Do I ship it?

Games › Automobile Sim › Automobile Sim + Runner

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Runner Automobile Sim?

Automobile Sim + Runner

Of 23 developers who shipped a Runner 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.. 31 more are announced, ×5.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 7 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $150 in the last 2 years and $240 over 4, against a market of $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build. 6 developers shipped in the last year and 31 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.1 times the market baseline, revenue down 60% on the market, 31 announced, ×5.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Automobile Sim + Runner
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 23
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $776 → $180 → $150 → $419 → $449
Outcomes for Automobile Sim + Runner: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 23
Bottom 30% $0 (exactly $0)
Median $150 (exactly $150)
Top 25% $776 (exactly $776)
Top 5% $9.6k (exactly $9,598)
Developers, 2 yr 23
Released games 87
Announced 31
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $2.99

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 65% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 13%, 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
Runner
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high 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, Runner; 7 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Driving, Racing, Arcade
Price point
$2.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, 1980s, Relaxing
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $2.99.

The top 10 games average 86% positive over 245 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $50, median $150, 1 in 4 over $770, 1 in 20 over $9.5k.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. 9 in 10 of the 20 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 31 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×5.2 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

TrackDayR 2021 · EA · $1.7M Neon Drive 2016 · $499k Drift86 2019 · $316k Hot Lap Racing 2024 · $46k Ala Mobile 2024 · $19k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
TrackDayR · EA older $24.99 2,213 86% 66k $1.7M (exactly $1,659,086) MadCow S.r.l.
Neon Drive older $9.99 1,664 86% 50k $499k (exactly $498,701) Fraoula, Spiky Crumb
Drift86 older $1.99 5,293 91% 159k $316k (exactly $315,992) RewindApp
Hot Lap Racing older $29.99 51 64% 1.5k $46k (exactly $45,885) Zero Games Studios
Ala Mobile $14.99 43 74% 1.3k $19k (exactly $19,337) CVi Games
Car Drive older $44.99 14 64% 420 $19k (exactly $18,896) kovalevviktor
Synthwave Driver · EA $2.99 107 86% 3.2k $9.6k (exactly $9,598) Runebox Studios
Space Ribbon - Slipstream to the Extreme older $3.99 71 57% 2.1k $8.5k (exactly $8,499) Onteca Ltd
BeachRun older $24.99 11 100% 330 $8.2k (exactly $8,247) Gamesforgames
Synthwave Dream '85 $3.99 48 100% 1.4k $5.7k (exactly $5,746) LoneDev
Florida Interstate '86 $4.99 22 90% 660 $3.3k (exactly $3,293) Welcome to the '80s
GMH - Good Morning Human ! $9.99 4 100% 120 $1.2k (exactly $1,199) W-9000 Studio
Lawnmower Game: Survival $1.99 13 84% 390 $776 (exactly $776) Valkeala Software, Tero Lunkka
Sivar Race El Salvador $8.99 2 100% 60 $539 (exactly $539) ENA Studios SV, C. Eduardo Nuñez U.
Drift Highway: Retro Console Edition $4.99 3 100% 90 $449 (exactly $449) Welding Byte
AudioRace $6.99 2 0% 60 $419 (exactly $419) Associazione Audiogames
Delivery Service : Courier $7.99 1 0% 30 $240 (exactly $240) DW

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