Games › Puzzle › Puzzle + Underground
Should I ship an Underground Puzzle game?
Puzzle + Underground
Of 73 developers who shipped an Underground Puzzle 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.. 139 more are announced, ×3.4 for every developer who shipped in the last year.
Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $800, ×1.7 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $270; 1 in 20 cleared $72k, ×153 the market median. Revenue is down 25% on the market; 139 games are announced against 41 developers who shipped in the last year.
| Bottom 30% | $270 (exactly $270) |
|---|---|
| Median | $802 (exactly $802) |
| Top 25% | $2.9k (exactly $2,876) |
| Top 5% | $73k (exactly $72,658) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 73 |
| Released games | 212 |
| Announced | 139 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| 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 25% more developers than the period before.
Free games: 12%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Puzzle
- effort 2 / 10 · high · discrete rules, levels are data
- Underground
- effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
What it takes
- Effort
- 4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
- Systems
- Puzzle; 3 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Adventure, Exploration, Logic
- Price point
- $4.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
- Art
- 4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Atmospheric, 3D, First-Person
Why players buy here
The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.
The top 10 games average 88% positive over 2,537 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $270. 9 in 10 of the 38 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 139 games are announced against 41 developers who shipped in the last year, ×3.4 per shipper.
Adjacent niches
Puzzle with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.
- + Job SimulatorFair
- + Medical SimFair
- + Roguelike DeckbuilderFair
- + Escape RoomFair
- + VampiresFair
- + CatsFair
- + DemonsFair
- + God GameFair
- + RomanceFair
- + AutomationFair
- + Tower DefenseFair
- + LemmingsFair
Comparable games
BONELAB 2022 · $22M 
THE LONGING 2020 · $3.1M 
while True: learn() 2019 · $2.9M 
The Exit 8 2023 · $1.3M 
The Ball 2010 · $249k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | BONELAB | older | $39.99 | 18,670 82% | 560k | $22M (exactly $22,398,399) | Stress Level Zero |
| | THE LONGING | older | $14.99 | 6,977 92% | 209k | $3.1M (exactly $3,137,557) | Studio Seufz |
| | while True: learn() | older | $12.99 | 7,350 91% | 221k | $2.9M (exactly $2,864,295) | Luden.io |
| | The Exit 8 | older | $3.99 | 10,946 93% | 328k | $1.3M (exactly $1,310,236) | KOTAKE CREATE |
| | The Ball | older | $9.99 | 830 74% | 25k | $249k (exactly $248,751) | Teotl Studios |
 | Eye of the Temple | older | $19.99 | 392 92% | 12k | $235k (exactly $235,082) | Rune Skovbo Johansen |
 | Reach | $29.99 | 244 66% | 7.3k | $220k (exactly $219,527) | nDreams Elevation | |
 | Cellar Keeper | $4.99 | 892 89% | 27k | $134k (exactly $133,532) | EgoTrampoline | |
 | Caput Mortum | $11.99 | 355 94% | 11k | $128k (exactly $127,694) | WildArts Games | |
 | Tunnet | older | $5.99 | 699 94% | 21k | $126k (exactly $125,610) | puzzled_squid |
 | DigDigDrill | $3.99 | 607 95% | 18k | $73k (exactly $72,658) | Toorai | |
 | Lord Ambermaze | $14.99 | 131 91% | 3.9k | $59k (exactly $58,911) | Potata Company | |
 | Underchoice | $7.99 | 113 72% | 3.4k | $27k (exactly $27,086) | TG Indie | |
 | Take Notes | $6.99 | 93 96% | 2.8k | $20k (exactly $19,502) | Stoneware Game Studio | |
 | Missile Command Delta | $19.99 | 31 83% | 930 | $19k (exactly $18,591) | 13AM Games, Mighty Yell | |
 | BACKROOMS ANOMALY | $6.99 | 60 71% | 1.8k | $13k (exactly $12,582) | liminal_games | |
 | Elsewhere Electric | $24.99 | 11 27% | 330 | $8.2k (exactly $8,247) | Games by Stitch |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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