Games › RTS › RTS + Turn-Based Tactics
Should I ship a Turn-Based Tactics RTS?
RTS + Turn-Based Tactics
Of 35 developers who shipped a Turn-Based Tactics RTS 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.. 67 more are announced, ×4.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $2.5k, ×1.7 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $750; 1 in 20 cleared $5.6M, ×3746 the market median. Revenue is up 110% on the market; 67 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $750 (exactly $750) |
|---|---|
| Median | $2.5k (exactly $2,514) |
| Top 25% | $34k (exactly $33,566) |
| Top 5% | $5.6M (exactly $5,611,465) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 35 |
| Released games | 152 |
| Announced | 67 |
| Effort | 7 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| 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 110% on the market, supply 30% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 22%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
- RTS
- effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
- Turn-Based Tactics
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- RTS, Turn-Based Tactics; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Turn-Based Strategy, Simulation
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Story Rich
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 79% positive over 23,112 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $750. 7 in 10 of the 26 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 67 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.5 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
RTS with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + RomeFair
- + Outbreak SimFair
- + HorrorFair
- + NavalFair
- + TabletopFair
- + SportsLong shot
- + PuzzleLong shot
- + World War IIPoor odds
- + Real-Time with PausePoor odds
- + Open WorldPoor odds
- + Colony SimPoor odds
- + HistoricalPoor odds
Comparable games
Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition 2013 · $49M 
Company of Heroes 3 2023 · $44M 
Wandering Sword 2023 · $28M 
Total War: EMPIRE – Definitive Edition 2009 · $13M 
Total War: ROME REMASTERED 2021 · $11M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition | older | $29.99 | 54,547 87% | 1.6M | $49M (exactly $49,075,936) | CREATIVE ASSEMBLY, Feral Interactive |
| | Company of Heroes 3 | older | $59.99 | 24,516 59% | 735k | $44M (exactly $44,121,445) | Relic Entertainment |
| | Wandering Sword | older | $24.99 | 37,034 94% | 1.1M | $28M (exactly $27,764,390) | The Swordman Studio |
| | Total War: EMPIRE – Definitive Edition | older | $19.99 | 21,302 89% | 639k | $13M (exactly $12,774,809) | CREATIVE ASSEMBLY, Feral Interactive (M… (CREATIVE ASSEMBLY, Feral Interactive (Mac), Feral Interactive (Linux)) |
| | Total War: ROME REMASTERED | older | $29.99 | 12,627 77% | 379k | $11M (exactly $11,360,512) | Creative Assembly, Feral Interactive |
 | Total War: NAPOLEON – Definitive Edition | older | $19.99 | 18,004 91% | 540k | $11M (exactly $10,796,999) | CREATIVE ASSEMBLY, Feral Interactive (M… (CREATIVE ASSEMBLY, Feral Interactive (Mac)) |
 | Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII | older | $59.99 | 5,828 57% | 175k | $10M (exactly $10,488,652) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. |
 | Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War | older | $39.99 | 8,148 82% | 244k | $9.8M (exactly $9,775,156) | Proxy Studios |
 | Mechabellum | $14.99 | 17,856 84% | 536k | $8.0M (exactly $8,029,843) | Game River | |
 | ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS 8 REMAKE | $59.99 | 3,118 49% | 94k | $5.6M (exactly $5,611,465) | KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD. | |
 | Knightica | $14.99 | 1,136 74% | 34k | $511k (exactly $510,859) | Mad Mango Games | |
 | Moon Corona | · EA | $13.99 | 210 82% | 6.3k | $88k (exactly $88,137) | 不倒龙工作室, Budaolong Studio |
 | Bellfortis | $19.99 | 141 90% | 4.2k | $85k (exactly $84,558) | Rake in Grass | |
 | Dust Raiders | $15.99 | 160 64% | 4.8k | $77k (exactly $76,752) | Vixa Games | |
 | Screeps: Arena | $19.99 | 105 82% | 3.2k | $63k (exactly $62,968) | Screeps, LLC | |
 | 巴哈姆特1-REMAKE(BAHAMUT1-REMAKE) | $9.99 | 170 95% | 5.1k | $51k (exactly $50,949) | 王韋 | |
 | Dice Tavern: Farkle Roguelike | $9.99 | 112 90% | 3.4k | $34k (exactly $33,566) | Cavi Studio | |
 | Open Wheel Manager 2 | $9.99 | 104 72% | 3.1k | $31k (exactly $31,169) | Paprikash Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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