Do I ship it?

Games › Racing › Racing + Hidden Object

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Hidden Object Racing game?

Racing + Hidden Object

Of 24 developers who shipped a Hidden Object 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.. 16 more are announced.

Verdict: dead, for a 6 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $180 in the last 2 years and $360 over 4, against a market of $630 for a 6 / 10 build. 15 developers shipped in the last year and 16 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 40% on the market, 16 announced, ×1.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Racing + Hidden Object
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 24
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $3.3k → $1.6k → $4.8k → $449 → $360 → $119 → $597 (still earning) → $60 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Racing + Hidden Object: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 24
Bottom 30% $60 (exactly $60)
Median $179 (exactly $179)
Top 25% $897 (exactly $897)
Top 5% $1.8k (exactly $1,796)
Developers, 2 yr 24
Released games 93
Announced 16
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $1.99

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 40% on the market, supply 50% 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Racing
effort 6 / 10 · low · vehicle handling, track content and opponent AI
Hidden Object
effort 2 / 10 · high · static scenes with click targets

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
Systems
Racing, Hidden Object; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Automobile Sim, Driving, Action
Price point
$1.99 typical · top 25% priced $4.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Funny, Colorful
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $4.99 or above; the middle game at $1.99.

The top 10 games average 88% positive over 148 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $60, median $180, 1 in 4 over $890, 1 in 20 over $1.7k.

3 in 10 developers made under $60. All of the 16 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 16 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + CapitalismStrong odds14 devs · median $8.6k · 7 announced
  2. + ModernFair32 devs · median $3.3k · 34 announced
  3. + TransportationFair39 devs · median $2.3k · 35 announced
  4. + AutomationFair11 devs · median $1.9k · 12 announced
  5. + Grand StrategyFair8 devs · median $1.8k · 7 announced
  6. + Time AttackFair44 devs · median $748 · 42 announced
  7. + Auto BattlerFair11 devs · median $657 · 10 announced
  8. + Time ManipulationFair10 devs · median $599 · 12 announced
  9. + IdlerFair19 devs · median $505 · 13 announced
  10. + Choices MatterFair51 devs · median $449 · 54 announced
  11. + City BuilderLong shot12 devs · median $299 · 9 announced
  12. + Inventory ManagementPoor odds14 devs · median $34k · 37 announced

All 165 pairs on the Racing page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Lawnmower Game 2017 · $66k SUPER 56 2023 · $31k Car Drive 2021 · $19k Taxi Chaos 2021 · $16k Don't Crash 2026 · $10k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Lawnmower Game older $6.99 316 80% 9.5k $66k (exactly $66,265) Tero Lunkka, Mikko Seppälä
SUPER 56 older $6.99 146 94% 4.4k $31k (exactly $30,616) Onion Soup Interactive
Car Drive older $44.99 14 64% 420 $19k (exactly $18,896) kovalevviktor
Taxi Chaos older $24.99 22 50% 660 $16k (exactly $16,493) Team6 Game Studios
Don't Crash $4.99 68 98% 2.0k $10k (exactly $10,180) Override Studio
Lawnmower Game: Racing older $4.99 58 81% 1.7k $8.7k (exactly $8,683) Tero Lunkka, Valkeala Software
Dogs Club older $3.99 64 82% 1.9k $7.7k (exactly $7,661) Montee Games
Chamber Survival older $15.99 11 27% 330 $5.3k (exactly $5,277) daminggede
Xeno Runners older $4.99 32 93% 960 $4.8k (exactly $4,790) Atchio Games
Ma3 older $9.99 13 69% 390 $3.9k (exactly $3,896) Matheesan, Ahila
Critter Drifters $4.99 12 100% 360 $1.8k (exactly $1,796) Doodle Donut
PathUp! $6.99 7 85% 210 $1.5k (exactly $1,468) Geghamyan Hrachya
Nash Racing Pursuit 2 $3.99 10 100% 300 $1.2k (exactly $1,197) Tero Lunkka, Valkeala Software
CarCam $3.99 8 25% 240 $958 (exactly $958) Movcans Vadims
Car Tuning Garage Simulator $4.99 6 83% 180 $898 (exactly $898) Carjovs Jurijs
Rimi Kaikkonen Racing 60 Seconds $2.99 10 80% 300 $897 (exactly $897) Tero Lunkka, Valkeala Software, Manturo… (Tero Lunkka, Valkeala Software, Manturo Studios)
Lawnmower Game Racing 2: Drunken $1.99 15 73% 450 $896 (exactly $896) Tero Lunkka, Valkeala Software
Emergency Roadside Assistance $9.99 2 100% 60 $599 (exactly $599) CDIS Lab.
Lawnmower game Ufo Chase 2 $1.99 10 80% 300 $597 (exactly $597) Valkeala Software

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