Niche hub
272 games carry the tag · 15 released in the last 12 months (vs 126 the year before) · median price $9.99
balanced. Balanced space: 15 releases in the last year against a median of an estimated 7,135 units (middle half 3,249–23,244). Games with a clear hook find their audience here without fighting a flood.
What would change this: A wave of new releases (supply +13%) or a falling median would tip this toward Crowded. · confidence: medium
The evidence — the niche's most-reviewed games
Slay the SpireBalatro9 KingsNubby's Number FactoryMagicraftMonster Train 2Backpack HeroMatchmaking Inc.
Aggregated over 16,638 stored reviews from 263 games.
The top 5 games hold 71% of the niche's 659,265 reviews; it takes 15 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 |
| Nubby's Number Factory | 2025 | 19,100 | Overwhelmingly Positive |
| Magicraft | 2024 | 16,685 | Very Positive |
| Monster Train 2 | 2025 | 10,002 | Overwhelmingly Positive |
| Backpack Hero | 2023 | 8,468 | Very Positive |
| Matchmaking Inc. | 2025 | 7,224 | Very Positive |
| Shogun Showdown | 2024 | 6,913 | Overwhelmingly Positive |
| DICEOMANCER | 2024 | 5,577 | Overwhelmingly Positive |
Combine Deckbuilding 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.