Do I ship it?

Games › Mechanics › Dungeon Crawler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Dungeon Crawler?

Dungeon Crawler

Of 1,697 developers who shipped a Dungeon Crawler 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.. 3,120 more are announced, ×3.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.6k, ×3.5 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $300; 1 in 20 cleared $610k, ×1303 the market median. Revenue is flat on the market; 3,120 games are announced against 1,000 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 3.5 times the market baseline, revenue flat on the market, 3,120 announced, ×3.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Dungeon Crawler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 355
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 1,697
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.3k → $3.2k → $2.3k → $1.9k → $2.1k → $2.9k → $1.2k (still earning) → $839 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Dungeon Crawler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 1,697
Bottom 30% $300 (exactly $300)
Median $1.6k (exactly $1,647)
Top 25% $17k (exactly $16,639)
Top 5% $619k (exactly $618,787)
Developers, 2 yr 1,697
Released games 4,594
Announced 3,120
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $7.99

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 flat on the market, supply 40% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 11%, excluded from money figures.

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Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Dungeon Crawler
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
Dungeon Crawler
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 78% positive over 721,729 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 $1.6k, 1 in 4 over $16k, 1 in 20 over $610k.

3 in 10 developers made under $300. 8 in 10 of the 829 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 3,120 games are announced against 1,000 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.1 per shipper.

Plate 6 · every pair with this tag

All pairs with Dungeon Crawler

134 pairs with a mechanicwith: mechanics · settings · any
  1. Turn-Based Strategy + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $2.7k 244 devs
  2. Dungeon Crawler + Inventory Management Poor odds $2.7k 123 devs
  3. Action RPG + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $2.5k 408 devs
  4. Dungeon Crawler + Roguelike Poor odds $2.5k 654 devs
  5. Beat 'em up + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $2.5k 36 devs
  6. Action Roguelike + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $2.4k 365 devs
  7. Creature Collector + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $2.4k 50 devs
  8. Trading Card Game + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $2.3k 10 devs
  9. Dungeon Crawler + Turn-Based Combat Poor odds $2.3k 367 devs
  10. Economy + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $2.2k 23 devs
  11. Dungeon Crawler + Resource Management Poor odds $2.2k 89 devs
  12. Simulation + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $2.2k 147 devs
  13. Class-Based + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $2.2k 103 devs
  14. Dungeon Crawler + Incremental Poor odds $2.2k 48 devs
  15. Dungeon Crawler + Twin Stick Shooter Poor odds $2.2k 32 devs
  16. PvP + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $2.1k 50 devs
  17. Dungeon Crawler + Board Game Poor odds $2.1k 50 devs
  18. Sandbox + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $2.1k 93 devs
  19. Dungeon Crawler + Local Multiplayer Poor odds $2.1k 29 devs
  20. Dungeon Crawler + Procedural Generation Poor odds $2.0k 402 devs
  21. Turn-Based Tactics + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $1.9k 239 devs
  22. Dungeon Crawler + Grid-Based Movement Poor odds $1.9k 98 devs
  23. Looter Shooter + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $1.9k 33 devs
  24. Action + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $1.8k 780 devs
  25. Spectacle fighter + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $1.8k 14 devs
  26. Dungeon Crawler + Multiple Endings Poor odds $1.8k 128 devs
  27. Dungeon Crawler + Sokoban Poor odds $1.8k 14 devs
  28. Strategy RPG + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $1.7k 165 devs
  29. Strategy + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $1.6k 484 devs
  30. Combat + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $1.5k 439 devs
  31. Choices Matter + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $1.5k 161 devs
  32. Open World + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $1.5k 144 devs
  33. Co-op Campaign + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $1.5k 20 devs
  34. Dungeon Crawler + Exploration Poor odds $1.4k 589 devs
  35. 4 Player Local + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $1.4k 17 devs
  36. Adventure + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $1.3k 883 devs
  37. Dungeon Crawler + Mining Poor odds $1.3k 27 devs
  38. Level Editor + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $1.2k 17 devs
  39. Survival Horror + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $1.2k 109 devs
  40. Shooter + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $1.1k 123 devs
  41. FPS + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $1.0k 80 devs
  42. Dungeon Crawler + Top-Down Shooter Poor odds $987 62 devs
  43. Survival + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $959 151 devs
  44. PvE + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $899 383 devs
  45. Dungeon Crawler + Mystery Dungeon Poor odds $899 192 devs
  46. Dungeon Crawler + Traditional Roguelike Poor odds $899 68 devs
  47. Stealth + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $899 55 devs
  48. Colony Sim + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $899 13 devs
  49. Physics + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $809 61 devs
  50. Archery + Dungeon Crawler Poor odds $809 12 devs
Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Hades 2020 · $214M The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth 2014 · $187M Path of Exile 2 2024 · EA · $151M Slay the Spire 2019 · $144M Slay the Spire 2 2026 · EA · $138M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Hades older $24.99 285,748 97% 8.6M $214M (exactly $214,225,276) Supergiant Games
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth older $14.99 415,060 96% 12M $187M (exactly $186,652,482) Nicalis, Inc., Edmund McMillen
Path of Exile 2 · EA $29.99 167,730 76% 5.0M $151M (exactly $150,906,681) Grinding Gear Games
Slay the Spire older $24.99 191,765 97% 5.8M $144M (exactly $143,766,220) Mega Crit
Slay the Spire 2 · EA $24.99 183,764 61% 5.5M $138M (exactly $137,767,871) Mega Crit
Lethal Company · EA older $9.99 411,550 97% 12M $123M (exactly $123,341,535) Zeekerss
Last Epoch older $34.99 106,364 76% 3.2M $112M (exactly $111,650,291) Eleventh Hour Games
Darkest Dungeon® older $24.99 140,790 91% 4.2M $106M (exactly $105,550,263) Red Hook Studios
Hades II $29.99 114,419 95% 3.4M $103M (exactly $102,942,774) Supergiant Games
Diablo® IV older $49.99 58,668 69% 1.8M $88M (exactly $87,984,400) Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Escape the Backrooms $9.99 137,315 90% 4.1M $41M (exactly $41,153,306) Fancy Games, Blackbird Interactive
AI LIMIT $34.99 22,833 92% 685k $24M (exactly $23,967,800) Sense Games
Wayfinder $24.99 25,104 60% 753k $19M (exactly $18,820,469) Airship Syndicate
Titan Quest II · EA $34.99 17,398 81% 522k $18M (exactly $18,262,681) Grimlore Games
9 Kings · EA $19.99 21,352 92% 641k $13M (exactly $12,804,794) Sad Socket
Mistfall Hunter $24.99 16,045 53% 481k $12M (exactly $12,028,936) Bellring Games
Shape of Dreams $24.99 15,769 89% 473k $12M (exactly $11,822,019) Lizard Smoothie

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