Games › Runner › Runner + Puzzle
Should I ship a Puzzle Runner?
Runner + Puzzle
Of 97 developers who shipped a Puzzle Runner 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.. 88 more are announced.
Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $180 in the last 2 years and $270 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 49 developers shipped in the last year and 88 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $30 (exactly $30) |
|---|---|
| Median | $180 (exactly $180) |
| Top 25% | $719 (exactly $719) |
| Top 5% | $9.9k (exactly $9,893) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 97 |
| Released games | 326 |
| Announced | 88 |
| Effort | 3 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | High |
| Typical price | $3.99 |
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 35% on the market, supply as many developers as the period before.
Free games: 14%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.
What it takes
- Effort
- 3 / 10 · small 2D action, light systems
- Systems
- Runner, Puzzle; 5 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Adventure, Arcade
- Price point
- $3.99 typical · top 25% priced $9.99 or above
- Art
- 5 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $9.99 or above; the middle game at $3.99.
The top 10 games average 87% positive over 1,493 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $50. Nearly all of the 59 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 88 games are announced against 49 developers who shipped in the last year.
Adjacent niches
Runner with a different second tag, ranked by verdict then median.
- + LootFair
- + Local MultiplayerFair
- + PsychologicalFair
- + IdlerFair
- + Visual NovelFair
- + Time AttackFair
- + FPSLong shot
- + 4 Player LocalPoor odds
- + MusicPoor odds
- + Co-opPoor odds
- + Online Co-OpPoor odds
- + Interactive FictionPoor odds
Comparable games
SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell 2016 · $922k 
Last Room 2021 · $857k 
I wanna be the Creator 2019 · $514k 
DeadCore 2014 · $475k 
YEAH! YOU WANT "THOSE GAMES," RIGHT? SO HERE YOU GO! NOW, LET'S SEE YOU CLEAR THEM! 2023 · $380k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | SEUM: Speedrunners from Hell | older | $14.99 | 2,050 95% | 62k | $922k (exactly $921,885) | Pine Studio |
| | Last Room | older | $29.99 | 953 73% | 29k | $857k (exactly $857,414) | Quantum Forge Studios |
| | I wanna be the Creator | older | $5.99 | 2,860 94% | 86k | $514k (exactly $513,942) | Aikesi |
| | DeadCore | older | $9.99 | 1,584 85% | 48k | $475k (exactly $474,725) | 5 Bits Games |
| | YEAH! YOU WANT "THOSE GAMES," RIGHT? SO HERE YOU GO! NOW, LET'S SEE YOU CLEAR THEM! | older | $9.99 | 1,268 71% | 38k | $380k (exactly $380,020) | MONKEYCRAFT Co. Ltd. |
 | Seen | · EA older | $0.99 | 9,326 91% | 280k | $277k (exactly $276,982) | Seen Games |
 | Trip to Vinelands | older | $4.99 | 1,572 85% | 47k | $235k (exactly $235,328) | Walter Machado |
 | Relooted | $14.99 | 257 87% | 7.7k | $116k (exactly $115,573) | Nyamakop | |
 | WASD : The Adventure of Tori | $3.99 | 730 83% | 22k | $87k (exactly $87,381) | EVNA Games | |
 | [Chilla's Art] Hanako | 花子さん | older | $7.99 | 229 75% | 6.9k | $55k (exactly $54,891) | Chilla's Art |
 | Stardust Skate | $2.99 | 299 98% | 9.0k | $27k (exactly $26,820) | VchiBan, Aetha | |
 | Steal The Pig | $4.99 | 74 85% | 2.2k | $11k (exactly $11,078) | BAA Games | |
 | Memori | · EA | $14.99 | 22 95% | 660 | $9.9k (exactly $9,893) | PracticalNPC |
 | Fiendish Quest | $9.99 | 23 73% | 690 | $6.9k (exactly $6,893) | オニチク屋！ | |
 | 2 Bows 1 Arrow | $6.99 | 28 100% | 840 | $5.9k (exactly $5,872) | SKL Games | |
 | Misty Onsen | $5.99 | 32 56% | 960 | $5.8k (exactly $5,750) | 神 SHEN | |
 | Campfire: Night One | $14.99 | 12 91% | 360 | $5.4k (exactly $5,396) | Prisca, Mezey Krisztián | |
 | Zerun: The Tiny Planet | $7.99 | 16 100% | 480 | $3.8k (exactly $3,835) | Mirakar Studio, CINEMAX GAMES |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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