Do I ship it?

GamesSolitaireSolitaire + Mystery

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Mystery Solitaire game?

Solitaire + Mystery

Of 21 developers who shipped a Mystery Solitaire 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.. 35 more are announced, ×3.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $240 in the last 2 years and $300 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 10 developers shipped in the last year and 35 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.5 times the market baseline, revenue up 15% on the market, 35 announced, ×3.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Solitaire + Mystery
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: $1.8k → $1.3k → $390 → $1.7k → $3.8k → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Solitaire + Mystery: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 21
Bottom 30% $114 (exactly $114)
Median $239 (exactly $239)
Top 25% $1.7k (exactly $1,678)
Top 5% $6.5k (exactly $6,473)
Developers, 2 yr 21
Released games 74
Announced 35
Effort 3 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $4.99

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 15% on the market, supply 15% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 5%, 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.

Solitaire
effort 1 / 10 · high · fixed rules, cards and a table
Mystery
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
Systems
Solitaire; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Exploration, Puzzle
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $8.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Dark, First-Person, Story Rich
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $8.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 87% positive over 164 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 $240, 1 in 4 over $1.6k, 1 in 20 over $6.4k.

3 in 10 developers made under $120. All of the 14 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 35 games are announced against 10 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.5 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Solitaire with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + Female ProtagonistFair9 devs · median $3.3k · 9 announced
  2. + Artificial IntelligenceFair8 devs · median $2.3k · 3 announced
  3. + ManagementFair24 devs · median $1.2k · 17 announced
  4. + Immersive SimFair12 devs · median $1.2k · 9 announced
  5. + MahjongFair20 devs · median $1.1k · 6 announced
  6. + RomanceFair11 devs · median $1.1k · 8 announced
  7. + CraftingFair12 devs · median $809 · 20 announced
  8. + SimulationFair56 devs · median $718 · 46 announced
  9. + FantasyFair48 devs · median $479 · 39 announced
  10. + TacticalFair25 devs · median $479 · 22 announced
  11. + SportsFair14 devs · median $479 · 5 announced
  12. + Turn-Based CombatFair26 devs · median $450 · 31 announced

All 77 pairs on the Solitaire page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
The Solitaire Conspiracy older $11.99 742 89% 22k $267k (exactly $266,897) Bithell Games
Egyptian Senet older $9.99 200 81% 6.0k $60k (exactly $59,940) Ezzat Studios
Myha: Return to the Lost Island older $14.99 45 75% 1.4k $20k (exactly $20,236) Denis Martin, Simon Says: Play!
Dark Atlas: Infernum $14.99 39 82% 1.2k $18k (exactly $17,538) Night Council Studio
Mystery Solitaire The Black Raven older $14.99 25 84% 750 $11k (exactly $11,242) Somer Games
1001 Jigsaw Legends of Mystery 1 older $14.99 24 70% 720 $11k (exactly $10,793) Somer Games
Mystery Solitaire Grimm's Tales older $14.99 19 68% 570 $8.5k (exactly $8,544) Somer Games
Sudoku Classic older $5.99 40 92% 1.2k $7.2k (exactly $7,188) RucKyGAMES
No Vacancy Tonight $8.99 24 100% 720 $6.5k (exactly $6,473) Momiji Games
Detective Solitaire. Butler Story older $14.99 13 76% 390 $5.8k (exactly $5,846) Somer Games
Roulette Heist $6.99 18 94% 540 $3.8k (exactly $3,775) DreamArk Lab
Forest 6174 $2.99 29 82% 870 $2.6k (exactly $2,601) itandfeel
XIII - A Final Game of Tarot With Death $1.99 34 91% 1.0k $2.0k (exactly $2,030) Indigo Dreams
Aeternum Grand Plaza $7.99 7 85% 210 $1.7k (exactly $1,678) BD STUDIO
Find The Flaw $4.99 7 71% 210 $1.0k (exactly $1,048) XSGames
You Must Remember $8.00 3 100% 90 $720 (exactly $720) PotiGames
Cursed House 14 $12.99 1 100% 30 $390 (exactly $390) LGT SIA
DOCE $3.99 2 0% 60 $239 (exactly $239) SAHKIL STUDIO

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