Do I ship it?

GamesAutomobile SimAutomobile Sim + Character Customization

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Character Customization Automobile Sim?

Automobile Sim + Character Customization

Of 31 developers who shipped a Character Customization 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.. 93 more are announced, ×7.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $2.2k, ×1.4 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450; 1 in 20 cleared $630k, ×421 the market median. Revenue is up 45% on the market; 93 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.4 times the market baseline, revenue up 45% on the market, 93 announced, ×7.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Automobile Sim + Character Customization
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 31
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.7k → $18k → $23k → $18k → $2.7k → $718 → $599 (still earning) → $2.2k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Automobile Sim + Character Customization: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 31
Bottom 30% $449 (exactly $449)
Median $2.2k (exactly $2,158)
Top 25% $36k (exactly $35,852)
Top 5% $631k (exactly $631,042)
Developers, 2 yr 31
Released games 128
Announced 93
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $8.99

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 45% on the market, supply 30% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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
Character Customization
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, Character Customization; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Driving, Open World, Physics
Price point
$8.99 typical · top 25% priced $24.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Funny
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $24.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.

The top 10 games average 88% positive over 9,973 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 $2.2k, 1 in 4 over $35k, 1 in 20 over $630k.

3 in 10 developers made under $450. 8 in 10 of the 20 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 93 games are announced against 13 developers who shipped in the last year, ×7.2 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
Forza Motorsport older $69.99 12,148 51% 364k $26M (exactly $25,507,156) Turn 10
Police Simulator: Patrol Officers older $39.99 18,880 75% 566k $23M (exactly $22,650,336) Aesir Interactive
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown older $49.99 6,536 38% 196k $9.8M (exactly $9,802,039) KT Racing
Motor Town: Behind The Wheel · EA older $19.99 8,971 93% 269k $5.4M (exactly $5,379,909) P3 Games
Expeditions: A MudRunner Game older $39.99 3,000 59% 90k $3.6M (exactly $3,599,100) Saber Interactive
Keep Driving $17.99 6,188 93% 186k $3.3M (exactly $3,339,664) YCJY Games
Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop older $24.99 3,984 74% 120k $3.0M (exactly $2,986,805) stillalive studios
Redout: Enhanced Edition older $19.99 3,438 84% 103k $2.1M (exactly $2,061,769) 34BigThings srl
Lawn Mowing Simulator older $19.99 2,126 74% 64k $1.3M (exactly $1,274,962) Skyhook Games
Redout 2 older $19.99 1,168 82% 35k $700k (exactly $700,450) 34BigThings srl
City Transport Simulator 2026 - Bus & Tram $39.99 526 73% 16k $631k (exactly $631,042) ViewApp
Pure Rock Crawling $14.99 1,291 83% 39k $581k (exactly $580,563) Maciej Kuzianik
#DRIVE Rally $19.99 743 79% 22k $446k (exactly $445,577) Pixel Perfect Dude
It's Only Money $24.99 473 78% 14k $355k (exactly $354,608) Usual Suspects Studios
VMX · EA $14.99 229 89% 6.9k $103k (exactly $102,981) Break Free Interactive
Bar After Bar $6.99 331 87% 9.9k $69k (exactly $69,411) OneMan Tim
Neon Curves Racing $12.99 92 94% 2.8k $36k (exactly $35,852) Ghost Machine
Flatinside Simulator · EA $9.99 64 64% 1.9k $19k (exactly $19,181) SncI Studios
Wheelie City $16.99 36 72% 1.1k $18k (exactly $18,349) Devora Studios

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