Games › Runner › Runner + Underground
Should I ship an Underground Runner?
Runner + Underground
Only 12 developers shipped an Underground Runner 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, Ikarus Parkour, made about est. revenue: est. copies × today's US list price; gross, before Steam's cut, taxes and refunds. See method.. 9 more are announced.
Verdict: dead, for a 4 / 10 build.
The middle developer here made $360 in the last 2 years and $360 over 4, against a market of $480 for a 4 / 10 build. 5 developers shipped in the last year and 9 games are announced.
| Bottom 30% | $150 (exactly $150) |
|---|---|
| Median | $359 (exactly $359) |
| Top 25% | $6.3k (exactly $6,294) |
| Top 5% | $76k (exactly $75,992) |
| Developers, 2 yr | 12 |
| Released games | 36 |
| Announced | 9 |
| Effort | 4 / 10 |
| AI-buildability | Medium |
| Typical price | $5.99 |
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 40% on the market, supply 30% fewer developers than the period before.
Free games: 17%, excluded from money figures.
Can AI deliver it?
AI-buildability for this niche is medium: the lowest rating among its tags.
- Runner
- effort 3 / 10 · high · effort 3 sits in the high band
- 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
- Runner
- Price point
- $5.99 typical
Why players buy here
The top 10 games average 78% positive over 322 reviews.
What kills games here
3 in 10 developers made under $150. 9 in 10 of the 7 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 9 games are announced against 5 developers who shipped in the last year.
Adjacent niches
Runner with a different setting or mood, 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
Ikarus Parkour 2025 · $76k 
Zardy's Cave 2024 · $20k 
The Backrooms: Rescue Expedition 2025 · $6.3k 
WonderCat Adventures 2015 · $5.5k 
MineRalph 2019 · $5.1k | Capsule | Game | Released | Price | Reviews | Est. copies | Est. revenue | Developer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Ikarus Parkour | $12.99 | 195 81% | 5.9k | $76k (exactly $75,992) | Vanja Aleksić | |
| | Zardy's Cave | $7.99 | 84 80% | 2.5k | $20k (exactly $20,135) | Full Trek Media | |
| | The Backrooms: Rescue Expedition | $9.99 | 21 33% | 630 | $6.3k (exactly $6,294) | {CRYTIME} | |
| | WonderCat Adventures | older | $3.99 | 46 76% | 1.4k | $5.5k (exactly $5,506) | Obscure Cloud |
| | MineRalph | older | $9.99 | 17 100% | 510 | $5.1k (exactly $5,095) | Chop Chop Games |
 | Web or Dead | older | $6.99 | 15 100% | 450 | $3.1k (exactly $3,146) | gareththegeek |
 | Dragon Mine | older | $2.99 | 20 95% | 600 | $1.8k (exactly $1,794) | Peachy Clouds |
 | RaceWorms | $5.49 | 10 100% | 300 | $1.6k (exactly $1,647) | Team Zandt | |
 | The shadow of the evil tower | older | $4.99 | 11 100% | 330 | $1.6k (exactly $1,647) | TitaniumCore Game |
 | Medusa | older | $2.99 | 13 76% | 390 | $1.2k (exactly $1,166) | radgu8 |
 | The Ape Tales: An Epic Adventure Game | $5.99 | 4 100% | 120 | $719 (exactly $719) | Roker Games Studio | |
 | Beat Vortex | · EA | $3.99 | 3 100% | 90 | $359 (exactly $359) | Glory Through Gaming |
 | Mythic Factor: Leaving the Labyrinth | $9.36 | 1 100% | 30 | $281 (exactly $281) | Sean Pearson | |
 | BlackHoleMaze | $8.99 | 1 0% | 30 | $270 (exactly $270) | PENGHAO | |
 | 광기의 함정(The Madness Trap Trek) | $4.99 | 1 0% | 30 | $150 (exactly $150) | IlShim United | |
 | Miner to Die | $0.99 | 2 100% | 60 | $59 (exactly $59) | Mercimek Games |
Estimates: copies = reviews × 30, gross = copies × list price.
Five niches a week, one death, one deep dive.
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