Do I ship it?

Games › Inventory Management › Inventory Management + Incremental

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Inventory Management Incremental game?

Inventory Management + Incremental

Of 112 developers who shipped an Inventory Management Incremental 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.. 189 more are announced, ×2.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.1k, ×2.3 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $240; 1 in 20 cleared $200k, ×437 the market median. Revenue is down 30% on the market; 189 games are announced against 80 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 30% on the market, 189 announced, ×2.4 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Inventory Management + Incremental
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 112
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.2k → $628 → $3.9k → $300 → $2.5k → $1.6k → $638 (still earning) → $300 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Inventory Management + Incremental: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 112
Bottom 30% $239 (exactly $239)
Median $1.1k (exactly $1,075)
Top 25% $3.8k (exactly $3,774)
Top 5% $207k (exactly $207,392)
Developers, 2 yr 112
Released games 227
Announced 189
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 down 30% on the market, supply 140% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 28%, 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.

Inventory Management
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Incremental
effort 1 / 10 · high · formulas and upgrade tables

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Inventory Management, Incremental; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Idler, Resource Management, Simulation
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Relaxing
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 87% positive over 12,419 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $240, median $1.1k, 1 in 4 over $3.7k, 1 in 20 over $200k.

3 in 10 developers made under $240. 8 in 10 of the 55 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 189 games are announced against 80 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.4 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Job SimulatorStrong odds69 devs · median $15k · 62 announced
  2. + LGBTQ+Fair10 devs · median $17k · 13 announced
  3. + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair43 devs · median $12k · 47 announced
  4. + Artificial IntelligenceFair34 devs · median $11k · 44 announced
  5. + WargameFair21 devs · median $4.6k · 20 announced
  6. + Time ManagementFair181 devs · median $2.9k · 228 announced
  7. + DeckbuildingFair98 devs · median $2.5k · 137 announced
  8. + LogicFair70 devs · median $1.7k · 74 announced
  9. + Card GameFair65 devs · median $1.6k · 86 announced
  10. + Trading Card GameFair21 devs · median $1.5k · 28 announced
  11. + Puzzle PlatformerFair20 devs · median $1.1k · 26 announced
  12. + God GameFair16 devs · median $1.1k · 15 announced

All 164 pairs on the Inventory Management page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Microcivilization 2026 · $776k Fish to Dish: Idle Sushi 2025 · $454k Loot of Baal 2025 · $370k Aquarium Designer 2021 · $325k Sort Them Ducks 2026 · $263k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Microcivilization $17.99 1,437 78% 43k $776k (exactly $775,549) Ondrej Homola
Fish to Dish: Idle Sushi $5.99 2,525 96% 76k $454k (exactly $453,742) Kygua Tech
Loot of Baal $8.99 1,372 62% 41k $370k (exactly $370,028) Gleamer Studio
Aquarium Designer older $9.99 1,086 84% 33k $325k (exactly $325,474) Sigur Studio
Sort Them Ducks $5.99 1,461 92% 44k $263k (exactly $262,542) Mr.Duck
Cornerpond $2.99 2,567 97% 77k $230k (exactly $230,260) foolsroom
Military Incremental Complex $9.99 692 82% 21k $207k (exactly $207,392) Space Kraken Studios
Behind Glass: Aquarium Simulator $14.99 390 95% 12k $175k (exactly $175,383) BitBros Inc
Bugtopia $5.99 866 92% 26k $156k (exactly $155,620) Nocturnal Games
Vanguard Galaxy · EA $8.99 565 90% 17k $152k (exactly $152,380) Bat Roost Games
Loot Tycoon · EA $6.99 544 71% 16k $114k (exactly $114,077) Parallel Portal

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