Do I ship it?

GamesPuzzle PlatformerPuzzle Platformer + Idler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Idler Puzzle Platformer?

Puzzle Platformer + Idler

Only 19 developers shipped an Idler Puzzle Platformer in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, Paper Bride 6 Nightmare, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 13 more are announced.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $600, ×1.3 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $180; 1 in 20 cleared $110k, ×233 the market median. Revenue is down 85% on the market; 13 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 1.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 85% on the market, 13 announced, ×1.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Puzzle Platformer + Idler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 19
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $0 → $4.5k → $955 → $3.1k → $959 → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Puzzle Platformer + Idler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 19
Bottom 30% $179 (exactly $179)
Median $599 (exactly $599)
Top 25% $3.0k (exactly $2,967)
Top 5% $111k (exactly $110,589)
Developers, 2 yr 19
Released games 62
Announced 13
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 down 85% on the market, supply 40% 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.

Puzzle 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
Puzzle Platformer, Idler; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Dating Sim, Visual Novel
Price point
$3.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 2D, Comedy
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $3.99.

The top 10 games average 82% positive over 522 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $180, median $600, 1 in 4 over $2.9k, 1 in 20 over $110k.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. 9 in 10 of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 13 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + RomanceFair41 devs · median $1.5k · 38 announced
  2. + Inventory ManagementFair20 devs · median $1.1k · 26 announced
  3. + Life SimFair20 devs · median $657 · 21 announced
  4. + SimulationFair216 devs · median $479 · 181 announced
  5. + Grid-Based MovementFair62 devs · median $449 · 56 announced
  6. + SokobanFair51 devs · median $358 · 49 announced
  7. + LovecraftianPoor odds11 devs · median $9.3k · 22 announced
  8. + Co-op CampaignPoor odds26 devs · median $9.0k · 53 announced
  9. + MetroidvaniaPoor odds91 devs · median $5.3k · 264 announced
  10. + SwordplayPoor odds8 devs · median $4.2k · 19 announced
  11. + Split ScreenPoor odds24 devs · median $3.6k · 35 announced
  12. + Hack and SlashPoor odds18 devs · median $3.0k · 80 announced

All 169 pairs on the Puzzle Platformer page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Vanity Fair: The Pursuit older $6.99 4,014 87% 120k $842k (exactly $841,736) 木焱工作室
Long Dream older $6.99 962 98% 29k $202k (exactly $201,731) WildMonkey
Paper Bride 5 Two Lifetimes older $9.99 606 84% 18k $182k (exactly $181,618) HeartBeat Plus
Paper Bride 6 Nightmare $9.99 369 81% 11k $111k (exactly $110,589) HeartBeat Plus
Joyville older $9.99 331 69% 9.9k $99k (exactly $99,201) KudPlay Games
AZUR BEAM older $1.99 237 75% 7.1k $14k (exactly $14,149) TheBoys, 430Games, Lunacle
RUNNER RTX older $24.99 12 91% 360 $9.0k (exactly $8,996) Piece Of Voxel
Schematic Void $8.99 31 70% 930 $8.4k (exactly $8,361) Meowton Games
World of One older $3.99 63 66% 1.9k $7.5k (exactly $7,541) Grimwood Team
Meta Sudoku older $1.99 75 80% 2.3k $4.5k (exactly $4,478) Matrix Science
Last Sin of Soul $2.99 36 83% 1.1k $3.2k (exactly $3,229) Rabro
Nexus of Fate $4.99 21 85% 630 $3.1k (exactly $3,144) theNeko
Kimono Cats $8.99 11 100% 330 $3.0k (exactly $2,967) HumaNature Studios
Sin hotel $2.99 32 90% 960 $2.9k (exactly $2,870) Inspite
ODYSSEY: Starship Pinball · EA $4.99 11 100% 330 $1.6k (exactly $1,647) Clip Through Interactive
Diamond Painting $7.99 4 75% 120 $959 (exactly $959) LeiZna
Satisfying Simulator $6.99 3 100% 90 $629 (exactly $629) Satisfying Simulator
Apes vs. Everyone $4.99 4 100% 120 $599 (exactly $599) FuseDev

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