Do I ship it?

Games › Exploration › Exploration + Incremental

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Exploration Incremental game?

Exploration + Incremental

Of 231 developers who shipped an Exploration Incremental 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.. 301 more are announced, ×2.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×2.8 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $420; 1 in 20 cleared $110k, ×240 the market median. Revenue is up 285% on the market; 301 games are announced against 149 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.8 times the market baseline, revenue up 285% on the market, 301 announced, ×2.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Exploration + Incremental
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 231
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.5k → $4.6k → $653 → $1.4k → $594 → $1.9k → $1.5k (still earning) → $1.5k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Exploration + Incremental: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 231
Bottom 30% $419 (exactly $419)
Median $1.3k (exactly $1,317)
Top 25% $6.1k (exactly $6,110)
Top 5% $114k (exactly $114,169)
Developers, 2 yr 231
Released games 606
Announced 301
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $4.99

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 285% on the market, supply 65% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 12%, 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Exploration
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Incremental
effort 1 / 10 · high · formulas and upgrade tables

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Exploration, Incremental; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Point & Click, Simulation
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Relaxing, Cute
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 90% positive over 23,023 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $420, median $1.3k, 1 in 4 over $6.1k, 1 in 20 over $110k.

3 in 10 developers made under $420. 8 in 10 of the 115 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 301 games are announced against 149 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.0 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Exploration with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair22 devs · median $8.1k · 26 announced
  2. + MinigamesFair31 devs · median $6.7k · 42 announced
  3. + SpaceshipsFair22 devs · median $3.5k · 28 announced
  4. + Escape RoomFair122 devs · median $2.2k · 109 announced
  5. + Real-Time with PausePoor odds13 devs · median $215k · 24 announced
  6. + WuxiaPoor odds12 devs · median $192k · 35 announced
  7. + Extraction ShooterPoor odds23 devs · median $82k · 61 announced
  8. + Martial ArtsPoor odds25 devs · median $69k · 90 announced
  9. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds146 devs · median $58k · 354 announced
  10. + MMORPGPoor odds24 devs · median $52k · 213 announced
  11. + FMVPoor odds45 devs · median $27k · 76 announced
  12. + FarmingPoor odds41 devs · median $24k · 58 announced

All 258 pairs on the Exploration page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Moncage 2021 · $2.3M Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery 2021 · $1.9M BitCraft Online 2025 · EA · $1.6M Outpath 2023 · $1.3M Hero of the Kingdom 2013 · $857k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Moncage older $14.99 5,127 92% 154k $2.3M (exactly $2,305,612) Optillusion
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery older $12.99 4,966 94% 149k $1.9M (exactly $1,935,250) Silver Lining Studio
BitCraft Online · EA $15.99 3,334 72% 100k $1.6M (exactly $1,599,320) Clockwork Laboratories, Inc.
Outpath older $14.99 2,898 92% 87k $1.3M (exactly $1,303,231) David Moralejo Sánchez
Hero of the Kingdom older $7.99 3,574 94% 107k $857k (exactly $856,688) Lonely Troops
Digseum $2.99 8,033 97% 241k $721k (exactly $720,560) Rat Monthly
Doors: Paradox older $14.99 1,579 91% 47k $710k (exactly $710,076) Big Loop Studios
Horripilant $7.99 2,928 92% 88k $702k (exactly $701,842) Alexandre Declos , Pas Game Studio
Scale the Depths $9.99 1,881 88% 56k $564k (exactly $563,736) Glass Gecko Games
Hero of the Kingdom III older $9.99 1,234 78% 37k $370k (exactly $369,830) Lonely Troops
All Hail the Orb $6.99 1,291 93% 39k $271k (exactly $270,723) LeGingerDev
RATSHAKER™ $2.99 3,011 92% 90k $270k (exactly $270,087) Sunscorched Studios
Desktop Raid $8.99 672 76% 20k $181k (exactly $181,238) Lee_Studio
Bloobs Adventure Idle $7.99 673 88% 20k $161k (exactly $161,318) Bloobs_Dev
Vanguard Galaxy · EA $8.99 565 90% 17k $152k (exactly $152,380) Bat Roost Games
Diggin $6.99 635 80% 19k $133k (exactly $133,160) Longshot Studio

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