Do I ship it?

GamesOnline Co-OpOnline Co-Op + Idler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Online Co-Op Idler?

Online Co-Op + Idler

Of 36 developers who shipped an Online Co-Op Idler 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.. 62 more are announced, ×2.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.6k, ×1.1 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $810; 1 in 20 cleared $69k, ×46 the market median. Revenue is up 30% on the market; 62 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.1 times the market baseline, revenue up 30% on the market, 62 announced, ×2.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Online Co-Op + Idler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 36
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.7k → $7.8k → $1.1k (still earning) → $1.6k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Online Co-Op + Idler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 36
Bottom 30% $807 (exactly $807)
Median $1.6k (exactly $1,647)
Top 25% $5.0k (exactly $5,027)
Top 5% $69k (exactly $69,184)
Developers, 2 yr 36
Released games 83
Announced 62
Effort 8 / 10
AI-buildability Low
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 up 30% on the market, supply 125% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 39%, 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.

Online Co-Op
effort 8 / 10 · low · netcode, lobbies and state sync across machines
Idler
effort 1 / 10 · high · number growth curves and a UI

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
8 / 10 · online systems, open world
Systems
Online Co-Op, Idler; 3 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Character Customization, Automation
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $7.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Relaxing, Cute, 2D
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $7.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 80% positive over 1,447 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $810, median $1.6k, 1 in 4 over $5.0k, 1 in 20 over $69k.

3 in 10 developers made under $810. 9 in 10 of the 19 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 62 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Online Co-Op with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Bullet HeavenStrong odds27 devs · median $9.3k · 38 announced
  2. + Escape RoomFair31 devs · median $14k · 32 announced
  3. + TypingFair16 devs · median $5.0k · 12 announced
  4. + GamblingFair22 devs · median $4.4k · 34 announced
  5. + Point & ClickFair28 devs · median $1.7k · 34 announced
  6. + Extraction ShooterPoor odds29 devs · median $443k · 70 announced
  7. + TransportationPoor odds14 devs · median $369k · 25 announced
  8. + JRPGPoor odds11 devs · median $346k · 16 announced
  9. + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds72 devs · median $217k · 139 announced
  10. + World War IIPoor odds10 devs · median $188k · 18 announced
  11. + City BuilderPoor odds32 devs · median $118k · 55 announced
  12. + LGBTQ+Poor odds20 devs · median $95k · 18 announced

All 211 pairs on the Online Co-Op page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Kukoro: Stream chat games older $4.99 913 97% 27k $137k (exactly $136,676) HeyNau
PropHunter · EA older $3.99 917 79% 28k $110k (exactly $109,765) Alone Fox Games
GeckoShop $9.99 342 66% 10k $102k (exactly $102,497) Reptoid
NoSlack Pets: Lo-Fi Paws $5.99 385 97% 12k $69k (exactly $69,184) Lynkpin Game
Eggo $5.99 310 83% 9.3k $56k (exactly $55,707) 天赋一饼 Meme Crepe
Tumbleweed Destiny older $2.99 352 95% 11k $32k (exactly $31,574) KIMIDORI SOFT
Escape From Monster older $4.99 206 70% 6.2k $31k (exactly $30,838) Thunder Games
CyberTD older $19.99 50 66% 1.5k $30k (exactly $29,985) Clockwork Origins
Nano Neighbors $7.99 112 76% 3.4k $27k (exactly $26,846) Studio BitDot
Old Coin Pusher Friends 3 older $3.99 212 91% 6.4k $25k (exactly $25,376) STP WORKS
Rune Legacy Idle $4.99 116 55% 3.5k $17k (exactly $17,365) Mume Games
Idle Together $6.99 37 75% 1.1k $7.8k (exactly $7,759) Eragone
Galactic Simulator $4.99 46 76% 1.4k $6.9k (exactly $6,886) PcZ Games
Lofi Haven $7.99 21 95% 630 $5.0k (exactly $5,034) Meow Games
Nekotype Keyboard Cat Simulator $3.99 42 100% 1.3k $5.0k (exactly $5,027) G-GAME
Ball Scooping Friends $3.99 36 83% 1.1k $4.3k (exactly $4,309) STP WORKS

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