Niche hub
560 games carry the tag · 9 released in the last 12 months (vs 208 the year before) · median price $9.99
balanced. Balanced space: 9 releases in the last year. Among the games here that reached 10+ reviews (most releases never do), the median sold an estimated 1,746 units (middle half 792–6,160). Games with a clear hook find their audience here without fighting a flood.
Unit medians are estimates, among games that reached 10+ reviews — most never do · how we estimate
What would change this: A wave of new releases (supply +89%) or a falling median would tip this toward Crowded. · confidence: high
The evidence — the niche's most-reviewed games
Slay the SpireBalatroTCG Card Shop SimulatorSultan's GameStacklands9 KingsAstral PartyMonster Train 2
Aggregated over 17,340 stored reviews from 383 games.
Reviews are shown as published on Steam, including reviews from key activations and free copies — so percentages here can differ from the score on the Steam store page. GameTrend does not check whether reviewers bought or played the game.
The top 5 games hold 70% of the niche's 754,113 reviews; it takes 11 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 | 218,986 | Overwhelmingly Positive |
| Balatro | 2024 | 194,032 | Overwhelmingly Positive |
| TCG Card Shop Simulator | 2026 | 50,325 | Overwhelmingly Positive |
| Sultan's Game | 2025 | 35,279 | Very Positive |
| Stacklands | 2022 | 30,379 | Overwhelmingly Positive |
| 9 Kings | 2025 | 23,392 | Very Positive |
| Astral Party | 2024 | 21,670 | Mixed |
| Monster Train 2 | 2025 | 10,214 | Overwhelmingly Positive |
| Tiny Pasture | 2025 | 8,636 | Very Positive |
| Matchmaking Inc. | 2025 | 7,378 | Very Positive |
Combine Card Game 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.