike

Of 278 developers who shipped a Roguelike 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.. 441 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 $2.4k, ×3.8 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $290k, ×468 the market median. Revenue is down 65% on the market; 441 games are announced against 172 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 65% on the market, 441 announced, ×2.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Strategy RPG + Roguelike
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 278
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $4.6k → $11k → $4.2k → $6.2k → $7.8k → $1.9k → $1.3k (still earning) → $719 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Strategy RPG + Roguelike: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 278
Bottom 30% $359 (exactly $359)
Median $2.4k (exactly $2,395)
Top 25% $21k (exactly $20,509)
Top 5% $294k (exactly $293,853)
Developers, 2 yr 278
Released games 584
Announced 441
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $7.99

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 65% on the market, supply 60% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 8%, 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.

Strategy RPG
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Roguelike
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Strategy RPG, Roguelike; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, RPG, Roguelite
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $17.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $17.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 71% positive over 86,039 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $360, median $2.4k, 1 in 4 over $20k, 1 in 20 over $290k.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. 7 in 10 of the 119 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 441 games are announced against 172 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Strategy RPG with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + SportsFair23 devs · median $4.7k · 26 announced
  2. + SwordplayFair22 devs · median $2.7k · 28 announced
  3. + Bullet HellFair40 devs · median $2.0k · 31 announced
  4. + EconomyFair95 devs · median $2.0k · 128 announced
  5. + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair8 devs · median $1.6k · 13 announced
  6. + ConspiracyFair19 devs · median $1.2k · 21 announced
  7. + Shop KeeperFair21 devs · median $987 · 25 announced
  8. + 2D PlatformerFair108 devs · median $479 · 113 announced
  9. + Point & ClickFair43 devs · median $450 · 47 announced
  10. + Turn-BasedPoor odds58 devs · median $63k · 76 announced
  11. + Dating SimPoor odds30 devs · median $35k · 41 announced
  12. + 4XPoor odds15 devs · median $31k · 33 announced

All 158 pairs on the Strategy RPG page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

The Scroll of Taiwu : Beyond The Dome 2026 · $51M For The King 2018 · $19M Loop Hero 2021 · $15M The Last Spell 2023 · $9.9M Magicraft 2024 · $7.2M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
The Scroll of Taiwu : Beyond The Dome $29.99 56,535 65% 1.7M $51M (exactly $50,864,540) ConchShip Games
For The King older $19.99 31,038 87% 931k $19M (exactly $18,613,489) IronOak Games
Loop Hero older $14.99 33,816 92% 1.0M $15M (exactly $15,207,055) Four Quarters
The Last Spell older $24.99 13,260 91% 398k $9.9M (exactly $9,941,022) Ishtar Games
Magicraft $15.99 15,051 92% 452k $7.2M (exactly $7,219,965) Wave Games
Black Book older $24.99 5,306 93% 159k $4.0M (exactly $3,977,908) Morteshka
Depersonalization older $19.99 6,041 92% 181k $3.6M (exactly $3,622,788) MeowNature
Inkbound older $29.99 3,592 86% 108k $3.2M (exactly $3,231,722) Shiny Shoe
Shogun Showdown older $14.99 6,197 95% 186k $2.8M (exactly $2,786,791) Roboatino
Star Renegades older $24.99 2,673 82% 80k $2.0M (exactly $2,003,948) Massive Damage, Inc.
The Last Flame $19.99 2,744 85% 82k $1.6M (exactly $1,645,577) Hotloop
Dwarves: Glory, Death and Loot $14.99 2,588 82% 78k $1.2M (exactly $1,163,824) Hamma Studios
Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch $24.99 1,293 81% 39k $969k (exactly $969,362) Ocean Drive Studio, Inc.
再刷一把2：金色传说 $9.99 2,748 44% 82k $824k (exactly $823,576) 滑稽工作室
Dream of Corpse Lady $9.99 2,115 93% 63k $634k (exactly $633,866) HT3 Studio
Lootbound $14.99 1,248 77% 37k $561k (exactly $561,226) ArtDock
Rune Coliseum · EA $18.99 886 79% 27k $505k (exactly $504,754) Rafale Software
Knights in Tight Spaces $19.99 831 69% 25k $498k (exactly $498,351) Ground Shatter

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