RTS
An average niche: demand and competition are roughly balanced — the idea and execution decide. Average across 4 platforms: niche 49/100, demand 64/100, competition 60/100, development cost 51/100. On Steam: 2,131 games and 159,915 players online; 27% of games reach 500+ reviews, average spend per player is $22.30.
Niche
49/100
Demand (0–100)
64/100
Competition
60/100
Dev cost
51/100
Spend per player
$22.30
Hit rate (500+ reviews)
27%
Key findings
- Ranked #50 of 100 in the overall niche ranking.
- The niche looks best on itch.io (53/100) and weakest on App Store (44/100).
- Competition is at a typical level: 60/100 vs a median of 57/100.
- Development is costlier than typical: index 51/100 vs a median of 39/100 — plan for more time and money.
- On Steam, 27% of games reached 500+ reviews — more often than usual (median 16%).
- Small-studio games make up 46% of all Steam games with this tag.
By platform
| Platform | Popularity | Games / leaders’ share | Competition | Niche | Dev cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam | 67/100 | 2,131 | 59/100 | 50/100 | 57/100 |
| itch.io | 69/100 | 4,337 | 59/100 | 53/100 | 51/100 |
| Yandex Games | no data | ||||
| Google Play | 52/100 | 68% | 52/100 | 50/100 | 49/100 |
| App Store | 67/100 | 75% | 71/100 | 44/100 | 45/100 |
Example games — Steam
AAA / big hits
Total War: WARHAMMER IICREATIVE ASSEMBLY, Feral Interactive (Mac), Feral Interactive (Linux) · $59.99
Total War: THREE KINGDOMSCREATIVE ASSEMBLY, Feral Interactive (Mac), Feral Interactive (Linux) · $39.99
Age of Empires II (Retired)Skybox Labs, Hidden Path Entertainment, Ensemble Studios, Forgotten Empires · $19.99
Indie
Northgard: Definitive EditionShiro Games · $34.99
They Are BillionsNumantian Games · $29.99
Sins of a Solar Empire: RebellionIronclad Games Corporation, Stardock Entertainment · $19.99
Related genres
Data updated October 12, 2026 Methodology