Do I ship it?

GamesRacingRacing + Local Multiplayer

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Local Multiplayer Racing game?

Racing + Local Multiplayer

Of 106 developers who shipped a Local Multiplayer 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.. 148 more are announced, ×2.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

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

The middle developer here made $1.4k, ×2.3 the market's $630 for a 6 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $240; 1 in 20 cleared $290k, ×464 the market median. Revenue is down 25% on the market; 148 games are announced against 56 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.3 times the market baseline, revenue down 25% on the market, 148 announced, ×2.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Racing + Local Multiplayer
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 106
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.6k → $1.9k → $3.6k → $2.7k → $2.1k → $899 → $2.4k (still earning) → $3.6k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Racing + Local Multiplayer: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 106
Bottom 30% $239 (exactly $239)
Median $1.4k (exactly $1,438)
Top 25% $8.5k (exactly $8,544)
Top 5% $292k (exactly $291,527)
Developers, 2 yr 106
Released games 484
Announced 148
Effort 6 / 10
AI-buildability Low
Typical price $9.99

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 25% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.

Free games: 13%, 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 Multiplayer
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 Multiplayer; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry PvP, Split Screen, Driving
Price point
$9.99 typical · top 25% priced $39.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Family Friendly, Colorful
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $39.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.

The top 10 games average 89% positive over 16,719 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 $1.4k, 1 in 4 over $8.5k, 1 in 20 over $290k.

3 in 10 developers made under $240. 9 in 10 of the 65 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 148 games are announced against 56 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 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
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
Sonic Adventure 2 older $9.99 23,755 90% 713k $7.1M (exactly $7,119,374) SEGA
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
FlatOut 2 older $9.99 19,466 95% 584k $5.8M (exactly $5,833,960) Bugbear Entertainment, ZOOM Platform Me… (Bugbear Entertainment, ZOOM Platform Media, Jordan Freeman Group)
RIDE 5 older $49.99 3,368 82% 101k $5.1M (exactly $5,050,990) Milestone S.r.l.
HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED™ older $29.99 5,427 81% 163k $4.9M (exactly $4,882,672) Milestone S.r.l.
Garfield Kart - Furious Racing older $14.99 10,475 88% 314k $4.7M (exactly $4,710,608) Artefacts Studio
The Karters 2: Turbo Charged · EA $29.99 1,043 91% 31k $938k (exactly $938,387) Pixel Edge Games
MotoGP™25 $49.99 592 74% 18k $888k (exactly $887,822) Milestone S.r.l.
Monster Energy Supercross 25 - The Official Video Game $59.99 276 49% 8.3k $497k (exactly $496,717) Milestone S.r.l.
MotoGP™26 $59.99 225 64% 6.8k $405k (exactly $404,932) Milestone S.r.l.
Victory Heat Rally $19.99 599 88% 18k $359k (exactly $359,220) Skydevilpalm
WheelMates $19.99 496 75% 15k $297k (exactly $297,451) Firevolt
World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing 24 Gold Edition $39.99 243 89% 7.3k $292k (exactly $291,527) Monster Games, Amber
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

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