Do I ship it?

Games › Class-Based › Class-Based + Idler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Idler Class-Based game?

Class-Based + Idler

Of 25 developers who shipped an Idler Class-Based 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.. 47 more are announced, ×2.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $3.2k, ×2.2 the market's $1.5k for a 7 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $720; 1 in 20 cleared $75k, ×51 the market median. Revenue is up 60% on the market; 47 games are announced against 18 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.2 times the market baseline, revenue up 60% on the market, 47 announced, ×2.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Class-Based + Idler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 25
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $4.5k → $4.1k (still earning) → $1.4k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Class-Based + Idler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 25
Bottom 30% $719 (exactly $719)
Median $3.2k (exactly $3,232)
Top 25% $13k (exactly $12,575)
Top 5% $76k (exactly $75,985)
Developers, 2 yr 25
Released games 44
Announced 47
Effort 7 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $5.99

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 60% on the market, supply 155% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 23%, 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.

Class-Based
effort 7 / 10 · low · effort 7 sits in the low band
Idler
effort 1 / 10 · high · number growth curves and a UI

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Class-Based, Idler; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Automation, Auto Battler, Crafting
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 74% positive over 2,493 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $720, median $3.2k, 1 in 4 over $12k, 1 in 20 over $75k.

3 in 10 developers made under $720. 7 in 10 of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 47 games are announced against 18 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Class-Based with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + AutomationFair19 devs · median $6.6k · 22 announced
  2. + Bullet HeavenFair21 devs · median $2.4k · 38 announced
  3. + SupernaturalLong shot18 devs · median $599 · 21 announced
  4. + 2D PlatformerLong shot26 devs · median $539 · 30 announced
  5. + FPSPoor odds22 devs · median $70k · 70 announced
  6. + MMORPGPoor odds7 devs · median $61k · 57 announced
  7. + Base BuildingPoor odds18 devs · median $33k · 44 announced
  8. + WarPoor odds17 devs · median $32k · 59 announced
  9. + Souls-likePoor odds16 devs · median $18k · 29 announced
  10. + MilitaryPoor odds17 devs · median $13k · 42 announced
  11. + Third-Person ShooterPoor odds11 devs · median $13k · 53 announced
  12. + WargamePoor odds14 devs · median $9.4k · 28 announced

All 111 pairs on the Class-Based page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Nomad Idle 2025 · $255k Yolk Heroes: A Long Tamago 2024 · $174k Samawa Idle 2023 · $90k Tower Walker: MMO Grind Simulator 2023 · $81k Vespera 2026 · $76k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Nomad Idle $9.99 852 64% 26k $255k (exactly $255,344) The Fox Knocks
Yolk Heroes: A Long Tamago older $7.99 725 89% 22k $174k (exactly $173,782) 14 Hours Productions
Samawa Idle older $4.99 600 65% 18k $90k (exactly $89,820) Samharia Studios
Tower Walker: MMO Grind Simulator older $9.99 270 77% 8.1k $81k (exactly $80,919) Raptor Claw Games, Millendream
Vespera $7.99 317 67% 9.5k $76k (exactly $75,985) Idle Gamers
Adventure Land - The Code MMORPG $14.99 144 84% 4.3k $65k (exactly $64,757) Wizard
Dice People $2.99 719 90% 22k $64k (exactly $64,494) Mateusk2m, Manodeix
Mushi $14.99 97 74% 2.9k $44k (exactly $43,621) Raptor Claw Games
My life as an archeologist older $3.99 322 88% 9.7k $39k (exactly $38,543) Delirium Tremens Games
UNHUMAN $3.99 161 73% 4.8k $19k (exactly $19,272) Kinda Lowkey Games
Slay All Bosses: Idle $4.99 84 60% 2.5k $13k (exactly $12,575) Memoria Interactive
Loot Dungeon $6.99 44 54% 1.3k $9.2k (exactly $9,227) Electric Kite
Open The Gate: Just A Little $5.99 37 75% 1.1k $6.6k (exactly $6,649) Abubu Dance
Hang up Street $3.99 38 50% 1.1k $4.5k (exactly $4,549) FoxGame

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