Do I ship it?

GamesAutomobile SimAutomobile Sim + Action-Adventure

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Action-Adventure Automobile Sim?

Automobile Sim + Action-Adventure

Of 44 developers who shipped an Action-Adventure Automobile Sim in the last 2 years: 3 in 10 made under est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 4 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method., 1 in 20 cleared est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 88 more are announced, ×3.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.4k, level with the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450; 1 in 20 cleared $73k, ×49 the market median. Revenue is down 20% on the market; 88 games are announced against 28 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.0 times the market baseline, revenue down 20% on the market, 88 announced, ×3.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Automobile Sim + Action-Adventure
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 44
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.8k → $5.8k → $4.3k → $1.4k → $3.1k → $1.1k → $1.4k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Automobile Sim + Action-Adventure: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 44
Bottom 30% $449 (exactly $449)
Median $1.4k (exactly $1,438)
Top 25% $6.8k (exactly $6,834)
Top 5% $73k (exactly $73,019)
Developers, 2 yr 44
Released games 129
Announced 88
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $7.99

momentum: how a niche's revenue percentiles and developer count moved between two equal, adjacent periods, divided by the market's own move. See method., 12 months: revenue down 20% on the market, supply 75% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 9%, excluded from money figures.

See every window in the explorer →

Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Automobile Sim
effort 7 / 10 · low · tyre, suspension and drivetrain simulation
Action-Adventure
effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Automobile Sim, Action-Adventure; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Driving, Immersive Sim
Price point
$7.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with First-Person, 3D, Realistic
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.

The top 10 games average 60% positive over 1,444 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $450, median $1.4k, 1 in 4 over $6.8k, 1 in 20 over $73k.

3 in 10 developers made under $450. Nearly all of the 21 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 88 games are announced against 28 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.1 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Automobile Sim with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Split ScreenStrong odds25 devs · median $5.5k · 14 announced
  2. + Artificial IntelligenceFair19 devs · median $3.0k · 17 announced
  3. + ZombiesFair10 devs · median $2.1k · 8 announced
  4. + IdlerFair9 devs · median $1.6k · 14 announced
  5. + LogicFair20 devs · median $1.6k · 13 announced
  6. + Multiple EndingsLong shot14 devs · median $1.0k · 12 announced
  7. + Score AttackLong shot38 devs · median $898 · 35 announced
  8. + ArcadeLong shot162 devs · median $774 · 180 announced
  9. + Co-opPoor odds46 devs · median $70k · 60 announced
  10. + Online Co-OpPoor odds40 devs · median $70k · 54 announced
  11. + AutomationPoor odds13 devs · median $35k · 19 announced
  12. + BuildingPoor odds44 devs · median $24k · 89 announced

All 92 pairs on the Automobile Sim page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Contraband Police older $29.99 24,882 95% 746k $22M (exactly $22,386,335) Crazy Rocks
Alaskan Road Truckers older $21.99 2,711 62% 81k $1.8M (exactly $1,788,447) Road Studio S.A.
UNDER the SAND - a road trip simulator older $19.99 1,556 78% 47k $933k (exactly $933,133) IndieMax
Instruments of Destruction older $19.99 1,429 91% 43k $857k (exactly $856,971) Radiangames
Autobahn Police Simulator 3 older $29.99 374 58% 11k $336k (exactly $336,488) Z-Software
Responding · EA $24.99 409 45% 12k $307k (exactly $306,627) Visionary Studios
Virtual Sailor NG older $39.99 132 90% 4.0k $158k (exactly $158,360) Ilan Papini
Offroad Mechanic Simulator older $19.99 238 71% 7.1k $143k (exactly $142,729) Image Power S.A., GameFormatic S.A.
Runebound Bastion $39.99 93 90% 2.8k $112k (exactly $111,572) byking inc
Blind Drive older $9.99 352 96% 11k $105k (exactly $105,494) Lo-Fi People
Parking Garage Simulator · EA $11.99 203 38% 6.1k $73k (exactly $73,019) Root Games
Legendary Pilots $8.99 223 66% 6.7k $60k (exactly $60,143) BerkBox
Toll Booth Simulator $12.99 91 71% 2.7k $35k (exactly $35,463) SifDev
KILLDOZER · EA $19.99 57 78% 1.7k $34k (exactly $34,183) Rename For Value
Car Mechanic Shop Simulator $9.99 111 55% 3.3k $33k (exactly $33,267) Digital Melody
I Want to Believe $16.99 47 80% 1.4k $24k (exactly $23,956) Fang's Lab
Nitroglycerine! $4.99 146 86% 4.4k $22k (exactly $21,856) Avoidance
Flatinside Simulator · EA $9.99 64 64% 1.9k $19k (exactly $19,181) SncI Studios

Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.