Do I ship it?

Games › Idler › Idler + Cats

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Cat Idler?

Idler + Cats

Of 128 developers who shipped a Cat Idler 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.. 119 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 2 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.1k, ×9.1 the market's $120 for a 2 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $270. Revenue is up 15% on the market; 119 games are announced against 91 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 9.1 times the market baseline, revenue up 15% on the market, 119 announced, ×1.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Idler + Cats
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 128
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.2k → $4.3k → $1.1k → $1.2k → $2.2k → $1.2k → $629 (still earning) → $300 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Idler + Cats: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 128
Bottom 30% $269 (exactly $269)
Median $1.1k (exactly $1,078)
Top 25% $5.7k (exactly $5,689)
Top 5% $58k (exactly $57,676)
Developers, 2 yr 128
Released games 211
Announced 119
Effort 2 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $3.99

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 15% on the market, supply 140% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 12%, 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.

Idler
effort 1 / 10 · high · number growth curves and a UI
Cats
effort 2 / 10 · high · effort 2 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
2 / 10 · static 2D art, simple logic
Systems
Idler; 3 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Incremental, Creature Collector
Price point
$3.99 typical · top 25% priced $6.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Cute, Relaxing, 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $6.99 or above; the middle game at $3.99.

The top 10 games average 92% positive over 9,126 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $270, median $1.1k, 1 in 4 over $5.6k, 1 in 20 over $57k.

3 in 10 developers made under $270. 8 in 10 of the 45 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 119 games are announced against 91 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Idler with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + FMVStrong odds10 devs · median $36k · 10 announced
  2. + FarmingStrong odds33 devs · median $5.9k · 25 announced
  3. + Hack and SlashFair32 devs · median $6.4k · 50 announced
  4. + DrivingFair16 devs · median $5.5k · 18 announced
  5. + LootFair181 devs · median $4.5k · 256 announced
  6. + FPSFair22 devs · median $4.2k · 23 announced
  7. + Turn-Based CombatFair52 devs · median $4.0k · 41 announced
  8. + Turn-Based StrategyFair50 devs · median $3.6k · 45 announced
  9. + Dynamic NarrationFair16 devs · median $3.0k · 17 announced
  10. + Dark FantasyFair83 devs · median $2.9k · 128 announced
  11. + CapitalismFair205 devs · median $2.9k · 260 announced
  12. + SwordplayFair9 devs · median $2.7k · 4 announced

All 177 pairs on the Idler page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Maltese's Fluffy Onsen 2025 · $490k Fischer's Fishing Journey 2025 · $376k The Last Cat in the Universe 2026 · $242k I got a millenary cat 2022 · $144k Desk Paws 2025 · $83k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Maltese's Fluffy Onsen $5.99 2,727 94% 82k $490k (exactly $490,042) Sinkhole Studio, Moonlab Studio
Fischer's Fishing Journey $7.99 1,568 91% 47k $376k (exactly $375,850) Cutefish
The Last Cat in the Universe $6.99 1,153 95% 35k $242k (exactly $241,784) Apamate Studio, Diora
I got a millenary cat older $6.99 685 85% 21k $144k (exactly $143,644) CatBellUnion
Desk Paws $5.99 463 86% 14k $83k (exactly $83,201) GinkgoGames
My Holiness the Gobliness older $7.99 337 83% 10k $81k (exactly $80,779) BFGS
Chonkers $4.99 518 87% 16k $78k (exactly $77,545) Solar Eclipse Games
NoSlack Pets: Lo-Fi Paws $5.99 385 97% 12k $69k (exactly $69,184) Lynkpin Game
Sakura Hime 3 older $3.99 532 95% 16k $64k (exactly $63,680) GirlGames
Seclusa $12.99 148 97% 4.4k $58k (exactly $57,676) Studio Niente
Screen Cat $0.99 1,696 92% 51k $50k (exactly $50,371) Vorh Games
Fluffy Kitchen Saga $6.99 221 64% 6.6k $46k (exactly $46,344) MEOW STORE GAME
Meow Palace: Forbidden City · EA $5.99 247 90% 7.4k $44k (exactly $44,386) 宫喵家族

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