Do I ship it?

Games › Puzzle Platformer › Puzzle Platformer + Time Management

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Time Management Puzzle Platformer?

Puzzle Platformer + Time Management

Of 31 developers who shipped a Time Management Puzzle Platformer 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.. 37 more are announced, ×2.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: dead, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $180 in the last 2 years and $480 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 3 / 10 build. 14 developers shipped in the last year and 37 games are announced.

Deciding numbers: median 0.4 times the market baseline, revenue up 80% on the market, 37 announced, ×2.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Puzzle Platformer + Time Management
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 31
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.9k → $776 → $327 → $3.4k → $90 → $597 → $0 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Puzzle Platformer + Time Management: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 31
Bottom 30% $0 (exactly $0)
Median $179 (exactly $179)
Top 25% $2.4k (exactly $2,395)
Top 5% $22k (exactly $22,018)
Developers, 2 yr 31
Released games 102
Announced 37
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 80% on the market, supply 20% fewer developers than the period before.

Free games: 18%, 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.

Puzzle Platformer
effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
Time Management
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
Puzzle Platformer, Time Management; 6 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Action, Platformer, Puzzle
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $23.99 or above
Art
4 in 10 of the top 25% ship with Story Rich, 2D, Atmospheric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $23.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 83% positive over 368 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 $180, 1 in 4 over $2.3k, 1 in 20 over $22k.

3 in 10 developers made under $50. 8 in 10 of the 19 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 37 games are announced against 14 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

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

  1. + RomanceFair41 devs · median $1.5k · 38 announced
  2. + Inventory ManagementFair20 devs · median $1.1k · 26 announced
  3. + Life SimFair20 devs · median $657 · 21 announced
  4. + SimulationFair216 devs · median $479 · 181 announced
  5. + Grid-Based MovementFair62 devs · median $449 · 56 announced
  6. + SokobanFair51 devs · median $358 · 49 announced
  7. + LovecraftianPoor odds11 devs · median $9.3k · 22 announced
  8. + Co-op CampaignPoor odds26 devs · median $9.0k · 53 announced
  9. + MetroidvaniaPoor odds91 devs · median $5.3k · 264 announced
  10. + SwordplayPoor odds8 devs · median $4.2k · 19 announced
  11. + Split ScreenPoor odds24 devs · median $3.6k · 35 announced
  12. + Hack and SlashPoor odds18 devs · median $3.0k · 80 announced

All 169 pairs on the Puzzle Platformer page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

I am an Air Traffic Controller 4 2020 · $1.0M NODE 2025 · $109k Ready, Steady, Ship! 2024 · $46k The Last Worker 2023 · $28k Streaming ON! VTuber Training 2025 · $22k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
I am an Air Traffic Controller 4 older $59.99 566 79% 17k $1.0M (exactly $1,018,630) TechnoBrain
NODE $24.99 146 91% 4.4k $109k (exactly $109,456) Lapsus Games
Ready, Steady, Ship! older $14.99 103 66% 3.1k $46k (exactly $46,319) Jollybits Games
The Last Worker older $19.99 46 63% 1.4k $28k (exactly $27,586) Oiffy, Wolf & Wood Interactive Ltd
Streaming ON! VTuber Training $6.99 105 65% 3.2k $22k (exactly $22,018) Momentum Games
Happy Words older $4.99 121 46% 3.6k $18k (exactly $18,114) LAN - GAMES LTD
Codename: Terranova $23.99 23 69% 690 $17k (exactly $16,553) ACGames
Meet me at NooN older $9.99 55 100% 1.7k $16k (exactly $16,484) Pandaroo Interactive
It Is Ticking older $6.99 59 94% 1.8k $12k (exactly $12,372) YenThe Studio
Polar Penguin Post · EA older $15.99 25 92% 750 $12k (exactly $11,992) Little Lemon Bulb
Mighty Marbles $11.99 24 91% 720 $8.6k (exactly $8,633) James Oliver
DIGGERGUN $9.99 20 90% 600 $6.0k (exactly $5,994) Kabloop
Nazar $9.99 12 75% 360 $3.6k (exactly $3,596) Eray Dinc Studio, Recontact Games
Lightkeeper's Curse $8.99 12 100% 360 $3.2k (exactly $3,236) Shire Brew Studios
Joe Adventure $4.99 16 100% 480 $2.4k (exactly $2,395) Napless Interactive
Bomb Squad $14.99 4 100% 120 $1.8k (exactly $1,799) International Headquarters
K-Pattern Master $4.99 6 100% 180 $898 (exactly $898) FunPick

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