Do I ship it?

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

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Time Manipulation Turn-Based Tactics?

Turn-Based Tactics + Time Manipulation

Only 16 developers shipped a Time Manipulation Turn-Based Tactics 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, Pro Football, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 31 more are announced, ×3.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $900, ×1.4 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $59; 1 in 20 cleared $7.9k, ×13 the market median. Revenue is up 655% on the market; 31 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.4 times the market baseline, revenue up 655% on the market, 31 announced, ×3.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Turn-Based Tactics + Time Manipulation
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 16
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.0k → $299 → $896 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Turn-Based Tactics + Time Manipulation: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 16
Bottom 30% $59 (exactly $59)
Median $896 (exactly $896)
Top 25% $2.0k (exactly $1,978)
Top 5% $7.9k (exactly $7,913)
Developers, 2 yr 16
Released games 41
Announced 31
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $4.99

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 655% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 20%, 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 Manipulation
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium 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 Manipulation; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Strategy, Multiple Endings, Turn-Based Strategy
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $29.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $29.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 99% positive over 101 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $59, median $900, 1 in 4 over $1.9k, 1 in 20 over $7.9k.

3 in 10 developers made under $59. All of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 31 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.9 per shipper.

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. + Time ManagementFair65 devs · median $1.4k · 69 announced
  7. + IdlerFair47 devs · median $1.3k · 48 announced
  8. + Psychological HorrorFair55 devs · median $1.0k · 56 announced
  9. + Traditional RoguelikeFair78 devs · median $629 · 95 announced
  10. + PsychologicalFair34 devs · median $629 · 40 announced
  11. + PuzzleFair263 devs · median $598 · 308 announced
  12. + PlatformerLong shot15 devs · median $360 · 18 announced

All 189 pairs on the Turn-Based Tactics page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Phantom Brigade 2023 · $4.0M 5D Chess With Multiverse Time Travel 2020 · $2.9M No Plan B 2024 · $342k Iron Danger 2020 · $326k Red Ronin 2021 · $29k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Phantom Brigade older $29.99 4,412 81% 132k $4.0M (exactly $3,969,476) Brace Yourself Games
5D Chess With Multiverse Time Travel older $11.99 8,097 96% 243k $2.9M (exactly $2,912,491) Conor Petersen, Thunkspace, LLC
No Plan B older $14.99 761 86% 23k $342k (exactly $342,222) GFX47
Iron Danger older $19.99 544 73% 16k $326k (exactly $326,237) Action Squad Studios
Red Ronin older $7.99 119 87% 3.6k $29k (exactly $28,524) Wired Dreams Studio
Oakenfold older $19.99 24 70% 720 $14k (exactly $14,393) Rutger van Dijk
Pro Football · EA $11.99 22 100% 660 $7.9k (exactly $7,913) Dayra Studio
Reptilian Rising $29.99 7 100% 210 $6.3k (exactly $6,298) Gregarious Games, Robot Circus, Hyper L… (Gregarious Games, Robot Circus, Hyper Luminal Games)
Chess Pills older $3.99 43 90% 1.3k $5.1k (exactly $5,147) Deep Green Games
Time Glitch older $2.99 46 95% 1.4k $4.1k (exactly $4,126) Christopher Entzenberg, Rémi Fusade, Ma… (Christopher Entzenberg, Rémi Fusade, Matej 'Retro' Jan, Tobias Joppen, Mari-Anna Lepasson, BadgerIndieDev)
NUSNUR $4.99 16 100% 480 $2.4k (exactly $2,395) Team PARAFOX
Sentinel Point Heroes · EA $10.99 6 100% 180 $2.0k (exactly $1,978) Jellybane
FlashBoss $4.99 12 100% 360 $1.8k (exactly $1,796) Odiin
LHEA and the Word Spirit $9.99 5 100% 150 $1.5k (exactly $1,498) Soul Fuel Games
Depths of Providence $2.99 14 100% 420 $1.3k (exactly $1,256) Ryan Lutz
BOT.vinnik Chess: Legendary Queens $1.99 15 93% 450 $896 (exactly $896) Deep Green Games
Bob Saves the Princess · EA $6.99 2 100% 60 $419 (exactly $419) Milton_Filto
Ivan $4.99 2 100% 60 $299 (exactly $299) Henry Scheuller

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