Niche hub
170 games carry the tag · 11 released in the last 12 months (vs 80 the year before) · median price $11.99
balanced. Balanced space: 11 releases in the last year against a median of an estimated 7,277 units (middle half 3,490–22,160). Games with a clear hook find their audience here without fighting a flood.
What would change this: A wave of new releases (supply +64%) or a falling median would tip this toward Crowded. · confidence: medium
The evidence — the niche's most-reviewed games
Slay the SpireBalatro9 KingsBackpack BattlesBackpack HeroGuilty as Sock!DICEOMANCERBAPBAP
Aggregated over 10,170 stored reviews from 162 games.
The top 5 games hold 81% of the niche's 571,482 reviews; it takes 5 games to reach 80%. Fewer games to 80% means a harder niche to be seen in.
| Game | Released | Reviews | Steam says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slay the Spire | 2019 | 216,735 | Overwhelmingly Positive |
| Balatro | 2024 | 194,032 | Overwhelmingly Positive |
| 9 Kings | 2025 | 22,629 | Very Positive |
| Backpack Battles | 2025 | 20,515 | Very Positive |
| Backpack Hero | 2023 | 8,468 | Very Positive |
| Guilty as Sock! | 2025 | 5,630 | Very Positive |
| DICEOMANCER | 2024 | 5,577 | Overwhelmingly Positive |
| BAPBAP | 2025 | 5,524 | Very Positive |
| Riichi City - Japanese Mahjong | 2022 | 4,745 | Mixed |
| Kabuto Park | 2025 | 4,440 | Overwhelmingly Positive |
Combine Card Battler with other tags — and exclusions — in the segment workspace, or describe your concept and get this verdict on your exact combo.
Counts are measured (reviews, releases, prices); concentration is review-share, not an index; momentum is new-review pace between our own daily observations, computed across the segment's 400 most-reviewed games.