Do I ship it?

Games › Turn-Based Combat › Turn-Based Combat + Time Travel

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Time-Travel Turn-Based Combat game?

Turn-Based Combat + Time Travel

Only 13 developers shipped a Time-Travel Turn-Based Combat game 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, Digimon Story Time Stranger, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 20 more are announced, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $9.7k, ×20 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $50; 1 in 20 cleared $33M, ×70042 the market median. Revenue is down 95% on the market; 20 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 20.4 times the market baseline, revenue down 95% on the market, 20 announced, ×2.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Turn-Based Combat + Time Travel
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 13
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.2k → $899 → $930k → $449 (still earning) → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Turn-Based Combat + Time Travel: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 13
Bottom 30% $0 (exactly $0)
Median $9.7k (exactly $9,696)
Top 25% $108k (exactly $107,863)
Top 5% $33M (exactly $33,269,746)
Developers, 2 yr 13
Released games 39
Announced 20
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
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 down 95% on the market, supply 125% 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Turn-Based Combat
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Time Travel
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Turn-Based Combat
Price point
$10.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 9 games average 88% positive over 21,023 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $50, median $9.7k, 1 in 4 over $100k, 1 in 20 over $33M.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. 7 in 10 of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 20 games are announced against 9 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Turn-Based Combat with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + WuxiaStrong odds20 devs · median $19k · 21 announced
  2. + Hack and SlashStrong odds28 devs · median $3.7k · 27 announced
  3. + RomeFair8 devs · median $16k · 13 announced
  4. + CookingFair15 devs · median $6.0k · 22 announced
  5. + UndergroundFair18 devs · median $4.2k · 29 announced
  6. + IdlerFair52 devs · median $4.0k · 41 announced
  7. + DiceFair49 devs · median $2.2k · 59 announced
  8. + Traditional RoguelikeFair81 devs · median $1.4k · 107 announced
  9. + ArcadeFair59 devs · median $1.3k · 71 announced
  10. + Tower DefenseFair28 devs · median $839 · 34 announced
  11. + Artificial IntelligenceFair46 devs · median $719 · 52 announced
  12. + SolitaireFair26 devs · median $450 · 31 announced

All 175 pairs on the Turn-Based Combat page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Digimon Story Time Stranger 2025 · $33M CHRONO TRIGGER® 2018 · $5.5M In Stars And Time 2023 · $4.7M DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined 2026 · $3.8M FINAL FANTASY® XIII-2 2014 · $3.1M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Digimon Story Time Stranger $69.99 15,845 89% 475k $33M (exactly $33,269,746) Media.Vision Inc.
CHRONO TRIGGER® older $14.99 12,149 88% 364k $5.5M (exactly $5,463,405) Square Enix
In Stars And Time older $19.99 7,835 97% 235k $4.7M (exactly $4,698,650) insertdisc5
DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined $59.99 2,138 88% 64k $3.8M (exactly $3,847,759) Square Enix, HEXADRIVE Inc.
FINAL FANTASY® XIII-2 older $19.99 5,136 58% 154k $3.1M (exactly $3,080,059) Square Enix
CHRONO CROSS: THE RADICAL DREAMERS EDITION older $19.99 2,174 62% 65k $1.3M (exactly $1,303,748) Square Enix, D4Enterprise Co.,Ltd.
Multiverse Loot Hunter $11.99 2,585 80% 78k $930k (exactly $929,824) 游戏养家工作室
Cris Tales older $39.99 392 66% 12k $470k (exactly $470,282) Dreams Uncorporated, SYCK
START AGAIN: a prologue older $10.99 621 95% 19k $205k (exactly $204,744) insertdisc5
Time Break Chronicles · EA older $14.99 298 88% 8.9k $134k (exactly $134,011) Warrior General Games, LLC
Amelie falls over and over again ~ An endless week in Magic Academy $13.99 257 80% 7.7k $108k (exactly $107,863) AVANTGARDE
Another Eden Begins $39.99 50 72% 1.5k $60k (exactly $59,985) WRIGHT FLYER STUDIOS
刻印战记2：七圣英雄 $9.99 63 73% 1.9k $19k (exactly $18,881) Lycian Studio
ChronoBabes $3.99 81 80% 2.4k $9.7k (exactly $9,696) Vinci
Honest Helper $4.99 3 100% 90 $449 (exactly $449) Adam Robichaux
Redshaw Valley · EA $5.99 1 0% 30 $180 (exactly $180) Ian Maines
After He Was Gone $10.99 0 0% 0 $0 (exactly $0) Nono

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