Games › Physics › Physics + Time Travel
Should I ship a Time-Travel Physics game?
Physics + Time Travel
Only 14 developers shipped a Time-Travel Physics 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, Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 27 more are announced, ×4.5 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 5 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $2.4k, ×3.8 the market's $630 for a 5 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $450; 1 in 20 cleared $220k, ×356 the market median. Revenue is up 795% on the market; 27 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $449 (exactly $449) |
|---|---|
| Median | $2.4k (exactly $2,399) |
| Top 25% | $3.7k (exactly $3,748) |
| Top 5% | $223k (exactly $223,455) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 14 |
| Released games | 36 |
| Announced | 27 |
| Effort | 5 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Low |
| Typical price | $9.99 |
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 795% on the market, supply 35% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 6%, excluded from money figures.
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
- Time Travel
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 5 / 10 · real systems or entry 3D
- Systems
- Physics; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Exploration, Action, Action-Adventure
- Price point
- $9.99 typical · top 25% priced $49.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, Realistic
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $49.99 or above; the middle game at $9.99.
The top 10 games average 82% positive over 926 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $450. 9 in 10 of the 8 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 27 games are announced against 6 developers who shipped in the last year, ×4.5 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Physics with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Roguelike DeckbuilderStrong odds
- + Dating SimFair
- + PinballFair
- + World War IIFair
- + Mini GolfFair
- + GolfFair
- + CollectathonFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Hidden ObjectFair
- + CatsFair
- + Mystery DungeonFair
- + BilliardsFair
Comparable games
Braid, Anniversary Edition 2024 · $1.1M 
No Time 2019 · EA · $825k 
Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate 2025 · $223k 
Starstruck: Hands of Time 2024 · $154k 
Space Accident VR 2025 · $118k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Braid, Anniversary Edition | older | $19.99 | 1,761 92% | 53k | $1.1M (exactly $1,056,072) | Thekla, Inc. |
| | No Time | · EA older | $12.99 | 2,117 97% | 64k | $825k (exactly $824,995) | Lost in Days Studio |
| | Wanderer: The Fragments of Fate | $49.99 | 149 62% | 4.5k | $223k (exactly $223,455) | Mighty Eyes | |
| | Starstruck: Hands of Time | older | $19.99 | 256 92% | 7.7k | $154k (exactly $153,523) | Createdelic, LLC |
| | Space Accident VR | $16.99 | 231 82% | 6.9k | $118k (exactly $117,741) | VR-WRG | |
 | Carpet Cleaning Simulator | $6.99 | 508 87% | 15k | $107k (exactly $106,528) | daimaGAME | |
 | District Steel | · EA older | $24.99 | 76 93% | 2.3k | $57k (exactly $56,977) | Barricade Studio |
 | We Are One | older | $9.99 | 75 93% | 2.3k | $22k (exactly $22,478) | Flat Head Studio |
 | The Mensional | older | $4.99 | 60 91% | 1.8k | $9.0k (exactly $8,982) | Delil Timurtaş |
 | If Fusion Were That Easy | older | $14.99 | 9 100% | 270 | $4.0k (exactly $4,047) | Golden Coin Games |
 | Macht: Cosmic Engine | · EA | $24.99 | 5 80% | 150 | $3.7k (exactly $3,748) | Kestro Games |
 | Beta MAX | $9.99 | 10 100% | 300 | $3.0k (exactly $2,997) | Nexcide | |
 | CYCLIA JOURNEY | $7.99 | 11 81% | 330 | $2.6k (exactly $2,637) | Wonderfy Inc. | |
 | Denbora | $19.99 | 4 100% | 120 | $2.4k (exactly $2,399) | Bionic Ape | |
 | Oldest Golden Treasure | $14.99 | 4 75% | 120 | $1.8k (exactly $1,799) | Vasil4N | |
 | Chrono Weaver | $24.99 | 1 100% | 30 | $750 (exactly $750) | Ivory Crow Games LLC | |
 | Aeon Tempus | $4.99 | 3 66% | 90 | $449 (exactly $449) | Hüseyin Akkaya |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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