Games › Souls-like › Souls-like + Turn-Based Strategy
Should I ship a Turn-Based Strategy Souls-like?
Souls-like + Turn-Based Strategy
Only 14 developers shipped a Turn-Based Strategy 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, Death Howl, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 25 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $15k, ×10 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $2.6k; 1 in 20 cleared $780k, ×521 the market median. Revenue is up 35% on the market; 25 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $2.5k (exactly $2,545) |
|---|---|
| Median | $15k (exactly $15,467) |
| Top 25% | $590k (exactly $589,505) |
| Top 5% | $780k (exactly $780,210) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 14 |
| Released games | 40 |
| Announced | 25 |
| Effort | 7 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $10.99 |
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 35% on the market, supply 150% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 15%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Turn-Based Strategy
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
- Systems
- Souls-like, Turn-Based Strategy; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Turn-Based Tactics, RPG, Strategy
- Price point
- $10.99 typical · top 25% priced $34.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Anime, Cute
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $34.99 or above; the middle game at $10.99.
The top 10 games average 85% positive over 5,587 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $2.6k. 8 in 10 of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 25 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Souls-like with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Dating SimStrong odds
- + Visual NovelFair
- + Artificial IntelligenceFair
- + JRPGFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + PsychologicalFair
- + Walking SimulatorFair
- + Precision PlatformerLong shot
- + Score AttackLong shot
- + WarPoor odds
- + Turn-Based TacticsPoor odds
- + RomancePoor odds
Comparable games
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- The Prophecy of the Throne 2021 · $1.9M 
Death Howl 2025 · $780k 
Warhounds 2026 · $772k 
Journey of Realm：Dawn Dew 2025 · $736k 
The Shimmering Horizon and Cursed Blacksmith 2025 · $590k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- The Prophecy of the Throne | older | $59.99 | 1,042 87% | 31k | $1.9M (exactly $1,875,287) | Chime Corporation |
| | 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 | |
| | Journey of Realm：Dawn Dew | $10.99 | 2,233 97% | 67k | $736k (exactly $736,220) | 葱色兔兔/Scallion Rabbit | |
| | The Shimmering Horizon and Cursed Blacksmith | $19.99 | 983 58% | 29k | $590k (exactly $589,505) | Ason | |
 | Help Will Come Tomorrow | older | $19.99 | 777 80% | 23k | $466k (exactly $465,967) | Arclight Creations |
 | Isekai Janken Hero | older | $9.99 | 537 83% | 16k | $161k (exactly $160,939) | BFS |
 | Moon Corona | · EA | $13.99 | 210 82% | 6.3k | $88k (exactly $88,137) | 不倒龙工作室, Budaolong Studio |
 | 勇者与亡灵之都 | older | $6.99 | 356 93% | 11k | $75k (exactly $74,653) | grade |
 | Tropicalia: a Brazilian Game | older | $14.99 | 61 90% | 1.8k | $27k (exactly $27,432) | Paulo Henrique Franqueira |
 | RAVENSBURG | $14.99 | 45 95% | 1.4k | $20k (exactly $20,236) | Lilian Duleroux | |
 | Ashes of Morgravia | $11.99 | 43 67% | 1.3k | $15k (exactly $15,467) | background blur. | |
 | Drowning Ashes | · EA | $9.99 | 11 100% | 330 | $3.3k (exactly $3,297) | Elston Studios |
 | Devil's Tower | $10.99 | 9 55% | 270 | $3.0k (exactly $2,967) | qianyungame | |
 | Bluff Roulette | $4.99 | 17 82% | 510 | $2.5k (exactly $2,545) | OFF LAB |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.