Do I ship it?

GamesPuzzlePuzzle + Mahjong

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Mahjong Puzzle game?

Puzzle + Mahjong

Of 21 developers who shipped a Mahjong Puzzle 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.. 13 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 2 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $810, ×6.8 the market's $120 for a 2 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $360. Revenue is up 65% on the market; 13 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 6.8 times the market baseline, revenue up 65% on the market, 13 announced, ×0.9 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Puzzle + Mahjong
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 21
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $2.1k → $1.8k → $4.7k → $1.6k → $1.2k → $807 (still earning) → $150 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Puzzle + Mahjong: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 21
Bottom 30% $359 (exactly $359)
Median $807 (exactly $807)
Top 25% $1.5k (exactly $1,525)
Top 5% $2.3k (exactly $2,268)
Developers, 2 yr 21
Released games 93
Announced 13
Effort 2 / 10
AI-buildability High
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 up 65% on the market, supply 115% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 11%, 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.

Puzzle
effort 2 / 10 · high · discrete rules, levels are data
Mahjong
effort 1 / 10 · high · effort 1 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
2 / 10 · static 2D art, simple logic
Systems
Puzzle, Mahjong; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Solitaire, Strategy
Price point
$5.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Family Friendly
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $12.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.

The top 10 games average 76% positive over 161 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $360, median $810, 1 in 4 over $1.5k, 1 in 20 over $2.2k.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. All of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 13 games are announced against 15 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Job SimulatorFair57 devs · median $8.2k · 53 announced
  2. + Medical SimFair17 devs · median $6.1k · 27 announced
  3. + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair40 devs · median $3.6k · 54 announced
  4. + Escape RoomFair161 devs · median $1.8k · 150 announced
  5. + VampiresFair46 devs · median $1.7k · 37 announced
  6. + CatsFair281 devs · median $1.2k · 334 announced
  7. + DemonsFair233 devs · median $1.2k · 248 announced
  8. + God GameFair27 devs · median $1.2k · 30 announced
  9. + RomanceFair209 devs · median $1.0k · 251 announced
  10. + AutomationFair135 devs · median $1.0k · 164 announced
  11. + Tower DefenseFair64 devs · median $1.0k · 67 announced
  12. + LemmingsFair13 devs · median $959 · 11 announced

All 246 pairs on the Puzzle page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Mahjong older $9.99 589 84% 18k $177k (exactly $176,523) Sanuk Games
Mahjong World Contest (麻将) older $14.99 193 88% 5.8k $87k (exactly $86,792) Creobit
Mahjong Pretty Girls Battle : School Girls Edition older $14.99 187 64% 5.6k $84k (exactly $84,094) Zoo Corporation
Pretty Girls Mahjong Solitaire older $4.99 545 76% 16k $82k (exactly $81,586) Zoo Corporation
Mahjong Magic Journey older $14.99 136 80% 4.1k $61k (exactly $61,159) Creobit
Delicious! Pretty Girls Mahjong Solitaire older $0.99 1,427 86% 43k $42k (exactly $42,382) Zoo Corporation
Mahjong Nagomi older $4.99 245 79% 7.4k $37k (exactly $36,676) Zoo Corporation
Milf City older $1.99 320 85% 9.6k $19k (exactly $19,104) Milk Poison
The Mahjong Huntress older $4.99 119 61% 3.6k $18k (exactly $17,814) Nawia Games
Mahjong Quest Collection older $9.99 58 93% 1.7k $17k (exactly $17,383) ·
Anomaly Mahjong $4.99 94 65% 2.8k $14k (exactly $14,072) YUTAMARO WORLD
Fortiori $8.40 9 100% 270 $2.3k (exactly $2,268) 79GAMES
Jixo 5: Mask Parade Collector’s Edition $9.99 7 100% 210 $2.1k (exactly $2,098) MixoGames Ltd.
Twistingo: Tree of Life Collector’s Edition $9.99 6 83% 180 $1.8k (exactly $1,798) MixoGames Ltd.
🌸 Lofi Mahjong 🌸 $4.99 12 91% 360 $1.8k (exactly $1,796) Gossiam Games
Laruaville 16 $12.99 4 100% 120 $1.6k (exactly $1,559) LGT SIA
Spellarium 12 $12.99 4 100% 120 $1.6k (exactly $1,559) LGT SIA
Puppy Link - Tile Connect $2.99 17 88% 510 $1.5k (exactly $1,525) ZT-Studio
Mahjong Riddles: Egypt $9.99 4 75% 120 $1.2k (exactly $1,199) Star Mill BV
Catjong: Purrfect Empire $9.99 4 100% 120 $1.2k (exactly $1,199) Best Place Apps

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