Do I ship it?

Games › Puzzle › Puzzle + Hacking

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Hacking Puzzle game?

Puzzle + Hacking

Of 114 developers who shipped a Hacking Puzzle 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.. 142 more are announced, ×2.0 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×2.8 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450; 1 in 20 cleared $300k, ×643 the market median. Revenue is down 35% on the market; 142 games are announced against 70 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 35% on the market, 142 announced, ×2.0 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Puzzle + Hacking
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 114
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $15k → $4.2k → $1.6k → $1.7k → $2.7k → $1.3k → $446 (still earning) → $955 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Puzzle + Hacking: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 114
Bottom 30% $449 (exactly $449)
Median $1.3k (exactly $1,347)
Top 25% $7.6k (exactly $7,645)
Top 5% $305k (exactly $305,346)
Developers, 2 yr 114
Released games 275
Announced 142
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 down 35% on the market, supply 60% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 10%, 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.

Puzzle
effort 2 / 10 · high · discrete rules, levels are data
Hacking
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Puzzle; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Programming, Logic
Price point
$6.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric, 2D, 3D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $6.99.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 28,074 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $450, median $1.3k, 1 in 4 over $7.6k, 1 in 20 over $300k.

3 in 10 developers made under $450. 8 in 10 of the 49 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 142 games are announced against 70 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.0 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Puzzle with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Job SimulatorFair57 devs · median $8.2k · 53 announced
  2. + Medical SimFair17 devs · median $6.1k · 27 announced
  3. + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair40 devs · median $3.6k · 54 announced
  4. + Escape RoomFair161 devs · median $1.8k · 150 announced
  5. + VampiresFair46 devs · median $1.7k · 37 announced
  6. + CatsFair281 devs · median $1.2k · 334 announced
  7. + DemonsFair233 devs · median $1.2k · 248 announced
  8. + God GameFair27 devs · median $1.2k · 30 announced
  9. + RomanceFair209 devs · median $1.0k · 251 announced
  10. + AutomationFair135 devs · median $1.0k · 164 announced
  11. + Tower DefenseFair64 devs · median $1.0k · 67 announced
  12. + LemmingsFair13 devs · median $959 · 11 announced

All 246 pairs on the Puzzle page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Shadows of Doubt 2024 · $11M Cyber Manhunt 2021 · $4.4M Operation: Tango 2021 · $4.3M Turing Complete 2021 · EA · $3.3M Gunpoint 2013 · $3.1M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Shadows of Doubt $24.99 14,646 82% 439k $11M (exactly $10,980,106) ColePowered Games
Cyber Manhunt older $9.99 14,520 92% 436k $4.4M (exactly $4,351,644) Aluba Van+
Operation: Tango older $19.99 7,167 86% 215k $4.3M (exactly $4,298,050) Clever Plays
Turing Complete · EA older $19.99 5,520 95% 166k $3.3M (exactly $3,310,344) LevelHead
Gunpoint older $9.99 10,276 97% 308k $3.1M (exactly $3,079,717) Suspicious Developments
Pony Island older $4.99 14,783 95% 443k $2.2M (exactly $2,213,015) Daniel Mullins Games
Cyber Manhunt 2: New World - The Hacking Simulator $12.99 5,191 92% 156k $2.0M (exactly $2,022,933) Aluba Van+
SHENZHEN I/O older $14.99 3,746 95% 112k $1.7M (exactly $1,684,576) Zachtronics
Duskers older $19.99 2,304 90% 69k $1.4M (exactly $1,381,709) Misfits Attic
Beyond a Steel Sky older $34.99 1,295 87% 39k $1.4M (exactly $1,359,362) Revolution Software Ltd
HackHub - Ultimate Hacker Simulator $16.99 937 88% 28k $478k (exactly $477,589) HotBunny
Welcome to the Game III $19.99 648 78% 19k $389k (exactly $388,606) Reflect Studios
s.p.l.i.t $2.99 3,862 92% 116k $346k (exactly $346,421) Mike Klubnika
Cybernetic Fault $14.99 679 78% 20k $305k (exactly $305,346) Whale Rock Games
No Players Online $14.99 624 83% 19k $281k (exactly $280,613) Beeswax Games
ServiceIT: You can do IT $12.99 676 56% 20k $263k (exactly $263,437) picture4u
JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator $17.99 378 76% 11k $204k (exactly $204,007) Prof. Scherer
IT Specialist Simulator · EA $13.99 433 74% 13k $182k (exactly $181,730) Pixel Team RED

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