Do I ship it?

GamesRacingRacing + Local Co-Op

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Local Co-Op Racing game?

Racing + Local Co-Op

Of 47 developers who shipped a Local Co-Op 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.. 76 more are announced, ×3.3 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $450, ×0.7 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $120; 1 in 20 cleared $290k, ×474 the market median. Revenue is down 40% on the market; 76 games are announced against 23 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 0.7 times the market baseline, revenue down 40% on the market, 76 announced, ×3.3 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Racing + Local Co-Op
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 47
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $29k → $1.9k → $13k → $1.2k → $2.4k → $1.3k → $959 (still earning) → $450 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Racing + Local Co-Op: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 47
Bottom 30% $120 (exactly $120)
Median $450 (exactly $450)
Top 25% $4.8k (exactly $4,795)
Top 5% $297k (exactly $297,451)
Developers, 2 yr 47
Released games 178
Announced 76
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $5.99

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 40% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 10%, 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
Local Co-Op
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 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, Local Co-Op; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Local Multiplayer, Co-op, Split Screen
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $39.99 or above
Art
5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Family Friendly
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $39.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 91% positive over 14,995 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $120, median $450, 1 in 4 over $4.7k, 1 in 20 over $290k.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. 9 in 10 of the 26 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 76 games are announced against 23 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.3 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
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds $69.99 11,479 93% 344k $24M (exactly $24,102,456) Sonic Team
Need for Speed™ Most Wanted older $19.99 25,197 77% 756k $15M (exactly $15,110,641) Criterion Games
SpeedRunners older $14.99 22,842 94% 685k $10M (exactly $10,272,047) DoubleDutch Games
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Collection older $19.99 11,912 93% 357k $7.1M (exactly $7,143,626) Sumo Digital
Road Redemption older $19.99 10,842 83% 325k $6.5M (exactly $6,501,947) Redemption Road, Pixel Dash Studios
DIRT 5 older $59.99 3,530 59% 106k $6.4M (exactly $6,352,941) Codemasters
LEGO® City Undercover older $19.99 7,414 91% 222k $4.4M (exactly $4,446,176) Traveller's Tales
Team Sonic Racing™ older $39.99 2,765 73% 83k $3.3M (exactly $3,317,170) Sumo Digital
AudioSurf older $9.99 8,901 95% 267k $2.7M (exactly $2,667,630) Dylan Fitterer
Audiosurf 2 older $14.99 5,364 82% 161k $2.4M (exactly $2,412,191) Dylan Fitterer
The Karters 2: Turbo Charged · EA $29.99 1,043 91% 31k $938k (exactly $938,387) Pixel Edge Games
WheelMates $19.99 496 75% 15k $297k (exactly $297,451) Firevolt
Paddle Paddle Paddle $4.99 1,584 86% 48k $237k (exactly $237,125) Zoroarts
Tour de France 2025 $39.99 182 77% 5.5k $218k (exactly $218,345) Cyanide Studio
Tipston Salvage $16.99 80 97% 2.4k $41k (exactly $40,776) Pontus Karlsson
Matchbox™ Driving Adventures $39.99 16 81% 480 $19k (exactly $19,195) Casual Brothers Ltd.
Mythic Kart Maker · EA $11.99 53 83% 1.6k $19k (exactly $19,064) Dream Mix Games
Delta Manager · EA $12.99 28 92% 840 $11k (exactly $10,912) Fassi Blue
Xion Leak $8.99 34 100% 1.0k $9.2k (exactly $9,170) Gentle Beasts Studio

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