Should I ship a PvP Life Sim?
PvP + Life Sim
Of 37 developers who shipped a PvP Life Sim 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.. 62 more are announced, ×3.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 8 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $3.8k, ×2.6 the market's $1.5k for a 8 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $590k, ×398 the market median. Revenue is up 1070% on the market; 62 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $359 (exactly $359) |
|---|---|
| Median | $3.8k (exactly $3,835) |
| Top 25% | $39k (exactly $38,674) |
| Top 5% | $595k (exactly $595,462) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 37 |
| Released games | 91 |
| Announced | 62 |
| Effort | 8 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $7.99 |
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 1075% on the market, supply 15% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 19%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is low: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 8 / 10 · online systems, open world
- Systems
- PvP, Life Sim; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Immersive Sim, Management
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person, Realistic
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 76% positive over 11,216 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $360. 7 in 10 of the 26 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 62 games are announced against 17 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.6 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
PvP with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + BaseballFair
- + TransportationFair
- + BasketballFair
- + Football (American)Fair
- + BikesFair
- + GolfFair
- + World War IFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + BilliardsFair
- + TennisLong shot
- + TypingLong shot
- + SpellingLong shot
Comparable games
Tower! Simulator 3 2022 · $1.9M 
ANEURISM IV 2025 · $1.7M 
THE GAME OF LIFE 2 2020 · $1.4M 
Comedy Night 2017 · $1.2M 
Sword and Fairy Inn 2 2022 · $1.2M | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Tower! Simulator 3 | older | $59.99 | 1,047 67% | 31k | $1.9M (exactly $1,884,286) | FeelThere |
| | ANEURISM IV | $9.99 | 5,686 75% | 171k | $1.7M (exactly $1,704,094) | Vellocet | |
| | THE GAME OF LIFE 2 | older | $12.49 | 3,702 78% | 111k | $1.4M (exactly $1,387,139) | Marmalade Game Studio Ltd |
| | Comedy Night | older | $4.99 | 8,142 74% | 244k | $1.2M (exactly $1,218,857) | Lighthouse Games Studio |
| | Sword and Fairy Inn 2 | older | $19.99 | 2,013 49% | 60k | $1.2M (exactly $1,207,196) | SOFTSTAR ENTERTAINMENT |
 | Timeflow – Life Sim | · EA older | $14.99 | 1,379 91% | 41k | $620k (exactly $620,136) | Digital Geckos |
 | Supercar Collection Simulator | $12.99 | 1,528 85% | 46k | $595k (exactly $595,462) | Kiki Games | |
 | Card Shop Simulator Multiplayer | $11.99 | 1,609 82% | 48k | $579k (exactly $578,757) | ShaneGame | |
 | Initial Drift Online | older | $4.99 | 3,206 77% | 96k | $480k (exactly $479,938) | RewindApp |
 | Kind Words 2 (lofi city pop) | $19.99 | 632 92% | 19k | $379k (exactly $379,010) | Popcannibal | |
 | Youtubers Life 3 | $19.99 | 468 50% | 14k | $281k (exactly $280,660) | UPLAY Online | |
 | Anime Shop Simulator ✨ | $14.99 | 589 73% | 18k | $265k (exactly $264,873) | One More Time | |
 | Pizza Slice | $14.99 | 219 56% | 6.6k | $98k (exactly $98,484) | Quest Craft, Gaming Factory | |
 | 我的钓鱼世界 | · EA | $14.99 | 203 60% | 6.1k | $91k (exactly $91,289) | 华幸 |
 | Mall Rivals | $14.99 | 196 75% | 5.9k | $88k (exactly $88,141) | Creedon Games | |
 | DRIFT ISLAND | · EA | $14.99 | 86 62% | 2.6k | $39k (exactly $38,674) | ECC GAMES |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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