Games › Crafting › Crafting + Modern
Should I ship a Modern-Day Crafting game?
Crafting + Modern
Of 43 developers who shipped a Modern-Day Crafting 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.. 62 more are announced, ×2.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $1.8k, ×2.9 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $240; 1 in 20 cleared $130k, ×215 the market median. Revenue is up 725% on the market; 62 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $239 (exactly $239) |
|---|---|
| Median | $1.8k (exactly $1,796) |
| Top 25% | $9.0k (exactly $8,991) |
| Top 5% | $135k (exactly $134,880) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 43 |
| Released games | 89 |
| Announced | 62 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| 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 725% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 7%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Crafting; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Action, Building
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person, Realistic
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 66% positive over 2,260 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $240. 9 in 10 of the 19 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 62 games are announced against 24 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Crafting with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Job SimulatorStrong odds
- + SportsFair
- + Turn-BasedFair
- + IdlerFair
- + SolitaireFair
- + LovecraftianPoor odds
- + MMORPGPoor odds
- + LGBTQ+Poor odds
- + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds
- + WesternPoor odds
- + Bullet HeavenPoor odds
- + TrainsPoor odds
Comparable games
Liftoff®: FPV Drone Racing 2018 · $8.2M 
InfraSpace 2023 · $1.2M 
Green Hell VR 2022 · $685k 
Project L33T: Founders Edition 2026 · $315k 
Brewpub Simulator 2023 · $281k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Liftoff®: FPV Drone Racing | older | $19.99 | 13,633 95% | 409k | $8.2M (exactly $8,175,710) | LuGus Studios |
| | InfraSpace | older | $24.99 | 1,638 82% | 49k | $1.2M (exactly $1,228,009) | Dionic Software |
| | Green Hell VR | older | $19.99 | 1,143 57% | 34k | $685k (exactly $685,457) | Incuvo |
| | Project L33T: Founders Edition | $19.99 | 525 47% | 16k | $315k (exactly $314,842) | Targetpoint Interactive, Holmgard Games | |
| | Brewpub Simulator | older | $17.99 | 521 56% | 16k | $281k (exactly $281,184) | Star Drifters |
 | Mad Smartphone Tycoon | older | $11.99 | 577 71% | 17k | $208k (exactly $207,547) | Miradil |
 | Next Space Rebels | older | $19.99 | 327 84% | 9.8k | $196k (exactly $196,102) | Studio Floris Kaayk |
 | Rancher: A new life | · EA | $19.99 | 265 64% | 8.0k | $159k (exactly $158,920) | Sim Farm S.A. |
 | Cafe Master Story | older | $12.99 | 378 96% | 11k | $147k (exactly $147,307) | Kairosoft Co.,Ltd |
 | Offroad Mechanic Simulator | older | $19.99 | 238 71% | 7.1k | $143k (exactly $142,729) | Image Power S.A., GameFormatic S.A. |
 | Sandwich Simulator | $4.99 | 901 77% | 27k | $135k (exactly $134,880) | FiftyEight Studios | |
 | Entertainment Simulator | $18.99 | 181 73% | 5.4k | $103k (exactly $103,116) | Grizzbera Studio | |
 | Ship of Heroes | $29.99 | 91 27% | 2.7k | $82k (exactly $81,873) | Heroic Games Corporation | |
 | Graffism VR - Graffiti Simulator | · EA | $24.99 | 98 86% | 2.9k | $73k (exactly $73,471) | VRiteLabs |
 | Bonjour, Cream Inside 💦 | $14.99 | 119 68% | 3.6k | $54k (exactly $53,514) | Juicy Peach Games 🍑 | |
 | Seven Cities | · EA | $14.99 | 32 87% | 960 | $14k (exactly $14,390) | IMV Studio |
 | Lost Paws | $19.99 | 18 94% | 540 | $11k (exactly $10,795) | Dungeoneering Studios | |
 | Bober Constructions | $9.99 | 30 70% | 900 | $9.0k (exactly $8,991) | Simplicity Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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