Do I ship it?

GamesTime ManagementTime Management + Hidden Object

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Hidden Object Time Management game?

Time Management + Hidden Object

Of 78 developers who shipped a Hidden Object Time Management 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.. 83 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $450, ×0.9 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $120. Revenue is flat on the market; 83 games are announced against 49 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.9 times the market baseline, revenue flat on the market, 83 announced, ×1.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Time Management + Hidden Object
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 78
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.1k → $3.6k → $269 → $719 → $269 → $390 → $657 (still earning) → $179 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Time Management + Hidden Object: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 78
Bottom 30% $120 (exactly $120)
Median $449 (exactly $449)
Top 25% $1.3k (exactly $1,349)
Top 5% $28k (exactly $28,045)
Developers, 2 yr 78
Released games 195
Announced 83
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 flat on the market, supply 65% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 11%, 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.

Time Management
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
Time Management, Hidden Object; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Adventure, Exploration
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person, Realistic
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 73% positive over 1,097 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 $450, 1 in 4 over $1.3k, 1 in 20 over $28k.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. Nearly all of the 40 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 83 games are announced against 49 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Dungeon CrawlerFair35 devs · median $7.0k · 44 announced
  2. + ProgrammingFair15 devs · median $7.0k · 26 announced
  3. + Inventory ManagementFair181 devs · median $2.9k · 228 announced
  4. + AgricultureFair57 devs · median $2.3k · 73 announced
  5. + Time TravelFair17 devs · median $2.2k · 19 announced
  6. + ZombiesFair27 devs · median $2.1k · 29 announced
  7. + LootFair34 devs · median $1.5k · 47 announced
  8. + Turn-Based TacticsFair65 devs · median $1.4k · 69 announced
  9. + AutomationFair162 devs · median $1.2k · 191 announced
  10. + Bullet HellFair11 devs · median $1.2k · 15 announced
  11. + ThrillerFair42 devs · median $1.1k · 65 announced
  12. + Artificial IntelligenceFair53 devs · median $1.0k · 65 announced

All 179 pairs on the Time Management page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Dōkyūsei: Bangin' Summer older $19.99 1,809 93% 54k $1.1M (exactly $1,084,857) Elf, Shiravune
Accident older $14.99 1,462 76% 44k $657k (exactly $657,461) Duality Games, Spirit Games Studio
Hotel Tales $14.99 455 80% 14k $205k (exactly $204,614) TopHouse Studio
12 Labours of Hercules II: The Cretan Bull older $2.99 1,736 90% 52k $156k (exactly $155,719) Jetdogs Studios, Zoom Out Games
Carmen Sandiego $29.99 86 67% 2.6k $77k (exactly $77,374) Gameloft
[Chilla's Art] The Caregiver | 終焉介護 older $4.99 431 80% 13k $65k (exactly $64,521) Chilla's Art
Scamper older $19.99 87 87% 2.6k $52k (exactly $52,174) Bezbro Games
12 Labours of Hercules IV: Mother Nature (Platinum Edition) older $2.99 372 91% 11k $33k (exactly $33,368) Jetdogs Studios, Zoom Out Games
Parking Tycoon 2: Business Simulator · EA $12.99 76 43% 2.3k $30k (exactly $29,617) Geekon
Find or be Found $7.99 117 69% 3.5k $28k (exactly $28,045) Studio Downstairs
Dorm Janitor's Revenge $7.69 102 70% 3.1k $24k (exactly $23,531) Rated Sim
The State of Nowhere $19.99 26 88% 780 $16k (exactly $15,592) Anomaly Works
Baggage Handler Simulator $4.99 102 76% 3.1k $15k (exactly $15,269) Shleks, Maredy
Gun Store Simulator · EA $9.99 41 56% 1.2k $12k (exactly $12,288) Geekon
EYES ON THE EXAM $4.99 67 91% 2.0k $10k (exactly $10,030) Carlos 'Monty' Montamarta
WEED SHOP SIMULATOR · EA $12.99 25 48% 750 $9.7k (exactly $9,742) Dragon Path

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