Do I ship it?

GamesSouls-likeSouls-like + Tactical

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Tactical Souls-like?

Souls-like + Tactical

Only 15 developers shipped a Tactical Souls-like 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, Psycho Patrol R, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 26 more are announced, ×2.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.9k, ×1.3 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $120; 1 in 20 cleared $2.5M, ×1674 the market median. Revenue is up 4645% on the market; 26 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.3 times the market baseline, revenue up 4645% on the market, 26 announced, ×2.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Souls-like + Tactical
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 15
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $8.6k → $330 → $1.9k → $5.4k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Souls-like + Tactical: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 15
Bottom 30% $120 (exactly $120)
Median $1.9k (exactly $1,918)
Top 25% $772k (exactly $771,530)
Top 5% $2.5M (exactly $2,507,373)
Developers, 2 yr 15
Released games 40
Announced 26
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 4645% on the market, supply 100% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Souls-like
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Tactical
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Souls-like, Tactical
Price point
$9.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 86% positive over 6,634 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $120, median $1.9k, 1 in 4 over $770k, 1 in 20 over $2.5M.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. 8 in 10 of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 26 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Souls-like with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Dating SimStrong odds17 devs · median $34k · 8 announced
  2. + Visual NovelFair25 devs · median $27k · 17 announced
  3. + Artificial IntelligenceFair13 devs · median $22k · 17 announced
  4. + JRPGFair31 devs · median $8.6k · 35 announced
  5. + IncrementalFair9 devs · median $3.9k · 10 announced
  6. + PsychologicalFair17 devs · median $1.8k · 17 announced
  7. + Walking SimulatorFair17 devs · median $1.3k · 7 announced
  8. + Precision PlatformerLong shot49 devs · median $776 · 46 announced
  9. + Score AttackLong shot18 devs · median $599 · 21 announced
  10. + WarPoor odds8 devs · median $451k · 22 announced
  11. + Turn-Based TacticsPoor odds12 devs · median $88k · 21 announced
  12. + RomancePoor odds10 devs · median $35k · 16 announced

All 122 pairs on the Souls-like page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Psycho Patrol R · EA $39.99 2,090 88% 63k $2.5M (exactly $2,507,373) Consumer Softproducts
Ukrainian Warfare: Gostomel Heroes $14.99 1,921 90% 58k $864k (exactly $863,874) Cats Who Play
The Light Brigade: Definitive Edition older $24.99 1,125 88% 34k $843k (exactly $843,412) Funktronic Labs
Death Howl $19.99 1,301 92% 39k $780k (exactly $780,210) The Outer Zone
Warhounds $34.99 735 71% 22k $772k (exactly $771,530) Everplay DMCC
Blades of Fire $39.99 523 74% 16k $627k (exactly $627,443) MercurySteam
Neckbreak older $15.99 415 79% 12k $199k (exactly $199,076) MGP Studios, Solid9 Studio
Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs older $19.99 318 89% 9.5k $191k (exactly $190,705) Resolution Games
Rugby League Team Manager 3 older $39.99 75 80% 2.3k $90k (exactly $89,978) Alternative Software Ltd
Save the Reactor older $4.99 126 95% 3.8k $19k (exactly $18,862) Hypnohead
DEATH PENALTY $11.99 33 84% 990 $12k (exactly $11,870) HACKJOB
Echoes of Myth $9.99 18 94% 540 $5.4k (exactly $5,395) Shifting Reality Interactive
Chinese Chess - Xiangqi $7.99 8 100% 240 $1.9k (exactly $1,918) Popoko VM Games
BATTLE SHADOW ARENA $4.99 3 100% 90 $449 (exactly $449) Zni Games
Cadence $3.99 2 100% 60 $239 (exactly $239) BitShift_Games

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