Do I ship it?

Games › Mechanics › Action RTS

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Action RTS?

Action RTS

Of 325 developers who shipped an Action RTS 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.. 617 more are announced, ×3.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×0.9 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $240; 1 in 20 cleared $960k, ×642 the market median. Revenue is up 35% on the market; 617 games are announced against 175 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.9 times the market baseline, revenue up 35% on the market, 617 announced, ×3.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Action RTS
Fig. 1 · this niche among 355
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 325
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $898 → $1.2k → $1.3k → $897 → $1.5k → $900 → $1.5k (still earning) → $1.9k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Action RTS: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 325
Bottom 30% $239 (exactly $239)
Median $1.3k (exactly $1,349)
Top 25% $14k (exactly $13,840)
Top 5% $961k (exactly $961,308)
Developers, 2 yr 325
Released games 849
Announced 617
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $8.99

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 35% on the market, supply 15% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 16%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Action RTS
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Action RTS
Price point
$8.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.

The top 10 games average 79% positive over 180,983 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $240, median $1.3k, 1 in 4 over $13k, 1 in 20 over $960k.

3 in 10 developers made under $240. 8 in 10 of the 192 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 617 games are announced against 175 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · every pair with this tag

All pairs with Action RTS

70 pairs with a mechanicwith: mechanics · settings · any
  1. Action RTS + RPG Poor odds $599 58 devs
  2. Action RTS + Action Roguelike Poor odds $594 25 devs
  3. Action RTS + Bullet Hell Poor odds $505 13 devs
  4. Action RTS + Choices Matter Poor odds $479 21 devs
  5. Action RTS + Adventure Poor odds $405 57 devs
  6. Action RPG + Action RTS Poor odds $270 43 devs
  7. Action RTS + God Game Dead $7.8k 5 devs
  8. Action RTS + Loot Dead $4.5k 8 devs
  9. 3D Fighter + Action RTS Dead $899 11 devs
  10. Action RTS + Arcade Dead $479 45 devs
  11. Action RTS + Shoot 'Em Up Dead $479 4 devs
  12. Action RTS + Sports Dead $405 10 devs
  13. MOBA + Action RTS Dead $300 7 devs
  14. Action RTS + Action-Adventure Dead $299 54 devs
  15. Battle Royale + Action RTS Dead $239 5 devs
  16. Action RTS + Third-Person Shooter Dead $179 9 devs
  17. Action RTS + Incremental Dead $150 7 devs
  18. Action RTS + 3D Platformer Dead $89 13 devs
  19. Action RTS + 2D Platformer Dead $30 10 devs
  20. Action RTS + Racing Dead $0 5 devs
Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition 2021 · $87M Company of Heroes 3 2023 · $44M Broken Arrow 2025 · $39M REMATCH 2025 · $36M STAR WARS Zero Company™ 2026 · $29M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Age of Empires IV: Anniversary Edition older $39.99 72,275 85% 2.2M $87M (exactly $86,708,318) World's Edge, Relic Entertainment, Forg… (World's Edge, Relic Entertainment, Forgotten Empires, Climax Studios)
Company of Heroes 3 older $59.99 24,516 59% 735k $44M (exactly $44,121,445) Relic Entertainment
Broken Arrow $49.99 25,924 55% 778k $39M (exactly $38,878,223) Steel Balalaika
REMATCH $29.99 39,905 70% 1.2M $36M (exactly $35,902,528) Sloclap
STAR WARS Zero Company™ $49.99 19,521 82% 586k $29M (exactly $29,275,644) Bit Reactor
Age of Mythology: Retold older $29.99 20,943 90% 628k $19M (exactly $18,842,417) World's Edge, Forgotten Empires, Tantal… (World's Edge, Forgotten Empires, Tantalus Media, CaptureAge, Virtuos Games)
Tempest Rising $39.99 9,811 87% 294k $12M (exactly $11,770,257) Slipgate Ironworks™
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Definitive Edition $29.99 12,286 85% 369k $11M (exactly $11,053,714) Relic Entertainment
Diplomacy is Not an Option $29.99 10,904 85% 327k $9.8M (exactly $9,810,329) Door 407
Door Kickers 2: Task Force North $24.99 12,324 96% 370k $9.2M (exactly $9,239,303) KillHouse Games
Thronefall $12.99 22,966 96% 689k $8.9M (exactly $8,949,850) GrizzlyGames, Mythwright
Mechabellum $14.99 17,856 84% 536k $8.0M (exactly $8,029,843) Game River
Age of Darkness: Final Stand $27.99 9,486 74% 285k $8.0M (exactly $7,965,394) PlaySide

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