Do I ship it?

GamesPhysicsPhysics + Rhythm

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Physics Rhythm game?

Physics + Rhythm

Of 49 developers who shipped a Physics Rhythm 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.. 38 more are announced.

Verdict: dead, for a 5 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $120 in the last 2 years and $150 over 4, against a market of $630 for a 5 / 10 build. 26 developers shipped in the last year and 38 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.2 times the market baseline, revenue down 25% on the market, 38 announced, ×1.5 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Physics + Rhythm
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 49
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $26k → $150 → $60 → $119 → $629 → $90 → $776 (still earning) → $150 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Physics + Rhythm: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 49
Bottom 30% $30 (exactly $30)
Median $120 (exactly $120)
Top 25% $809 (exactly $809)
Top 5% $38k (exactly $37,775)
Developers, 2 yr 49
Released games 139
Announced 38
Effort 5 / 10
AI-buildability Low
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 down 25% on the market, supply 10% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 17%, 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.

Physics
effort 5 / 10 · low · emergent simulation bugs need hands-on tuning
Rhythm
effort 3 / 10 · medium · audio sync, timing precision and music rights

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
Systems
Physics, Rhythm; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Arcade
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $10.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Colorful
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $10.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 93% positive over 1,235 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $50, median $120, 1 in 4 over $800, 1 in 20 over $37k.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. 9 in 10 of the 34 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 38 games are announced against 26 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + Roguelike DeckbuilderStrong odds31 devs · median $8.1k · 30 announced
  2. + Dating SimFair28 devs · median $5.9k · 20 announced
  3. + PinballFair62 devs · median $2.5k · 80 announced
  4. + World War IIFair11 devs · median $1.4k · 16 announced
  5. + Mini GolfFair40 devs · median $1.2k · 44 announced
  6. + GolfFair55 devs · median $987 · 59 announced
  7. + CollectathonFair179 devs · median $718 · 230 announced
  8. + IdlerFair142 devs · median $718 · 167 announced
  9. + Hidden ObjectFair162 devs · median $600 · 157 announced
  10. + CatsFair76 devs · median $599 · 101 announced
  11. + Mystery DungeonFair22 devs · median $539 · 20 announced
  12. + BilliardsFair36 devs · median $538 · 32 announced

All 251 pairs on the Physics page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Zup! X older $1.99 6,480 96% 194k $387k (exactly $386,856) Quiet River
Zup! Z older $1.99 4,058 97% 122k $242k (exactly $242,263) Quiet River
Starstruck: Hands of Time older $19.99 256 92% 7.7k $154k (exactly $153,523) Createdelic, LLC
Q REMASTERED older $8.99 423 82% 13k $114k (exactly $114,083) liica, Inc.
ROGUE LIGHT DECK BUILDER $3.99 888 94% 27k $106k (exactly $106,294) Gil Lawson
Fruit Ninja VR 2 older $24.99 74 75% 2.2k $55k (exactly $55,478) Halfbrick Studios Pty Ltd
DESTRUCTURE: Among Debris older $9.99 158 90% 4.7k $47k (exactly $47,353) Team Instant Defeat
CYBERMATRIX $12.00 127 89% 3.8k $46k (exactly $45,720) Tim Murich
Electro Bop Boxing League $14.99 84 79% 2.5k $38k (exactly $37,775) Developer Dob
Rainbow Reactor older $14.99 71 94% 2.1k $32k (exactly $31,929) Tunermaxx Media GmbH, Muikkumedia Oy
Meowingtons Simulator $5.99 48 95% 1.4k $8.6k (exactly $8,626) Oberha5li Studios
Hotdangle $17.99 11 100% 330 $5.9k (exactly $5,937) Devorange Studio Inc
Pattaya Simulator $8.99 22 90% 660 $5.9k (exactly $5,933) N-nic Studio
Unpatterned Cut $9.99 14 100% 420 $4.2k (exactly $4,196) Vnow Games
Puzzle Dazzle $8.99 14 100% 420 $3.8k (exactly $3,776) Smash Game Studios
Bass Defense - Rhythm Meets Strategy $5.99 17 100% 510 $3.1k (exactly $3,055) WOMBEX Games
Gorilla Showdown $6.99 10 100% 300 $2.1k (exactly $2,097) Sloth King

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