Games › Mining › Mining + Robots
Should I ship a Robot Mining game?
Mining + Robots
Only 18 developers shipped a Robot Mining game 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, Astronomics, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 34 more are announced, ×3.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $2.7k, ×4.3 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450; 1 in 20 cleared $420k, ×674 the market median. Revenue is down 80% on the market; 34 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $449 (exactly $449) |
|---|---|
| Median | $2.7k (exactly $2,726) |
| Top 25% | $22k (exactly $22,292) |
| Top 5% | $423k (exactly $423,388) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 18 |
| Released games | 45 |
| Announced | 34 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| 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 down 80% on the market, supply 25% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 7%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Mining; 8 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Simulation, Exploration, Strategy
- Price point
- $7.99 typical · top 25% priced $11.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 2D, Relaxing, 3D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $11.99 or above; the middle game at $7.99.
The top 10 games average 88% positive over 2,321 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $450. 7 in 10 of the 9 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 34 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.4 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Mining with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + FarmingStrong odds
- + TradingFair
- + DwarvesFair
- + Tower DefenseFair
- + EconomyFair
- + AutomationFair
- + Turn-Based StrategyFair
- + IncrementalFair
- + NatureFair
- + IdlerFair
- + ArcadeFair
- + CollectathonFair
Comparable games
SteamWorld Dig 2 2017 · $3.4M 
Automation Empire 2019 · $2.3M 
SteamWorld Dig 2013 · $2.0M 
Astronomics 2025 · EA · $423k 
Swarm Grinder 2024 · $279k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | SteamWorld Dig 2 | older | $19.99 | 5,700 95% | 171k | $3.4M (exactly $3,418,290) | Image & Form Games |
| | Automation Empire | older | $29.99 | 2,584 65% | 78k | $2.3M (exactly $2,324,825) | DOG HOGGLER |
| | SteamWorld Dig | older | $9.99 | 6,509 94% | 195k | $2.0M (exactly $1,950,747) | Image & Form Games |
| | Astronomics | · EA | $19.99 | 706 89% | 21k | $423k (exactly $423,388) | Numizmatic |
| | Swarm Grinder | older | $7.99 | 1,163 76% | 35k | $279k (exactly $278,771) | Last Bite Games |
 | Mining Mechs | older | $2.99 | 2,577 89% | 77k | $231k (exactly $231,157) | Delayed Victory |
 | Crypto Mining Simulator | older | $4.99 | 1,419 65% | 43k | $212k (exactly $212,424) | Satosha Nakamoti |
 | You Know The Drill | $4.99 | 1,022 92% | 31k | $153k (exactly $152,993) | ludokai | |
 | Chipmatic | $11.99 | 158 65% | 4.7k | $57k (exactly $56,833) | Molter | |
 | Mashina | $9.99 | 141 97% | 4.2k | $42k (exactly $42,258) | Talha and Jack Co, J. King-Spooner, Tal… (Talha and Jack Co, J. King-Spooner, Talha Kaya) | |
 | Robert on Earth | $7.99 | 93 83% | 2.8k | $22k (exactly $22,292) | Remrofsnart | |
 | Gridkeeper | $1.99 | 149 69% | 4.5k | $8.9k (exactly $8,895) | pixelwide | |
 | Typhon: Bot vs Bot | · EA | $19.99 | 12 75% | 360 | $7.2k (exactly $7,196) | Brightshade Games |
 | Deep Space Tavern | $5.99 | 21 90% | 630 | $3.8k (exactly $3,774) | World Away Games | |
 | Rescue Team: Legion of Destruction | $6.99 | 13 100% | 390 | $2.7k (exactly $2,726) | Game Mixer | |
 | Planet Miners | $11.99 | 6 50% | 180 | $2.2k (exactly $2,158) | Moon Ice Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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