Do I ship it?

Games › Walking Simulator › Walking Simulator + Underground

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Underground Walking Simulator?

Walking Simulator + Underground

Of 47 developers who shipped an Underground Walking Simulator 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.. 58 more are announced, ×2.1 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 4 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×2.6 the market's $480 for a 4 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $480; 1 in 20 cleared $150k, ×334 the market median. Revenue is up 135% on the market; 58 games are announced against 28 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.6 times the market baseline, revenue up 135% on the market, 58 announced, ×2.1 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Walking Simulator + Underground
Fig. 1 · this niche among 16,100
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 47
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.6k → $2.6k → $897 → $1.2k → $539 → $1.9k (still earning) → $1.3k (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Walking Simulator + Underground: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 47
Bottom 30% $479 (exactly $479)
Median $1.3k (exactly $1,258)
Top 25% $8.1k (exactly $8,084)
Top 5% $159k (exactly $158,853)
Developers, 2 yr 47
Released games 95
Announced 58
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 up 135% on the market, supply 45% more 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 medium: the lowest rating among its tags.

Walking Simulator
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band
Underground
effort 4 / 10 · medium · effort 4 sits in the medium band

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
4 / 10 · mid 2D, writing-heavy, or simple 3D
Systems
Walking Simulator; 4 in 10 of the top 25% also carry Exploration, Adventure, Simulation
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $14.99 or above
Art
6 in 10 of the top 25% ship with 3D, First-Person, Atmospheric
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $14.99 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 84% positive over 7,541 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $480, median $1.3k, 1 in 4 over $8.0k, 1 in 20 over $150k.

3 in 10 developers made under $480. 9 in 10 of the 20 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 58 games are announced against 28 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.1 per shipper.

Plate 6 · same mechanic, other settings

Adjacent niches

Walking Simulator with a different setting or mood, ranked by verdict then median.

  1. + FMVStrong odds13 devs · median $5.8k · 9 announced
  2. + WarFair10 devs · median $5.1k · 12 announced
  3. + RomanceFair36 devs · median $3.5k · 38 announced
  4. + Escape RoomFair38 devs · median $2.7k · 25 announced
  5. + ThrillerFair449 devs · median $2.7k · 499 announced
  6. + MusicFair16 devs · median $2.1k · 20 announced
  7. + SupernaturalFair297 devs · median $1.8k · 354 announced
  8. + Psychological HorrorFair1,043 devs · median $1.7k · 1,251 announced
  9. + PsychologicalFair442 devs · median $1.7k · 552 announced
  10. + IdlerFair38 devs · median $1.7k · 41 announced
  11. + Mystery DungeonFair34 devs · median $1.6k · 35 announced
  12. + NoirFair44 devs · median $1.5k · 52 announced

All 145 pairs on the Walking Simulator page

Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

THE LONGING 2020 · $3.1M The Exit 8 2023 · $1.3M Prison Escape Simulator: Dig Out 2025 · $837k Scanner Sombre 2017 · $665k Paradise Lost 2021 · $661k
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
THE LONGING older $14.99 6,977 92% 209k $3.1M (exactly $3,137,557) Studio Seufz
The Exit 8 older $3.99 10,946 93% 328k $1.3M (exactly $1,310,236) KOTAKE CREATE
Prison Escape Simulator: Dig Out $7.99 3,490 85% 105k $837k (exactly $836,553) Digital Melody
Scanner Sombre older $6.99 3,172 91% 95k $665k (exactly $665,168) Introversion Software
Paradise Lost older $14.99 1,469 67% 44k $661k (exactly $660,609) PolyAmorous
Amenti $6.99 2,184 80% 66k $458k (exactly $457,985) Darkphobia Games
Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 older $9.99 533 98% 16k $160k (exactly $159,740) Cosmo D
Brno Transit $8.99 589 85% 18k $159k (exactly $158,853) Spytihněv
Goblin Dungeons $17.99 291 83% 8.7k $157k (exactly $157,053) Loolust
Cave Crave VR $14.99 131 83% 3.9k $59k (exactly $58,911) 3R Games S.A.
There's Nothing Down There $2.00 394 84% 12k $24k (exactly $23,640) Tim Trankle
Colony 37 · EA $2.99 224 95% 6.7k $20k (exactly $20,093) Valen
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
The Old Flesh of Nuraga $3.99 114 94% 3.4k $14k (exactly $13,646) Studio Ortica

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