Tower defense
An average niche: demand and competition are roughly balanced — the idea and execution decide. Average across 5 platforms: niche 49/100, demand 64/100, competition 60/100, development cost 32/100. On Steam: 2,120 games and 30,662 players online; 13% of games reach 500+ reviews, average spend per player is $9.12.
Niche
49/100
Demand (0–100)
64/100
Competition
60/100
Dev cost
32/100
Spend per player
$9.12
Hit rate (500+ reviews)
13%
Key findings
- Ranked #53 of 100 in the overall niche ranking.
- The niche looks best on Yandex Games (57/100) and weakest on Steam (39/100).
- Competition is at a typical level: 60/100 vs a median of 57/100.
- Development is cheaper than typical: index 32/100 vs a median of 39/100 — the genre is within reach of a small team.
- On Steam, 13% of games reached 500+ reviews — about usual (median 16%).
- Small-studio games make up 61% of all Steam games with this tag.
By platform
| Platform | Popularity | Games / leaders’ share | Competition | Niche | Dev cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam | 50/100 | 2,120 | 58/100 | 39/100 | 33/100 |
| itch.io | 80/100 | 14,543 | 71/100 | 48/100 | 35/100 |
| Yandex Games | 55/100 | 264 | 40/100 | 57/100 | 28/100 |
| Google Play | 62/100 | 77% | 64/100 | 47/100 | 34/100 |
| App Store | 75/100 | 69% | 64/100 | 52/100 | 30/100 |
Example games — Steam
AAA / big hits
Plants vs. Zombies GOTY EditionPopCap Games, Inc. · $4.99
Dome KeeperBippinbits · $17.99
Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for NeighborvillePopCap · $29.99
Indie
Bloons TD 6Ninja Kiwi · $13.99
They Are BillionsNumantian Games · $29.99
Dungeon Defenders IIChromatic Games · free
Related genres
Data updated October 12, 2026 Methodology