Do I ship it?

GamesTurn-Based TacticsTurn-Based Tactics + Word Game

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Word Game Turn-Based Tactics?

Turn-Based Tactics + Word Game

Of 23 developers who shipped a Word Game 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.. 29 more are announced, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.5k, ×2.4 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $49k, ×78 the market median. Revenue is down 75% on the market; 29 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.4 times the market baseline, revenue down 75% on the market, 29 announced, ×2.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Turn-Based Tactics + Word Game
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 23
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $4.7k → $239 → $5.4k → $30k → $419 (still earning) → $299 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Turn-Based Tactics + Word Game: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 23
Bottom 30% $299 (exactly $299)
Median $1.5k (exactly $1,498)
Top 25% $7.0k (exactly $6,951)
Top 5% $49k (exactly $49,017)
Developers, 2 yr 23
Released games 56
Announced 29
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 down 75% on the market, supply 30% more developers than 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
Word Game
effort 1 / 10 · high · dictionary logic and simple UI

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Turn-Based Tactics, Word Game; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Roguelike, Roguelite, Strategy
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $13.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Minimalist
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $13.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 86% positive over 1,656 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $300, median $1.5k, 1 in 4 over $6.9k, 1 in 20 over $49k.

3 in 10 developers made under $300. 7 in 10 of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 29 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 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

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
大侠请重来 older $1.99 3,564 82% 107k $213k (exactly $212,771) 熊窝dodox
挂机神话 older $1.99 1,693 90% 51k $101k (exactly $101,072) 狮子
小小侠客模拟器 $2.99 1,103 86% 33k $99k (exactly $98,939) 小小游戏
Deviation Game · EA $14.99 109 90% 3.3k $49k (exactly $49,017) Tomo Kihara, Playfool
TypInc. $9.99 102 74% 3.1k $31k (exactly $30,569) Game Game Games
AI Spelcraft $7.99 125 88% 3.8k $30k (exactly $29,962) MONO ENTERTAINMENT
CrossCraze older $17.99 54 98% 1.6k $29k (exactly $29,144) ORT Software
Socialism Simulator older $3.99 240 95% 7.2k $29k (exactly $28,728) Sempiternal Rain
New ZhaoYun older $29.99 25 44% 750 $22k (exactly $22,492) XBZYZ Game
Watchword $13.99 33 90% 990 $14k (exactly $13,850) Big Quail Games
Letterlike $7.99 29 93% 870 $7.0k (exactly $6,951) Puzzlelike Studios
fumorenou-wanxiang · EA $9.99 18 72% 540 $5.4k (exactly $5,395) 煌月游戏工作室
Wuwei Cultivation $1.50 107 86% 3.2k $4.8k (exactly $4,815) 程序员小灰
公考刷题模拟器-我要上岸 $3.99 18 61% 540 $2.2k (exactly $2,155) DoubleGame
FlashBoss $4.99 12 100% 360 $1.8k (exactly $1,796) Odiin

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