Do I ship it?

Games › Mining › Mining + Grid-Based Movement

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Mining Grid-Based Movement game?

Mining + Grid-Based Movement

Only 12 developers shipped a Mining Grid-Based Movement game 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.. 14 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $900, ×1.9 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $360. Revenue is up 170% on the market; 14 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.9 times the market baseline, revenue up 170% on the market, 14 announced, ×1.8 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Mining + Grid-Based Movement
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 12
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $60 → $1.2k → $3.6k → $4.4k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Mining + Grid-Based Movement: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 12
Bottom 30% $358 (exactly $358)
Median $899 (exactly $899)
Top 25% $4.4k (exactly $4,404)
Top 5% $19k (exactly $18,591)
Developers, 2 yr 12
Released games 31
Announced 14
Effort 4 / 10
AI-buildability Medium
Typical price $6.99

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 170% on the market, supply 100% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 6%, 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.

Mining
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Grid-Based Movement
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Mining, Grid-Based Movement
Price point
$6.99 typical
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 10 games average 82% positive over 112 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $360, median $900, 1 in 4 over $4.4k, 1 in 20 over $18k.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. 14 games are announced against 8 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + FarmingStrong odds18 devs · median $22k · 15 announced
  2. + TradingFair32 devs · median $12k · 33 announced
  3. + DwarvesFair17 devs · median $9.6k · 26 announced
  4. + Tower DefenseFair33 devs · median $6.3k · 45 announced
  5. + EconomyFair116 devs · median $5.0k · 173 announced
  6. + AutomationFair105 devs · median $4.9k · 164 announced
  7. + Turn-Based StrategyFair10 devs · median $4.5k · 14 announced
  8. + IncrementalFair141 devs · median $3.9k · 207 announced
  9. + NatureFair42 devs · median $2.4k · 49 announced
  10. + IdlerFair136 devs · median $2.3k · 185 announced
  11. + ArcadeFair91 devs · median $2.2k · 125 announced
  12. + CollectathonFair63 devs · median $2.1k · 53 announced

All 91 pairs on the Mining page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Digs TD 2023 · $46k The Sealed Ampoule 2021 · $34k Relic Space 2024 · $21k BOULDER DASH 40th Anniversary 2025 · $19k Exipelago 2026 · $6.7k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Digs TD older $19.99 76 67% 2.3k $46k (exactly $45,577) Digs Team
The Sealed Ampoule older $19.99 56 80% 1.7k $34k (exactly $33,583) CAVYHOUSE
Relic Space older $17.99 38 78% 1.1k $21k (exactly $20,509) Fourfold Games
BOULDER DASH 40th Anniversary $19.99 31 83% 930 $19k (exactly $18,591) BBG Entertainment GmbH
Exipelago $24.99 9 66% 270 $6.7k (exactly $6,747) reiti.net
3D Hentai Chess older $1.99 81 50% 2.4k $4.8k (exactly $4,836) Flying. Stone. Production
Digs Mini Icy older $9.99 15 100% 450 $4.5k (exactly $4,496) Digs Team
Dataminers $6.99 21 95% 630 $4.4k (exactly $4,404) Electrocosmos
Truck City $5.99 20 80% 600 $3.6k (exactly $3,594) Mikel Fernandez
Sub Terra Draconis older $9.99 8 100% 240 $2.4k (exactly $2,398) Crystal Shard
Mining Grounds $2.99 15 80% 450 $1.3k (exactly $1,346) Jestercraft
Cyber Dungeon X Monster Girls $9.99 3 100% 90 $899 (exactly $899) PixelSeraF
The Portsmoor Abysm $8.99 3 66% 90 $809 (exactly $809) Renons Studios
Mineshaft · EA $7.99 2 50% 60 $479 (exactly $479) Z Sculpt Entertainment
Collect All These Stones! (CATS) $1.99 6 66% 180 $358 (exactly $358) Well Dumb Games
Miner Vidis $2.99 2 100% 60 $179 (exactly $179) REDSEN GAME

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