Games › Arcade › Arcade + Modern
Should I ship a Modern-Day Arcade game?
Arcade + Modern
Of 105 developers who shipped a Modern-Day Arcade game 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.. 99 more are announced.
Verdict: dead, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $390 in the last 2 years and $480 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 4 / 10 build. 58 developers shipped in the last year and 99 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $119 (exactly $119) |
|---|---|
| Median | $386 (exactly $386) |
| Top 25% | $4.3k (exactly $4,309) |
| Top 5% | $159k (exactly $159,161) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 105 |
| Released games | 329 |
| Announced | 99 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $5.99 |
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 up 110% on the market, supply 20% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 13%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Arcade; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Score Attack, Simulation
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 95% positive over 43,211 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $120. 9 in 10 of the 51 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 99 games are announced against 58 developers who shipped in the last year.
Adjacent niches
Arcade with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair
- + TrainsFair
- + Visual NovelFair
- + MiningFair
- + FaithFair
- + Turn-BasedFair
- + EconomyFair
- + LGBTQ+Fair
- + DeckbuildingFair
- + Card BattlerFair
- + LootFair
- + VampiresFair
Comparable games
Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix+ 2022 · $23M 
Rhythm Doctor 2025 · $15M 
MELTY BLOOD: TYPE LUMINA 2021 · $14M 
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown 2024 · $9.8M 
EZ2ON REBOOT : R 2022 · $8.1M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix+ | older | $39.39 | 19,507 94% | 585k | $23M (exactly $23,051,422) | SEGA |
| | Rhythm Doctor | $19.99 | 25,021 98% | 751k | $15M (exactly $15,005,094) | 7th Beat Games | |
| | MELTY BLOOD: TYPE LUMINA | older | $49.99 | 9,130 88% | 274k | $14M (exactly $13,692,261) | FRENCH-BREAD, TYPE-MOON, Lasengle Inc.,… (FRENCH-BREAD, TYPE-MOON, Lasengle Inc., TAMSOFT CORPORATION, GameLoop Inc.) |
| | Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown | older | $49.99 | 6,536 38% | 196k | $9.8M (exactly $9,802,039) | KT Racing |
| | EZ2ON REBOOT : R | older | $44.99 | 5,972 91% | 179k | $8.1M (exactly $8,060,408) | Neonovice Co., Ltd., SQUARE PIXELS |
 | Yet Another Zombie Survivors | $14.99 | 14,123 91% | 424k | $6.4M (exactly $6,351,113) | Awesome Games Studio | |
 | Instruments of Destruction | older | $19.99 | 1,429 91% | 43k | $857k (exactly $856,971) | Radiangames |
 | Beatblock | · EA | $14.99 | 1,237 97% | 37k | $556k (exactly $556,279) | BubbleTabby |
 | Fashion Police Squad | older | $19.99 | 872 90% | 26k | $523k (exactly $522,938) | Mopeful Games |
 | Crossfire: Sierra Squad | older | $29.99 | 479 73% | 14k | $431k (exactly $430,956) | Smilegate |
 | Metal Thunder | · EA | $10.99 | 567 76% | 17k | $187k (exactly $186,940) | Dumbbell Games |
 | Gaming Cafe Simulator | $13.99 | 385 83% | 12k | $162k (exactly $161,584) | Prapancha Studios | |
 | BAZOOKA: Rhythm Game | $7.99 | 664 98% | 20k | $159k (exactly $159,161) | Gregory Seguru, Codrin Bradea | |
 | Shooters, Ready! | $4.99 | 807 99% | 24k | $121k (exactly $120,808) | おこめたべたべず | |
 | Truxton Extreme | $24.99 | 93 95% | 2.8k | $70k (exactly $69,722) | Tatsujin | |
 | Stackflow | $6.99 | 195 88% | 5.9k | $41k (exactly $40,892) | Caue Ferrareto | |
 | Jeepney Simulator 2 | $8.99 | 119 91% | 3.6k | $32k (exactly $32,094) | Spacezero Interactive |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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