Do I ship it?

Games › Platformer › Platformer + Idler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Idler Platformer?

Platformer + Idler

Of 37 developers who shipped an Idler Platformer 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.. 29 more are announced.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $480 in the last 2 years and $300 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 23 developers shipped in the last year and 29 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 1.0 times the market baseline, revenue up 310% on the market, 29 announced, ×1.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Platformer + Idler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 37
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $148 → $297 → $179 → $239 → $1.6k → $179 (still earning) → $748 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Platformer + Idler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 37
Bottom 30% $150 (exactly $150)
Median $479 (exactly $479)
Top 25% $3.2k (exactly $3,229)
Top 5% $289k (exactly $288,804)
Developers, 2 yr 37
Released games 94
Announced 29
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $3.99

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 310% 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.

Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Idler
effort 1 / 10 · high · number growth curves and a UI

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Platformer, Idler; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry 2D Platformer, Action, Incremental
Price point
$3.99 typical · top 25% priced $6.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Cute, Relaxing
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $6.99 or above; the middle game at $3.99.

The top 10 games average 95% positive over 19,496 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $150, median $480, 1 in 4 over $3.2k, 1 in 20 over $280k.

3 in 10 developers made under $150. 9 in 10 of the 16 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 29 games are announced against 23 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Dating SimStrong odds19 devs · median $3.0k · 15 announced
  2. + PinballStrong odds10 devs · median $2.5k · 6 announced
  3. + Combat RacingFair28 devs · median $899 · 38 announced
  4. + FMVFair9 devs · median $899 · 10 announced
  5. + SimulationFair281 devs · median $628 · 235 announced
  6. + Grid-Based MovementFair23 devs · median $539 · 18 announced
  7. + AutomationFair13 devs · median $449 · 16 announced
  8. + Turn-Based TacticsLong shot15 devs · median $360 · 18 announced
  9. + LGBTQ+Poor odds42 devs · median $7.2k · 90 announced
  10. + Co-op CampaignPoor odds32 devs · median $6.5k · 90 announced
  11. + JRPGPoor odds14 devs · median $5.8k · 38 announced
  12. + SkateboardingPoor odds14 devs · median $4.8k · 23 announced

All 206 pairs on the Platformer page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Shelldiver 2025 · $2.5M Haydee 3 2025 · $289k Zad Archery 2026 · $168k With Your Coworker 2026 · $36k Tap Heroes 2015 · $36k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Shelldiver $4.99 16,806 98% 504k $2.5M (exactly $2,515,858) Gagonfe
Haydee 3 $29.99 321 84% 9.6k $289k (exactly $288,804) Haydee Interactive
Zad Archery $6.99 803 73% 24k $168k (exactly $168,389) Samharia Studios
With Your Coworker $0.99 1,220 82% 37k $36k (exactly $36,234) 搖滾冰塊
Tap Heroes older $2.99 402 67% 12k $36k (exactly $36,059) VaragtP
Erotic Clicker $5.99 141 71% 4.2k $25k (exactly $25,338) Ero Echo Studio
Boss of this gym older $0.99 495 94% 15k $15k (exactly $14,702) IndieGameMamaDev
RUNNER RTX older $24.99 12 91% 360 $9.0k (exactly $8,996) Piece Of Voxel
The Brave Little Cloud older $9.99 27 100% 810 $8.1k (exactly $8,092) VICTORIA Games
The End Grows $9.99 26 92% 780 $7.8k (exactly $7,792) Atopia.studio
Horse Plinko $4.99 47 89% 1.4k $7.0k (exactly $7,036) Crawley, Womp
Rise & Pop! $3.99 32 96% 960 $3.8k (exactly $3,830) HyperstasisGaming
Hardcore and Death $1.99 64 84% 1.9k $3.8k (exactly $3,821) ZERO5GAMES
Last Sin of Soul $2.99 36 83% 1.1k $3.2k (exactly $3,229) Rabro

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