Do I ship it?

Games › Class-Based › Class-Based + Incremental

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Incremental Class-Based game?

Class-Based + Incremental

Of 20 developers who shipped an Incremental 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.. 39 more are announced, ×2.4 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 $300; 1 in 20 cleared $250k, ×170 the market median. Revenue is up 60% on the market; 39 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.2 times the market baseline, revenue up 60% on the market, 39 announced, ×2.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Class-Based + Incremental
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 20
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.6k → $5.0k (still earning) → $3.2k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Class-Based + Incremental: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 20
Bottom 30% $299 (exactly $299)
Median $3.2k (exactly $3,232)
Top 25% $19k (exactly $19,272)
Top 5% $255k (exactly $255,344)
Developers, 2 yr 20
Released games 36
Announced 39
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 300% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 14%, 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
Incremental
effort 1 / 10 · high · formulas and upgrade tables

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
7 / 10 · big single-player or serious online
Systems
Class-Based, Incremental; all of the top 25% also carry Automation, Crafting, Idler
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
8 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D
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 67% positive over 1,767 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $300, median $3.2k, 1 in 4 over $19k, 1 in 20 over $250k.

3 in 10 developers made under $300. 39 games are announced against 16 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.4 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 Samawa Idle 2023 · $90k Vespera 2026 · $76k Adventure Land - The Code MMORPG 2026 · $65k Mushi 2026 · $44k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Nomad Idle $9.99 852 64% 26k $255k (exactly $255,344) The Fox Knocks
Samawa Idle older $4.99 600 65% 18k $90k (exactly $89,820) Samharia Studios
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
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
Idle Armada · EA older $3.99 64 85% 1.9k $7.7k (exactly $7,661) Corfe83
DungeonSweeper $7.99 21 76% 630 $5.0k (exactly $5,034) Smoketree Studios
BAR $5.99 20 70% 600 $3.6k (exactly $3,594) TechieMay
Necromancer Idle: The Endless Drain $3.99 27 70% 810 $3.2k (exactly $3,232) JBlivion

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