Do I ship it?

Games › Settings › Psychological

Specimen · observed

Should I ship a Psychological game?

Psychological

Of 1,532 developers who shipped a Psychological 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.. 2,494 more are announced, ×2.6 for every developer who shipped in the last year.

Verdict: poor odds, for a 3 / 10 build.

The middle developer here made $1.3k, ×2.8 the market's $480 for a 3 / 10 build, and 3 in 10 made under $360; 1 in 20 cleared $130k, ×288 the market median. Revenue is down 10% on the market; 2,494 games are announced against 958 developers who shipped in the last year.

Deciding numbers: median 2.8 times the market baseline, revenue down 10% on the market, 2,494 announced, ×2.6 per developer who shipped in the last year.
Nobody has said they are building this yet.
Psychological
Fig. 1 · this niche among 355
Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr n = 1,532
Median est. gross by half-year cohort, 2023 H1 to 2026 H2: $5.8k → $2.1k → $3.0k → $1.9k → $2.4k → $1.8k → $987 (still earning) → $539 (still earning)
The last cohort is still earning.
Outcomes for Psychological: Plate 1 · outcomes, 2 yr, n = 1,532
Bottom 30% $359 (exactly $359)
Median $1.3k (exactly $1,317)
Top 25% $6.9k (exactly $6,924)
Top 5% $137k (exactly $136,822)
Developers, 2 yr 1,532
Released games 3,748
Announced 2,494
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 down 10% on the market, supply 55% more developers than the period before.

Free games: 15%, excluded from money figures.

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Plate 2 · systems and tooling

Can AI deliver it?

AI-buildability for this niche is high: the lowest rating among its tags.

Psychological
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
Price point
$4.99 typical · top 25% priced $12.49 or above
Plate 4 · demand

Why players buy here

The top 25% priced at $12.49 or above; the middle game at $4.99.

The top 10 games average 88% positive over 224,833 reviews.

Plate 5 · the loss side

What kills games here

Developer outcomes in the last 2 years by share: 3 in 10 under $360, median $1.3k, 1 in 4 over $6.9k, 1 in 20 over $130k.

3 in 10 developers made under $360. 8 in 10 of the 785 games released 1 to 2 years ago have fewer than 100 reviews. 2,494 games are announced against 958 developers who shipped in the last year, ×2.6 per shipper.

Plate 6 · every pair with this tag

All pairs with Psychological

86 pairs · ranked by verdict, then medianwith: mechanics · settings · any
  1. Social Deduction + Psychological Fair $4.8k 25 devs
  2. Souls-like + Psychological Fair $1.8k 17 devs
  3. Walking Simulator + Psychological Fair $1.7k 442 devs
  4. Time Manipulation + Psychological Fair $897 18 devs
  5. Logic + Psychological Fair $839 122 devs
  6. Runner + Psychological Fair $839 14 devs
  7. Word Game + Psychological Fair $779 36 devs
  8. Turn-Based Tactics + Psychological Fair $629 34 devs
  9. Turn-Based Strategy + Psychological Fair $600 33 devs
  10. Tabletop + Psychological Fair $598 27 devs
  11. Board Game + Psychological Fair $539 22 devs
  12. Incremental + Psychological Fair $359 45 devs
  13. FMV + Psychological Poor odds $40k 22 devs
  14. Metroidvania + Psychological Poor odds $9.0k 12 devs
  15. Strategy RPG + Psychological Poor odds $6.9k 18 devs
  16. Dating Sim + Psychological Poor odds $5.9k 57 devs
  17. Co-op + Psychological Poor odds $4.0k 43 devs
  18. Dynamic Narration + Psychological Poor odds $3.2k 24 devs
  19. JRPG + Psychological Poor odds $3.1k 22 devs
  20. Deckbuilding + Psychological Poor odds $3.0k 19 devs
  21. Turn-Based Combat + Psychological Poor odds $2.7k 24 devs
  22. Third-Person Shooter + Psychological Poor odds $2.7k 15 devs
  23. Management + Psychological Poor odds $2.7k 30 devs
  24. Visual Novel + Psychological Poor odds $2.2k 338 devs
  25. Roguelite + Psychological Poor odds $2.1k 46 devs
  26. Gambling + Psychological Poor odds $2.1k 27 devs
  27. Escape Room + Psychological Poor odds $2.1k 26 devs
  28. Immersive Sim + Psychological Poor odds $2.0k 208 devs
  29. Interactive Fiction + Psychological Poor odds $2.0k 301 devs
  30. Point & Click + Psychological Poor odds $1.9k 158 devs
  31. FPS + Psychological Poor odds $1.9k 112 devs
  32. Action Roguelike + Psychological Poor odds $1.8k 21 devs
  33. Crafting + Psychological Poor odds $1.8k 20 devs
  34. Multiple Endings + Psychological Poor odds $1.6k 415 devs
  35. Investigation + Psychological Poor odds $1.6k 221 devs
  36. Card Battler + Psychological Poor odds $1.6k 18 devs
  37. Adventure + Psychological Poor odds $1.6k 1,029 devs
  38. Survival Horror + Psychological Poor odds $1.6k 247 devs
  39. Choose Your Own Adventure + Psychological Poor odds $1.5k 162 devs
  40. Simulation + Psychological Poor odds $1.4k 399 devs
  41. Shooter + Psychological Poor odds $1.4k 54 devs
  42. Exploration + Psychological Poor odds $1.4k 656 devs
  43. Idler + Psychological Poor odds $1.4k 32 devs
  44. Choices Matter + Psychological Poor odds $1.3k 353 devs
  45. Life Sim + Psychological Poor odds $1.3k 44 devs
  46. Stealth + Psychological Poor odds $1.2k 99 devs
  47. Online Co-Op + Psychological Poor odds $1.2k 56 devs
  48. Open World + Psychological Poor odds $1.2k 32 devs
  49. Physics + Psychological Poor odds $1.0k 66 devs
  50. Sandbox + Psychological Poor odds $1.0k 17 devs
Plate 7 · comparable specimens, by est. revenue

Comparable games

Among Us 2018 · $99M SILENT HILL 2 2024 · $91M Inscryption 2021 · $81M Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice 2017 · $60M This War of Mine 2014 · $49M
Capsule Game Released Price Reviews Est. copies Est. revenue Developer
Among Us older $4.99 659,003 92% 20M $99M (exactly $98,652,749) Innersloth
SILENT HILL 2 $69.99 43,367 94% 1.3M $91M (exactly $91,057,690) Bloober Team SA
Inscryption older $19.99 135,017 96% 4.1M $81M (exactly $80,969,695) Daniel Mullins Games
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice older $29.99 66,788 90% 2.0M $60M (exactly $60,089,164) Ninja Theory
This War of Mine older $19.99 81,804 93% 2.5M $49M (exactly $49,057,859) 11 bit studios
SILENT HILL f $69.99 19,061 80% 572k $40M (exactly $40,022,382) NeoBards Entertainment Ltd.
DREDGE older $24.99 47,624 95% 1.4M $36M (exactly $35,703,713) Black Salt Games
NEEDY STREAMER OVERLOAD older $15.99 54,053 94% 1.6M $26M (exactly $25,929,224) WSS playground, xemono
BONELAB older $39.99 18,670 82% 560k $22M (exactly $22,398,399) Stress Level Zero
Psychonauts 2 older $59.99 12,333 95% 370k $22M (exactly $22,195,700) Double Fine Productions
The Alters $34.99 15,330 90% 460k $16M (exactly $16,091,901) 11 bit studios
Mouthwashing $12.99 34,353 95% 1.0M $13M (exactly $13,387,364) Wrong Organ
No, I'm not a Human $14.99 27,222 93% 817k $12M (exactly $12,241,733) Trioskaz
Revenge on gold diggers $6.99 46,610 80% 1.4M $9.8M (exactly $9,774,117) 前方工作室
Call of Duty®: Black Ops 7 $69.99 4,344 37% 130k $9.1M (exactly $9,121,097) Treyarch, Raven Software, Beenox, High… (Treyarch, Raven Software, Beenox, High Moon Studios, Sledgehammer Games, Infinity Ward, Activision Shanghai, Demonware)
CloverPit $9.99 24,710 90% 741k $7.4M (exactly $7,405,587) Panik Arcade
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage $39.99 5,873 86% 176k $7.0M (exactly $7,045,838) DON'T NOD
KARMA: The Dark World $24.99 3,963 90% 119k $3.0M (exactly $2,971,061) POLLARD STUDIO LLC

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