Games › City Builder › City Builder + Mystery
Should I ship a Mystery City Builder?
City Builder + Mystery
Only 9 developers shipped a Mystery City Builder in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, Techtonica, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 27 more are announced, ×6.8 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 6 / 10 build.
Only 4 developers shipped this in the last year, under the 5 a verdict needs; over 2 years the middle one made $4.6k against a market of $630. 27 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $2.3k (exactly $2,307) |
|---|---|
| Median | $4.6k (exactly $4,554) |
| Top 25% | $146k (exactly $145,954) |
| Top 5% | $2.8M (exactly $2,767,477) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 9 |
| Released games | 26 |
| Announced | 27 |
| Effort | 6 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $9.99 |
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 255% on the market, supply 20% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 15%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- City Builder
- effort 6 / 10 · medium · effort 6 sits in the medium band
- Mystery
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
What it takes
- Effort
- 6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
- Systems
- City Builder
- Price point
- $9.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 9 games average 66% positive over 4,695 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $2.4k. 7 in 10 of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 27 games are announced against 4 developers who shipped in the last year, ×6.8 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
City Builder with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Visual NovelStrong odds
- + LogicFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + Hidden ObjectFair
- + ArcadeFair
- + RacingLong shot
- + RomePoor odds
- + Real-Time with PausePoor odds
- + HorrorPoor odds
- + Alternate HistoryPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + DiplomacyPoor odds
Comparable games
Techtonica 2024 · $2.8M 
Surviving the Abyss 2024 · $626k 
The Succession of Changing Kings 2026 · $146k 
Punk Wars 2021 · $59k 
Madorica Real Estate 2019 · $58k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Techtonica | $29.99 | 3,076 64% | 92k | $2.8M (exactly $2,767,477) | Fire Hose Games | |
| | Surviving the Abyss | $19.99 | 1,044 64% | 31k | $626k (exactly $626,087) | Rocket Flair Studios | |
| | The Succession of Changing Kings | $9.99 | 487 86% | 15k | $146k (exactly $145,954) | KwaKwaGames | |
| | Punk Wars | older | $19.99 | 99 55% | 3.0k | $59k (exactly $59,370) | Strategy Forge S.A. |
| | Madorica Real Estate | older | $16.99 | 113 92% | 3.4k | $58k (exactly $57,596) | GIFT TEN INDUSTRY K.K. |
 | Coffee Noir - Business Detective Game | older | $8.99 | 72 65% | 2.2k | $19k (exactly $19,418) | DOJI, NAOS Software, Darkpowder |
 | The HELL | · EA | $9.99 | 30 73% | 900 | $9.0k (exactly $8,991) | METROPOLICE |
 | Climber Girl | $7.99 | 19 36% | 570 | $4.6k (exactly $4,554) | AlterLab Development | |
 | Ekoh Beach | $7.99 | 16 68% | 480 | $3.8k (exactly $3,835) | Zenland Games | |
 | MyLittlePool | older | $5.99 | 17 17% | 510 | $3.1k (exactly $3,055) | SuperLoki |
 | Rescue Team: Ancient Guardian | $6.99 | 11 100% | 330 | $2.3k (exactly $2,307) | Game Mixer | |
 | Rescue Team: Attack of the Atom | $6.99 | 11 90% | 330 | $2.3k (exactly $2,307) | Game Mixer | |
 | Weeks Till Winter | $7.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $240 (exactly $240) | Subnuminal, LLC | |
 | Spellarium 14 Collector's Edition | $19.99 | 0 0% | 0 | $0 (exactly $0) | LGT SIA |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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