Should I ship a PvE Match 3?
PvE + Match 3
Only 16 developers shipped a PvE Match 3 in the last 2 years, too few for firm odds: the middle one made est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.; the top game by est. revenue, ANTHEM#9, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 24 more are announced, ×2.2 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: dead, for a 6 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $240 in the last 2 years and $450 over 4, against a market of $630 for a 6 / 10 build. 11 developers shipped in the last year and 24 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $0 (exactly $0) |
|---|---|
| Median | $239 (exactly $239) |
| Top 25% | $3.9k (exactly $3,896) |
| Top 5% | $56k (exactly $56,212) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 16 |
| Released games | 55 |
| Announced | 24 |
| 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 85% on the market, supply 120% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 15%, 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
- 6 / 10 · full 3D single-player, physics sims, content-heavy RPG
- Systems
- PvE, Match 3; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Puzzle, Roguelike, Deckbuilding
- Price point
- $5.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Pixel Graphics
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $5.99.
The top 10 games average 88% positive over 258 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $50. All of the 6 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 24 games are announced against 11 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.2 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
PvE with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Dating SimFair
- + IdlerFair
- + MinigamesFair
- + TypingFair
- + Extraction ShooterPoor odds
- + Open World Survival CraftPoor odds
- + HeistPoor odds
- + MMORPGPoor odds
- + Real-TimePoor odds
- + NavalPoor odds
- + SpaceshipsPoor odds
- + MarsPoor odds
Comparable games
Sagrada 2020 · $95k 
ANTHEM#9 2026 · $56k 
Gems of the Aztecs 2016 · $46k 
Kaamos: Puzzle Roguelike 2025 · $22k 
Asian Riddles 2019 · $18k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Sagrada | older | $9.99 | 317 94% | 9.5k | $95k (exactly $95,005) | Dire Wolf |
| | ANTHEM#9 | $14.99 | 125 87% | 3.8k | $56k (exactly $56,212) | koeda | |
| | Gems of the Aztecs | older | $14.99 | 103 78% | 3.1k | $46k (exactly $46,319) | Wellore |
| | Kaamos: Puzzle Roguelike | $9.99 | 73 87% | 2.2k | $22k (exactly $21,878) | Pepperbox Studios | |
| | Asian Riddles | older | $14.99 | 40 65% | 1.2k | $18k (exactly $17,988) | Creobit |
 | Royal Gems | older | $14.99 | 29 75% | 870 | $13k (exactly $13,041) | 8floor |
 | Picross Bonbon - Nonogram | older | $14.99 | 24 45% | 720 | $11k (exactly $10,793) | Somer Games |
 | 1001 Jigsaw Legends of Mystery 1 | older | $14.99 | 24 70% | 720 | $11k (exactly $10,793) | Somer Games |
 | MatchR: Now Hiring | older | $4.99 | 70 90% | 2.1k | $10k (exactly $10,479) | Delirium Tremens Games |
 | 1001 Jigsaw. Earth Chronicles | older | $14.99 | 21 66% | 630 | $9.4k (exactly $9,444) | Creobit |
 | Torment Hexus | · EA | $9.99 | 21 100% | 630 | $6.3k (exactly $6,294) | TMA Games LLC |
 | Dexterous: Time to Steal | $9.99 | 13 100% | 390 | $3.9k (exactly $3,896) | HalfZach | |
 | AD BLOCKER: An Action Puzzle Game | $5.99 | 6 100% | 180 | $1.1k (exactly $1,078) | The AD BLOCKER Team | |
 | Hentai Castle | $2.99 | 6 16% | 180 | $538 (exactly $538) | Iron Jelly | |
 | Mega Memory | $2.99 | 5 100% | 150 | $449 (exactly $449) | Bone Marrow Games | |
 | Waifu Match! | · EA | $3.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $239 (exactly $239) | Punchroll Studios |
 | Runebound Legends | $0.99 | 6 83% | 180 | $178 (exactly $178) | Zanardo Forge Studios | |
 | Cat 3 | $2.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $90 (exactly $90) | adoptedmouse |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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