Do I ship it?

Games › Mechanics › Idler

Specimen · observed

Should I ship an Idler?

Idler

Of 2,063 developers who shipped an Idler 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.. 2,629 more are announced.

Verdict: fair, for a 1 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $990, ×8.3 the market's $120 for a 1 / 10 build, with 3 in 10 under $300. Revenue is up 45% on the market; 2,629 games are announced against 1,506 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 8.3 times the market baseline, revenue up 45% on the market, 2,629 announced, ×1.7 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Idler
Fig. 1 · this niche among 355
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 2,063
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $1.6k → $898 → $2.1k → $1.4k → $1.2k → $1.6k → $987 (still earning) → $718 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Idler: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 2,063
Bottom 30% $298 (exactly $298)
Median $987 (exactly $987)
Top 25% $6.3k (exactly $6,294)
Top 5% $140k (exactly $139,870)
Developers, 2 yr 2,063
Released games 4,391
Announced 2,629
Effort 1 / 10
AI-buildability High
Typical price $4.20

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 45% on the market, supply 140% 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 high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Idler
effort 1 / 10 · high · number growth curves and a UI

How the rubric works →

Plate 3 · the cost side

What it takes

Effort
1 / 10 · text and UI only
Systems
Idler
Price point
$4.20 typical · top 25% priced $8.99 or above
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $8.99 or above; the middle game at $4.20.

The top 10 games average 95% positive over 112,420 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $300, median $990, 1 in 4 over $6.2k, 1 in 20 over $130k.

3 in 10 developers made under $300. 8 in 10 of the 849 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 2,629 games are announced against 1,506 developers who shipped in the last year.

Plate 6 · every pair with this tag

All pairs with Idler

131 pairs with a mechanicwith: mechanics · settings · any
  1. Transportation + Idler Fair $747 15 devs
  2. Level Editor + Idler Fair $719 19 devs
  3. Physics + Idler Fair $718 142 devs
  4. Choose Your Own Adventure + Idler Fair $718 41 devs
  5. Precision Platformer + Idler Fair $657 12 devs
  6. Rhythm + Idler Fair $629 20 devs
  7. Shoot 'Em Up + Idler Fair $628 36 devs
  8. 2D Fighter + Idler Fair $599 9 devs
  9. Point & Click + Idler Fair $597 421 devs
  10. 2D Platformer + Idler Fair $539 92 devs
  11. Racing + Idler Fair $505 19 devs
  12. Idler + Typing Fair $478 46 devs
  13. MMORPG + Idler Poor odds $13k 8 devs
  14. Job Simulator + Idler Poor odds $10k 21 devs
  15. Real Time Tactics + Idler Poor odds $4.6k 24 devs
  16. Dating Sim + Idler Poor odds $3.5k 72 devs
  17. Class-Based + Idler Poor odds $3.2k 25 devs
  18. Asynchronous Multiplayer + Idler Poor odds $3.0k 14 devs
  19. Building + Idler Poor odds $2.9k 232 devs
  20. Dungeon Crawler + Idler Poor odds $2.8k 44 devs
  21. Desktop Companion + Idler Poor odds $2.5k 164 devs
  22. Gambling + Idler Poor odds $2.5k 48 devs
  23. Open World + Idler Poor odds $2.3k 50 devs
  24. Combat + Idler Poor odds $2.2k 158 devs
  25. Adventure + Idler Poor odds $2.2k 289 devs
  26. Cooking + Idler Poor odds $2.2k 44 devs
  27. CRPG + Idler Poor odds $2.2k 17 devs
  28. Strategy RPG + Idler Poor odds $2.2k 91 devs
  29. Base Building + Idler Poor odds $2.1k 130 devs
  30. Shop Keeper + Idler Poor odds $2.1k 65 devs
  31. Trading + Idler Poor odds $2.1k 48 devs
  32. Party-Based RPG + Idler Poor odds $2.1k 37 devs
  33. RTS + Idler Poor odds $2.1k 31 devs
  34. Minigames + Idler Poor odds $2.1k 25 devs
  35. Exploration + Idler Poor odds $2.0k 157 devs
  36. Colony Sim + Idler Poor odds $2.0k 70 devs
  37. Multiple Endings + Idler Poor odds $1.9k 76 devs
  38. Fishing + Idler Poor odds $1.8k 98 devs
  39. Bullet Heaven + Idler Poor odds $1.8k 33 devs
  40. Action RPG + Idler Poor odds $1.7k 44 devs
  41. Idler + Interactive Fiction Poor odds $1.7k 44 devs
  42. Online Co-Op + Idler Poor odds $1.6k 36 devs
  43. Co-op + Idler Poor odds $1.6k 27 devs
  44. Grand Strategy + Idler Poor odds $1.6k 16 devs
  45. City Builder + Idler Poor odds $1.5k 95 devs
  46. Auto Battler + Idler Poor odds $1.4k 207 devs
  47. PvP + Idler Poor odds $1.4k 39 devs
  48. Tactical RPG + Idler Poor odds $1.4k 24 devs
  49. Idler + Word Game Poor odds $1.3k 48 devs
  50. Destruction + Idler Poor odds $1.3k 34 devs
Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

WorldBox - God Simulator 2021 · EA · $31M Cookie Clicker 2021 · $13M BALL x PIT 2025 · $11M Spirit City: Lofi Sessions 2024 · $5.5M Chill with You : Lo-Fi Story 2025 · $4.4M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
WorldBox - God Simulator · EA older $19.99 51,071 95% 1.5M $31M (exactly $30,627,279) Maxim Karpenko
Cookie Clicker older $4.99 87,916 96% 2.6M $13M (exactly $13,161,025) Orteil, DashNet
BALL x PIT $14.99 24,714 95% 741k $11M (exactly $11,113,886) Kenny Sun and Friends
Spirit City: Lofi Sessions older $11.99 15,211 97% 456k $5.5M (exactly $5,471,397) Mooncube Games
Chill with You : Lo-Fi Story $11.99 12,215 98% 366k $4.4M (exactly $4,393,736) Nestopi Inc.
Melvor Idle older $9.99 14,630 90% 439k $4.4M (exactly $4,384,611) Games by Malcs
Cast n Chill $14.99 8,383 94% 251k $3.8M (exactly $3,769,835) Wombat Brawler
Farm Together 2 $25.99 4,456 93% 134k $3.5M (exactly $3,474,343) Milkstone Studios
Scritchy Scratchy $6.99 15,245 94% 457k $3.2M (exactly $3,196,876) Lunch Money Games
THE LONGING older $14.99 6,977 92% 209k $3.1M (exactly $3,137,557) Studio Seufz
The Farmer Was Replaced $9.99 9,116 95% 273k $2.7M (exactly $2,732,065) Timon Herzog
Shelldiver $4.99 16,806 98% 504k $2.5M (exactly $2,515,858) Gagonfe
Lessaria: Fantasy Kingdom Sim $24.90 2,938 77% 88k $2.2M (exactly $2,194,686) Rockbee Team
Bills Must Be Paid $6.99 9,928 96% 298k $2.1M (exactly $2,081,902) Rike Games
Berry Bury Berry $7.99 8,619 98% 259k $2.1M (exactly $2,065,974) Get(Color) Games

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