Games › Idler › Idler + Post-apocalyptic
Should I ship a Post-apocalyptic Idler?
Idler + Post-apocalyptic
Of 37 developers who shipped a Post-apocalyptic 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.. 55 more are announced, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $2.4k, ×3.8 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $720; 1 in 20 cleared $110k, ×187 the market median. Revenue is up 260% on the market; 55 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $718 (exactly $718) |
|---|---|
| Median | $2.4k (exactly $2,388) |
| Top 25% | $14k (exactly $13,786) |
| Top 5% | $118k (exactly $117,516) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 37 |
| Released games | 75 |
| Announced | 55 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| 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 260% on the market, supply 110% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 13%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Idler
- effort 1 / 10 · high · number growth curves and a UI
- Post-apocalyptic
- effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Idler; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Incremental, Simulation, Automation
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
- Art
- 3 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Pixel Graphics, 3D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 76% positive over 3,430 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $720. 8 in 10 of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 55 games are announced against 25 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Idler with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FMVStrong odds
- + FarmingStrong odds
- + Hack and SlashFair
- + DrivingFair
- + LootFair
- + FPSFair
- + Turn-Based CombatFair
- + Turn-Based StrategyFair
- + Dynamic NarrationFair
- + Dark FantasyFair
- + CapitalismFair
- + SwordplayFair
Comparable games
Rusty's Retirement 2024 · $2.9M 
Another Try 2 2025 · EA · $210k 
Dead District: Survival 2023 · $124k 
STARIO: Haven Tower 2025 · EA · $118k 
Doom Sweeper 2024 · $117k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Rusty's Retirement | older | $6.99 | 13,902 96% | 417k | $2.9M (exactly $2,915,249) | Mister Morris Games |
| | Another Try 2 | · EA | $6.99 | 1,000 53% | 30k | $210k (exactly $209,700) | Hoki Wolf Studio |
| | Dead District: Survival | older | $9.99 | 415 48% | 12k | $124k (exactly $124,376) | BadBit Games |
| | STARIO: Haven Tower | · EA | $13.99 | 280 93% | 8.4k | $118k (exactly $117,516) | Stargate Games |
| | Doom Sweeper | older | $4.99 | 782 72% | 23k | $117k (exactly $117,065) | Paper Dog |
 | Widget Inc. | $4.99 | 761 84% | 23k | $114k (exactly $113,922) | Leaping Turtle | |
 | IDLE_DIRECTIVE | $4.99 | 505 86% | 15k | $76k (exactly $75,598) | Kevinfu510 | |
 | Mushroom Nook | $4.99 | 392 98% | 12k | $59k (exactly $58,682) | HyperstasisGaming | |
 | Dead Unending | older | $9.99 | 108 41% | 3.2k | $32k (exactly $32,368) | Tyler Hudson |
 | Thunder Tank: Iron Shield | $3.99 | 221 82% | 6.6k | $26k (exactly $26,454) | Crazy Studio | |
 | LAST HAREM | $16.99 | 49 57% | 1.5k | $25k (exactly $24,975) | Kokudo Studio | |
 | Ash Warden | $6.99 | 117 70% | 3.5k | $25k (exactly $24,535) | Mgfa Studio | |
 | Post Apocalypse Microbe Lab | $7.99 | 59 94% | 1.8k | $14k (exactly $14,142) | SKIPMORE, URARA-WORKS | |
 | Idle Regenerator | $9.99 | 46 58% | 1.4k | $14k (exactly $13,786) | Gestalt Gaming LLC |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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