Do I ship it?

GamesRacingRacing + Level Editor

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Level Editor Racing game?

Racing + Level Editor

Of 54 developers who shipped a Level Editor Racing 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.. 83 more are announced, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 6 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $2.9k, ×4.6 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $240; 1 in 20 cleared $220k, ×359 the market median. Revenue is down 65% on the market; 83 games are announced against 37 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 4.6 times the market baseline, revenue down 65% on the market, 83 announced, ×2.2 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Racing + Level Editor
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 54
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $6.2k → $628 → $1.8k → $9.0k → $18k → $3.0k → $1.2k (still earning) → $1.1k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Racing + Level Editor: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 54
Bottom 30% $240 (exactly $240)
Median $2.9k (exactly $2,876)
Top 25% $18k (exactly $17,993)
Top 5% $225k (exactly $225,487)
Developers, 2 yr 54
Released games 193
Announced 83
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $8.99

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 65% on the market, supply 120% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 18%, 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 low: the lowest rating among its tags.

Racing
effort 6 / 10 · low · vehicle handling, track content and opponent AI
Level Editor
effort 5 / 10 · medium · effort 5 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
Systems
Racing, Level Editor; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Driving, Physics
Price point
$8.99 typical · top 25% priced $19.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Third Person
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $19.99 or above; the middle game at $8.99.

The top 10 games average 82% positive over 3,065 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 $2.9k, 1 in 4 over $17k, 1 in 20 over $220k.

3 in 10 developers made under $240. 7 in 10 of the 20 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 83 games are announced against 37 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + CapitalismStrong odds14 devs · median $8.6k · 7 announced
  2. + ModernFair32 devs · median $3.3k · 34 announced
  3. + TransportationFair39 devs · median $2.3k · 35 announced
  4. + AutomationFair11 devs · median $1.9k · 12 announced
  5. + Grand StrategyFair8 devs · median $1.8k · 7 announced
  6. + Time AttackFair44 devs · median $748 · 42 announced
  7. + Auto BattlerFair11 devs · median $657 · 10 announced
  8. + Time ManipulationFair10 devs · median $599 · 12 announced
  9. + IdlerFair19 devs · median $505 · 13 announced
  10. + Choices MatterFair51 devs · median $449 · 54 announced
  11. + City BuilderLong shot12 devs · median $299 · 9 announced
  12. + Inventory ManagementPoor odds14 devs · median $34k · 37 announced

All 165 pairs on the Racing page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
SpeedRunners older $14.99 22,842 94% 685k $10M (exactly $10,272,047) DoubleDutch Games
Liftoff®: FPV Drone Racing older $19.99 13,633 95% 409k $8.2M (exactly $8,175,710) LuGus Studios
Clustertruck older $14.99 14,706 93% 441k $6.6M (exactly $6,613,288) Landfall
HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED™ older $29.99 5,427 81% 163k $4.9M (exactly $4,882,672) Milestone S.r.l.
Distance older $24.99 5,832 93% 175k $4.4M (exactly $4,372,250) Refract
Aerofly FS 2 Flight Simulator older $49.99 1,956 79% 59k $2.9M (exactly $2,933,413) IPACS
Trackmania United Forever older $29.99 2,488 94% 75k $2.2M (exactly $2,238,454) Nadeo
Trackmania® Turbo older $39.99 1,520 66% 46k $1.8M (exactly $1,823,544) Nadeo
TrackMania² Stadium older $9.99 5,340 88% 160k $1.6M (exactly $1,600,398) Nadeo
Trials Fusion™ older $19.99 2,285 66% 69k $1.4M (exactly $1,370,314) RedLynx, in collaboration with Ubisoft… (RedLynx, in collaboration with Ubisoft Shanghai, Ubisoft Kiev)
Turbo Dismount® 2 $19.99 753 95% 23k $452k (exactly $451,574) Secret Exit Ltd.
Wreckreation $39.99 360 63% 11k $432k (exactly $431,892) Three Fields Entertainment
Torque Drift 2 · EA $19.99 376 62% 11k $225k (exactly $225,487) Grease Monkey Games
ReCharge RC: High Voltage · EA $13.99 393 95% 12k $165k (exactly $164,942) Hondune Games
Ultimate Sheep Raccoon $19.99 205 45% 6.2k $123k (exactly $122,938) Clever Endeavour Games
Apex Rush · EA $14.99 271 84% 8.1k $122k (exactly $121,869) Thunderboom Studios
Rocket Boots Mania $14.99 229 99% 6.9k $103k (exactly $102,981) Luma Play
Ballex²: The Hanging Gardens $14.99 179 95% 5.4k $80k (exactly $80,496) Mushreb Games
Sailaway III $15.99 158 68% 4.7k $76k (exactly $75,793) Orbcreation BV
Slip & Skid $12.99 141 97% 4.2k $55k (exactly $54,948) NHOGS Interactive

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