Do I ship it?

Games › Arcade › Arcade + Time Management

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Time Management Arcade game?

Arcade + Time Management

Of 216 developers who shipped a Time Management 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.. 301 more are announced, ×2.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $300 in the last 2 years and $300 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 129 developers shipped in the last year and 301 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.6 times the market baseline, revenue down 60% on the market, 301 announced, ×2.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Arcade + Time Management
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 216
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $419 → $1.5k → $90 → $539 → $899 → $418 → $179 (still earning) → $150 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Arcade + Time Management: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 216
Bottom 30% $60 (exactly $60)
Median $299 (exactly $299)
Top 25% $2.1k (exactly $2,097)
Top 5% $54k (exactly $53,514)
Developers, 2 yr 216
Released games 520
Announced 301
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $4.99

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 60% on the market, supply 45% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 16%, 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Arcade
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Time Management
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Arcade, Time Management; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Management, Resource Management
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Colorful, Funny
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $12.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 90% positive over 7,223 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $60, median $300, 1 in 4 over $2.0k, 1 in 20 over $53k.

3 in 10 developers made under $60. 9 in 10 of the 126 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 301 games are announced against 129 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.3 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair59 devs · median $4.3k · 88 announced
  2. + TrainsFair20 devs · median $3.1k · 16 announced
  3. + Visual NovelFair101 devs · median $2.6k · 84 announced
  4. + MiningFair91 devs · median $2.2k · 125 announced
  5. + FaithFair16 devs · median $2.2k · 15 announced
  6. + Turn-BasedFair35 devs · median $2.2k · 32 announced
  7. + EconomyFair199 devs · median $2.1k · 285 announced
  8. + LGBTQ+Fair72 devs · median $2.1k · 61 announced
  9. + DeckbuildingFair170 devs · median $1.9k · 234 announced
  10. + Card BattlerFair68 devs · median $1.9k · 75 announced
  11. + LootFair147 devs · median $1.9k · 215 announced
  12. + VampiresFair34 devs · median $1.9k · 35 announced

All 270 pairs on the Arcade page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Punch Club 2016 · $3.6M Punch Club 2: Fast Forward 2023 · $2.3M Cook, Serve, Delicious! 2013 · $1.4M Global Rescue 2026 · EA · $1.4M Galaxy Burger 2024 · $883k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Punch Club older $9.99 12,098 81% 363k $3.6M (exactly $3,625,771) Lazy Bear Games
Punch Club 2: Fast Forward older $19.99 3,808 81% 114k $2.3M (exactly $2,283,658) Lazy Bear Games
Cook, Serve, Delicious! older $12.99 3,713 95% 111k $1.4M (exactly $1,446,956) Vertigo Gaming Inc.
Global Rescue · EA $24.99 1,864 86% 56k $1.4M (exactly $1,397,441) PeDePe GbR
Galaxy Burger older $11.99 2,456 96% 74k $883k (exactly $883,423) Galactic Workshop
The Chef's Shift $12.99 1,948 97% 58k $759k (exactly $759,136) Panitia GameDev
Pixel Cafe older $12.99 833 91% 25k $325k (exactly $324,620) Baltoro Games
Burgie's Cozy Kitchen · EA $6.99 1,470 96% 44k $308k (exactly $308,259) HeyNau
Diner Bros older $9.99 817 90% 25k $245k (exactly $244,855) JAYFLGAMES
Corner Kitchen Fast Food Simulator $13.99 411 85% 12k $172k (exactly $172,497) Purple Heads Games
Gaming Cafe Simulator $13.99 385 83% 12k $162k (exactly $161,584) Prapancha Studios
Rally Mechanic Simulator $17.99 195 69% 5.9k $105k (exactly $105,241) Play2Chill S.A., Atomic Jelly
Happy Endings $6.99 429 86% 13k $90k (exactly $89,961) Late Night Studios
Diner Bros 2 $14.99 147 87% 4.4k $66k (exactly $66,106) JAYFLGAMES
Retro Arcade Shop Simulator · EA $9.99 208 88% 6.2k $62k (exactly $62,338) Alt Tab Game
PC Building Empire · EA $11.99 166 83% 5.0k $60k (exactly $59,710) Moose Games

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