Do I ship it?

Games › Grid-Based Movement › Grid-Based Movement + Hidden Object

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Grid-Based Movement Hidden Object?

Grid-Based Movement + Hidden Object

Only 16 developers shipped a Grid-Based Movement Hidden Object in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, BOULDER DASH 40th Anniversary, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 21 more are announced, ×3.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $480 in the last 2 years and $480 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 7 developers shipped in the last year and 21 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 1.0 times the market baseline, revenue down 25% on the market, 21 announced, ×3.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Grid-Based Movement + Hidden Object
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 16
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.5k → $1.5k → $299 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Grid-Based Movement + Hidden Object: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 16
Bottom 30% $119 (exactly $119)
Median $479 (exactly $479)
Top 25% $1.5k (exactly $1,498)
Top 5% $19k (exactly $18,591)
Developers, 2 yr 16
Released games 42
Announced 21
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 down 25% on the market, supply 20% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 17%, 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Grid-Based Movement
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Hidden Object
effort 2 / 10 · high · static scenes with click targets

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Grid-Based Movement, Hidden Object; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Puzzle, Adventure, 2D Platformer
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Family Friendly, Minimalist
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 110 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $120, median $480, 1 in 4 over $1.4k, 1 in 20 over $18k.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. All of the 11 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 21 games are announced against 7 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.0 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + HistoricalFair22 devs · median $3.0k · 30 announced
  2. + EconomyFair20 devs · median $1.2k · 29 announced
  3. + AutomationFair28 devs · median $959 · 26 announced
  4. + MiningFair12 devs · median $899 · 14 announced
  5. + CollectathonFair17 devs · median $809 · 17 announced
  6. + BuildingFair50 devs · median $719 · 57 announced
  7. + HackingFair14 devs · median $719 · 11 announced
  8. + SokobanFair143 devs · median $657 · 135 announced
  9. + ProgrammingFair23 devs · median $599 · 24 announced
  10. + DogsFair14 devs · median $599 · 7 announced
  11. + PlatformerFair23 devs · median $539 · 18 announced
  12. + Puzzle PlatformerFair62 devs · median $449 · 56 announced

All 126 pairs on the Grid-Based Movement page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

BOULDER DASH 40th Anniversary 2025 · $19k Meet me at NooN 2022 · $16k Pixelogic: Nonograms Unlimited 2025 · $9.0k Cast Cats 2024 · $5.4k Munchy Mammals 2023 · $4.3k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
BOULDER DASH 40th Anniversary $19.99 31 83% 930 $19k (exactly $18,591) BBG Entertainment GmbH
Meet me at NooN older $9.99 55 100% 1.7k $16k (exactly $16,484) Pandaroo Interactive
Pixelogic: Nonograms Unlimited $14.99 20 95% 600 $9.0k (exactly $8,994) okayest! studios
Cast Cats older $5.99 30 100% 900 $5.4k (exactly $5,391) LORD KAIN, WerFEST Software
Munchy Mammals older $4.99 29 100% 870 $4.3k (exactly $4,341) Hjalte Tagmose
Rock Snake older $9.99 13 84% 390 $3.9k (exactly $3,896) Piece Of Voxel
Hot Heat Reset older $4.99 25 88% 750 $3.7k (exactly $3,742) Utkarsh Verma
Minesweeper Extended older $1.99 53 83% 1.6k $3.2k (exactly $3,164) Hocz
Jewel Puzzle Click older $4.99 19 68% 570 $2.8k (exactly $2,844) Sabrina Aridi
Flawless Darkness $10.99 8 100% 240 $2.6k (exactly $2,638) Oldice
Mr.Robbo $9.99 5 40% 150 $1.5k (exactly $1,498) It8bit Club
Hentai Merge Dice $1.99 25 80% 750 $1.5k (exactly $1,492) theNeko
Mini Merchant $5.99 4 75% 120 $719 (exactly $719) Astrarium Games Ltd.
ARROW WORLD $4.59 4 100% 120 $551 (exactly $551) ATOKESHI
Big Adventure: Trip to Europe 9 - Collector's Edition $7.99 2 50% 60 $479 (exactly $479) Avi Games
Alphabetron $1.99 8 87% 240 $478 (exactly $478) thirtysmooth
Calculus of Rot $4.99 3 100% 90 $449 (exactly $449) Kazakov Studios, Sharkgame

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