Games › Strategy RPG › Strategy RPG + Trading
Should I ship a Trading Strategy RPG?
Strategy RPG + Trading
Of 36 developers who shipped a Trading 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.. 72 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.6k, ×2.6 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $420; 1 in 20 cleared $1.2M, ×1956 the market median. Revenue is up 85% on the market; 72 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $419 (exactly $419) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.6k (exactly $1,648) |
| Top 25% | $16k (exactly $15,830) |
| Top 5% | $1.2M (exactly $1,228,254) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 36 |
| Released games | 79 |
| Announced | 72 |
| 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 up 85% on the market, supply 125% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 14%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Trading
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Strategy RPG, Trading; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Resource Management, Strategy, Management
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $16.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Colorful
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $16.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 76% positive over 4,880 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $420. 8 in 10 of the 13 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 72 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Strategy RPG with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + SportsFair
- + SwordplayFair
- + Bullet HellFair
- + EconomyFair
- + Asynchronous MultiplayerFair
- + ConspiracyFair
- + Shop KeeperFair
- + 2D PlatformerFair
- + Point & ClickFair
- + Turn-BasedPoor odds
- + Dating SimPoor odds
- + 4XPoor odds
Comparable games
Thriving City: Song 2024 · $1.7M 
Starminer 2026 · EA · $1.6M 
Vagrus - The Riven Realms 2021 · $1.6M 
Out of the Park Baseball 26 2025 · $1.2M 
Horizon's Gate 2020 · $727k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Thriving City: Song | older | $18.99 | 3,054 81% | 92k | $1.7M (exactly $1,739,864) | White Star Studio |
| | Starminer | · EA | $29.99 | 1,818 72% | 55k | $1.6M (exactly $1,635,655) | CoolAndGoodGames |
| | Vagrus - The Riven Realms | older | $29.99 | 1,746 84% | 52k | $1.6M (exactly $1,570,876) | Lost Pilgrims Studio |
| | Out of the Park Baseball 26 | $49.99 | 819 82% | 25k | $1.2M (exactly $1,228,254) | Out of the Park Developments | |
| | Horizon's Gate | older | $19.99 | 1,213 94% | 36k | $727k (exactly $727,436) | Rad Codex |
 | SAELIG | · EA older | $14.99 | 1,124 86% | 34k | $505k (exactly $505,463) | Atorcoppe Games |
 | Dust to the End | older | $11.99 | 1,076 78% | 32k | $387k (exactly $387,037) | Haojoy Game, Zjoy Game |
 | Medieval Crafter: Blacksmith | $11.99 | 745 76% | 22k | $268k (exactly $267,976) | Compact Core Games | |
 | Crypto Mining Simulator | older | $4.99 | 1,419 65% | 43k | $212k (exactly $212,424) | Satosha Nakamoti |
 | Bones and Coins | $7.99 | 638 72% | 19k | $153k (exactly $152,929) | Troyd Games | |
 | Snow Ash | $14.99 | 179 73% | 5.4k | $80k (exactly $80,496) | Ember Studio | |
 | Between Adventures IDLE | · EA | $7.99 | 319 71% | 9.6k | $76k (exactly $76,464) | Loop Forge |
 | Bonnie Bear Saves Frogtime | $16.99 | 143 98% | 4.3k | $73k (exactly $72,887) | Bonte Avond | |
 | Glimvale : My Mini Overworld | $5.99 | 100 92% | 3.0k | $18k (exactly $17,970) | Milkshake Games | |
 | Business War: ERP Sandbox Simulation | $15.99 | 33 84% | 990 | $16k (exactly $15,830) | 夜与潜伏者 | |
 | 尸来运转-Lucky Zombie Survival | $3.99 | 86 86% | 2.6k | $10k (exactly $10,294) | Kwing works |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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