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 + Auto Battler Fair $3.0k 24 devs
  2. Action RTS + FPS Long shot $899 16 devs
  3. Action RTS + Puzzle Long shot $594 16 devs
  4. Action RTS + Turn-Based Strategy Poor odds $85k 12 devs
  5. Action RTS + Turn-Based Tactics Poor odds $85k 9 devs
  6. Action RTS + Real-Time Poor odds $31k 12 devs
  7. Online Co-Op + Action RTS Poor odds $18k 25 devs
  8. Action RTS + Sandbox Poor odds $13k 30 devs
  9. Action RTS + Procedural Generation Poor odds $11k 22 devs
  10. Action RTS + Grand Strategy Poor odds $7.5k 25 devs
  11. 4X + Action RTS Poor odds $7.2k 10 devs
  12. Action RTS + Crafting Poor odds $7.2k 19 devs
  13. Action RTS + Survival Poor odds $6.5k 48 devs
  14. Action RTS + Roguelite Poor odds $6.5k 33 devs
  15. Action RTS + City Builder Poor odds $6.0k 45 devs
  16. Action RTS + Wargame Poor odds $5.4k 55 devs
  17. Action RTS + Base Building Poor odds $4.8k 118 devs
  18. Action RTS + Colony Sim Poor odds $4.8k 23 devs
  19. Action RTS + Co-op Poor odds $4.5k 39 devs
  20. Action RTS + Top-Down Shooter Poor odds $4.0k 14 devs
  21. Action RTS + Tanks Poor odds $4.0k 12 devs
  22. Action RTS + Tactical Poor odds $3.0k 101 devs
  23. Action RTS + Deckbuilding Poor odds $3.0k 13 devs
  24. Action RTS + RTS Poor odds $3.0k 191 devs
  25. PvP + Action RTS Poor odds $2.5k 64 devs
  26. Action RTS + Building Poor odds $2.3k 82 devs
  27. Action RTS + Simulation Poor odds $2.3k 80 devs
  28. Action RTS + Resource Management Poor odds $2.3k 68 devs
  29. Action RTS + Real Time Tactics Poor odds $2.3k 129 devs
  30. Action RTS + Automation Poor odds $2.3k 12 devs
  31. Action RTS + Management Poor odds $2.1k 49 devs
  32. Action RTS + Tactical RPG Poor odds $2.1k 14 devs
  33. Action RTS + PvE Poor odds $1.9k 88 devs
  34. Action RTS + Strategy Poor odds $1.8k 264 devs
  35. Action RTS + Character Customization Poor odds $1.8k 25 devs
  36. Action RTS + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $1.8k 12 devs
  37. Action RTS + Roguelike Poor odds $1.7k 36 devs
  38. Action RTS + Exploration Poor odds $1.6k 37 devs
  39. Action RTS + Destruction Poor odds $1.6k 10 devs
  40. Open World + Action RTS Poor odds $1.6k 22 devs
  41. Action RTS + Hack and Slash Poor odds $1.5k 29 devs
  42. Action RTS + Economy Poor odds $1.5k 24 devs
  43. Action RTS + Action Poor odds $1.4k 186 devs
  44. Action RTS + Tower Defense Poor odds $1.3k 123 devs
  45. Action RTS + Combat Poor odds $1.3k 113 devs
  46. Action RTS + Strategy RPG Poor odds $779 27 devs
  47. Action RTS + Time Management Poor odds $779 14 devs
  48. Action RTS + Physics Poor odds $748 13 devs
  49. Action RTS + Card Game Poor odds $629 12 devs
  50. Action RTS + Shooter Poor odds $628 26 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.