Games › Racing › Racing + Crafting
Should I ship a Crafting Racing game?
Racing + Crafting
Of 23 developers who shipped a Crafting Racing 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.. 43 more are announced, ×2.9 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $9.3k, ×15 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $720; 1 in 20 cleared $290k, ×463 the market median. Revenue is up 2955% on the market; 43 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $718 (exactly $718) |
|---|---|
| Median | $9.3k (exactly $9,348) |
| Top 25% | $72k (exactly $71,952) |
| Top 5% | $291k (exactly $290,506) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 23 |
| Released games | 68 |
| Announced | 43 |
| Effort | 6 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $10.99 |
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 2955% on the market, supply 90% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 7%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
- Systems
- Racing, Crafting; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Automobile Sim, Building
- Price point
- $10.99 typical · top 25% priced $15.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Third Person, First-Person
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $15.99 or above; the middle game at $10.99.
The top 10 games average 94% positive over 21,903 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $720. 9 in 10 of the 10 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 43 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.9 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Racing with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + CapitalismStrong odds
- + ModernFair
- + TransportationFair
- + AutomationFair
- + Grand StrategyFair
- + Time AttackFair
- + Auto BattlerFair
- + Time ManipulationFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Choices MatterFair
- + City BuilderLong shot
- + Inventory ManagementPoor odds
Comparable games
Car Mechanic Simulator 2018 2017 · $29M 
Trailmakers 2019 · $25M 
Automation - The Car Company Tycoon Game 2015 · EA · $15M 
Mon Bazou 2025 · $9.6M 
Liftoff®: FPV Drone Racing 2018 · $8.2M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Car Mechanic Simulator 2018 | older | $19.99 | 48,366 91% | 1.5M | $29M (exactly $29,005,090) | Red Dot Games |
| | Trailmakers | older | $24.99 | 33,465 92% | 1.0M | $25M (exactly $25,088,710) | Flashbulb |
| | Automation - The Car Company Tycoon Game | · EA older | $29.99 | 16,815 93% | 504k | $15M (exactly $15,128,456) | Camshaft Software Ltd |
| | Mon Bazou | $15.99 | 19,922 97% | 598k | $9.6M (exactly $9,556,583) | Santa Goat | |
| | Liftoff®: FPV Drone Racing | older | $19.99 | 13,633 95% | 409k | $8.2M (exactly $8,175,710) | LuGus Studios |
 | RAGE | older | $9.99 | 12,230 76% | 367k | $3.7M (exactly $3,665,331) | id Software |
 | Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021 | older | $19.99 | 1,580 68% | 47k | $948k (exactly $947,526) | Play2Chill S.A. |
 | Tracks - The Train Set Game | older | $19.99 | 1,212 93% | 36k | $727k (exactly $726,836) | Whoop Group |
 | Homebrew - Patent Unknown | · EA older | $14.99 | 828 71% | 25k | $372k (exactly $372,352) | Copybugpaste |
 | Revhead | older | $19.99 | 597 80% | 18k | $358k (exactly $358,021) | Creative Pudding Hungary Llc. |
 | Underground Garage | $14.99 | 646 63% | 19k | $291k (exactly $290,506) | BeardedBrothers.games | |
 | BREAK ARTS III | $17.99 | 334 80% | 10k | $180k (exactly $180,260) | MercuryStudio | |
 | Long Drive North: Co-Op RV Simulator | · EA | $14.99 | 254 41% | 7.6k | $114k (exactly $114,224) | Mindflair Games LTD |
 | Sailaway III | $15.99 | 158 68% | 4.7k | $76k (exactly $75,793) | Orbcreation BV | |
 | Dino Ramen Express | · EA | $14.99 | 160 72% | 4.8k | $72k (exactly $71,952) | ANTIGames |
 | Bar After Bar | $6.99 | 331 87% | 9.9k | $69k (exactly $69,411) | OneMan Tim | |
 | Nautikin Adventures | $29.99 | 23 86% | 690 | $21k (exactly $20,693) | Revmatek | |
 | Mini Racer Car Shop Simulator | $12.99 | 51 62% | 1.5k | $20k (exactly $19,875) | Bewolba Studios | |
 | XFlight: FPV Drone Simulator | $24.99 | 24 79% | 720 | $18k (exactly $17,993) | Lingsrealm Technology |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
Your address goes to Buttondown, which sends the letter, and nowhere else. Every issue has an unsubscribe link. No tracking beyond the open count Buttondown keeps.