Do I ship it?

GamesIncrementalIncremental + Science

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Science Incremental game?

Incremental + Science

Of 33 developers who shipped a Science 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.. 43 more are announced.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $360 in the last 2 years and $360 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 27 developers shipped in the last year and 43 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 75% on the market, 43 announced, ×1.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Incremental + Science
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 33
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $599 → $299 → $239 → $897 → $210 (still earning) → $719 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Incremental + Science: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 33
Bottom 30% $179 (exactly $179)
Median $359 (exactly $359)
Top 25% $4.4k (exactly $4,396)
Top 5% $94k (exactly $94,462)
Developers, 2 yr 33
Released games 78
Announced 43
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 75% on the market, supply 350% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, 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.

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

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Incremental; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Idler, Management
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Relaxing, Atmospheric
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 80% positive over 1,553 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 $360, 1 in 4 over $4.3k, 1 in 20 over $94k.

3 in 10 developers made under $180. 7 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 43 games are announced against 27 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Incremental with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + FMVStrong odds15 devs · median $11k · 12 announced
  2. + OtomeStrong odds12 devs · median $7.0k · 11 announced
  3. + Martial ArtsFair13 devs · median $6.1k · 15 announced
  4. + FarmingFair21 devs · median $5.9k · 23 announced
  5. + Dynamic NarrationFair19 devs · median $4.0k · 14 announced
  6. + MiningFair141 devs · median $3.9k · 207 announced
  7. + Souls-likeFair9 devs · median $3.9k · 10 announced
  8. + Arena ShooterFair15 devs · median $3.5k · 20 announced
  9. + Dating SimFair140 devs · median $3.1k · 136 announced
  10. + UndergroundFair27 devs · median $3.0k · 35 announced
  11. + LootFair145 devs · median $2.9k · 236 announced
  12. + SupernaturalFair33 devs · median $2.4k · 35 announced

All 188 pairs on the Incremental page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Data Center $8.99 916 76% 27k $247k (exactly $247,045) Waseku
The House of Da Vinci VR $24.99 126 93% 3.8k $94k (exactly $94,462) Blue Brain Games
The Birth of an Artificial Intelligence older $34.99 54 77% 1.6k $57k (exactly $56,684) 基本操作PlayClass
PC Creator - PC Building Simulator older $5.99 196 65% 5.9k $35k (exactly $35,221) CREATY
3D Math - Ultra older $4.99 218 92% 6.5k $33k (exactly $32,635) Big Mind Games 9000
Lazy Galaxy older $4.99 188 78% 5.6k $28k (exactly $28,144) Coldwild Games, Vladimir Slav, Elena Na… (Coldwild Games, Vladimir Slav, Elena Nazarenko)
Dexter Stardust : Adventures in Outer Space older $9.99 93 94% 2.8k $28k (exactly $27,872) Dexter Team Games
Fish Lab $6.99 101 77% 3.0k $21k (exactly $21,180) stonecodes
The Lab - Escape Room older $9.99 48 79% 1.4k $14k (exactly $14,386) Flat Cat Games
Higgs Boson: Minimal Puzzle older $9.99 43 93% 1.3k $13k (exactly $12,887) Remix Games
Orebits $6.99 42 66% 1.3k $8.8k (exactly $8,807) Upgraded Studio
Incremental Orbits $6.99 27 88% 810 $5.7k (exactly $5,662) bytecatch
ORACLE: Humanity, Automated · EA $9.99 18 44% 540 $5.4k (exactly $5,395) ZANKYO GAMES
F.A.R.M.S.: Chill Factory $7.99 22 72% 660 $5.3k (exactly $5,273) Plema Crafts
MINERALS: Deep Core Mining $6.99 23 78% 690 $4.8k (exactly $4,823) THINK & FEEL
MEMOLOGY: ITALIAN BRAINROT $0.99 148 91% 4.4k $4.4k (exactly $4,396) hannibalnotdead, Gamesforfarm
MEME EXAM 2025 $0.99 130 90% 3.9k $3.9k (exactly $3,861) Piece Of Voxel, Gamesforfarm

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