Do I ship it?

Games › Turn-Based Tactics › Turn-Based Tactics + Time Management

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Time Management Turn-Based Tactics?

Turn-Based Tactics + Time Management

Of 65 developers who shipped a Time Management Turn-Based Tactics 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.. 69 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.4k, ×2.3 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $360. Revenue is down 30% on the market; 69 games are announced against 36 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 30% on the market, 69 announced, ×1.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Turn-Based Tactics + Time Management
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 65
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $4.5k → $390 → $600 → $116k → $2.4k → $599 → $3.0k (still earning) → $539 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Turn-Based Tactics + Time Management: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 65
Bottom 30% $359 (exactly $359)
Median $1.4k (exactly $1,438)
Top 25% $31k (exactly $30,569)
Top 5% $230k (exactly $230,054)
Developers, 2 yr 65
Released games 145
Announced 69
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 30% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 13%, 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.

Turn-Based Tactics
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
Time Management
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
Turn-Based Tactics, Time Management; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, RPG, Simulation
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Story Rich
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 88% positive over 30,048 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 $1.4k, 1 in 4 over $30k, 1 in 20 over $230k.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. 7 in 10 of the 35 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 69 games are announced against 36 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Turn-Based Tactics with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + TanksFair24 devs · median $3.0k · 24 announced
  2. + AutomationFair28 devs · median $2.9k · 36 announced
  3. + ProgrammingFair14 devs · median $2.4k · 16 announced
  4. + DiceFair47 devs · median $1.6k · 53 announced
  5. + MiningFair10 devs · median $1.5k · 8 announced
  6. + IdlerFair47 devs · median $1.3k · 48 announced
  7. + Psychological HorrorFair55 devs · median $1.0k · 56 announced
  8. + Traditional RoguelikeFair78 devs · median $629 · 95 announced
  9. + PsychologicalFair34 devs · median $629 · 40 announced
  10. + PuzzleFair263 devs · median $598 · 308 announced
  11. + PlatformerLong shot15 devs · median $360 · 18 announced
  12. + Local MultiplayerLong shot101 devs · median $239 · 121 announced

All 189 pairs on the Turn-Based Tactics page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Metaphor: ReFantazio 2024 · $53M Loop Hero 2021 · $15M Turmoil 2016 · $5.1M Punch Club 2: Fast Forward 2023 · $2.3M Bloomtown: A Different Story 2024 · $1.1M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Metaphor: ReFantazio $69.99 25,224 89% 757k $53M (exactly $52,962,833) ATLUS
Loop Hero older $14.99 33,816 92% 1.0M $15M (exactly $15,207,055) Four Quarters
Turmoil older $12.99 13,154 92% 395k $5.1M (exactly $5,126,114) Gamious
Punch Club 2: Fast Forward older $19.99 3,808 81% 114k $2.3M (exactly $2,283,658) Lazy Bear Games
Bloomtown: A Different Story $24.99 1,428 85% 43k $1.1M (exactly $1,070,572) Lazy Bear Games, Different Sense Games
Ghost Marriage Matchmaking older $19.99 662 84% 20k $397k (exactly $397,001) 永恆艾莉絲工坊, 非魚工作室
Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption older $29.99 280 90% 8.4k $252k (exactly $251,916) Transolar Games
Dungeon Inn · EA $12.99 594 92% 18k $231k (exactly $231,482) Cat Society
万象群侠传 $8.99 853 85% 26k $230k (exactly $230,054) 火天工作室
HellSlave II: Judgment of the Archon $19.99 316 77% 9.5k $190k (exactly $189,505) Ars Goetia
Craftlings $19.99 311 86% 9.3k $187k (exactly $186,507) ARIANO Games GmbH
Master of Chess $19.99 290 83% 8.7k $174k (exactly $173,913) BRANE
Requiem of Reuinis $11.99 359 91% 11k $129k (exactly $129,132) Zaxiquej, Otogen Studio
Rina's Undercover Train Operation $13.99 286 70% 8.6k $120k (exactly $120,034) Metamorphose
Esports History $9.99 387 77% 12k $116k (exactly $115,984) Quantum Gear Studios

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