Ticker: price and year-over-year change for 40 genres. Price is the median estimated first-year revenue of indie paid launches. The same figures are on the Genres page.
Niches / Exploration + Sandbox
Exploration + Sandbox
Games tagged both Exploration and Sandbox: 377 indie paid launches, 62 of them earned $100k+ in their first year.
Showing Exploration + Sandbox priced $10 to $20, hiding samples under 30 launches.
The pair's chance of a $100k+ first year beside each of its two tags, ranked like a high-score table, with typical earnings and the launches behind every figure.
Exploration + Sandbox beats both its tags: 32.8 in 100 of its launches earned $100k+ priced $10 to $20, against 20.1 in 100 for Exploration and 30.7 in 100 for Sandbox.
That is about 1.8 times the 18.6 in 100 expected for any launch at this price.
Each circle is one tag, sized by its launches, and the gold overlap is exactly this pair. Click a part to read it. Price changes the odds more than genre does (under $5: 0.5 in 100 launches earned $100k+; $20 to $40: 42.4 in 100), so read it within a price band.
The overlap is this niche: the 116 games tagged both Exploration and Sandbox priced $10 to $20. 32.8 in 100 of them earned $100k+, against 18.5 for Exploration-only games and 29.8 for Sandbox-only games, so games with both tags did better than games with either tag alone.
Both: 116 games priced $10 to $20; 32.8 in 100 earned $100k+, typical first-year earnings $21,833.
Circle areas follow launch counts; the gold overlap is exactly the pair's 116 launches. The outer parts are each tag's launches minus the pair's, so their chance is exact; their typical earnings are not computed yet.
Who leads this pair and each of its tags. Free until launch: one click opens the card. The full comparables list (nearest hits by tag pair, price and launch year) is not computed yet, and the card says so.
Top earner, share of the moneyFree until launch
Lens checkHolds in 3 of 3. Standard: the yardstick. West-facing view: holds. Without the breakout: holds. Last 18 months: holds.
Open free previewFree until launch: one click opens the card.
Nearest hits (similar games that earned $100k+, matched by tag pair, price and launch year): not computed yet.
Filters do not apply here yet. Leaders and shares are for all prices and the Standard view; per price band and per lens they are not computed yet.
The same figures with three kinds of games set aside: those with a mostly Chinese audience, the single biggest earner, and everything older than 18 months.
Exploration + Sandbox holds in 3 of 3: every lens keeps the chance and typical earnings within a quarter of the standard figures.
| This pair | BaseStandardevery launch | West-facing view362 of 377 launches | Without the breakout376 of 377 launches | Last 18 months215 of 377 launches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launches counted | 37762 hits | 36257 hits | 37661 hits | 21533 hits |
| Earned $100k+ | 16.4 in 100 | 15.7 in 100 | 16.2 in 100 | 15.3 in 100 |
| Typical first-year earnings | $1,638top tenth $273,193+ | $1,578 | $1,638 | $1,692 |
| Chance against standard | the yardstick | -4.3%0.7 fewer in 100 | -1.2%0.2 fewer in 100 | -6.7%1.1 fewer in 100 |
| Typical against standard | the yardstick | -3.7%$60 less | 0.0%no change | +3.3%$54 more |
| Does it hold? | The base view | Holds | Holds | Holds |
Every indie paid launch tagged both Exploration and Sandbox, 6 to 30 months old: 377 launches.
Games mostly reviewed outside China. Drops games whose audience is mostly Chinese, meaning 35% or more of their reviews are in Simplified Chinese: 15 of 377 launches here. Review language is measured for games with 2,000+ reviews; smaller games are guessed from their names.
Drops the single biggest earner, CarX Street (12.9% of the money): 376 launches left.
Keeps only launches 18 months old or newer: 215 of 377.
Exploration holds in 3 of 3: every lens keeps the chance and typical earnings within a quarter of the standard figures.
| Exploration | BaseStandardevery launch | West-facing view4,867 of 5,078 launches | Without the breakout5,077 of 5,078 launches | Last 18 months2,727 of 5,078 launches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launches counted | 5,078397 hits | 4,867377 hits | 5,077396 hits | 2,727190 hits |
| Earned $100k+ | 7.8 in 1001 in 13 | 7.7 in 1001 in 13 | 7.8 in 1001 in 13 | 7.0 in 1001 in 14 |
| Typical first-year earnings | $908top tenth $58,608+ | $909 | $902 | $728 |
| Chance against standard | the yardstick | -1.3%0.1 fewer in 100 | 0.0%no change | -10.3%0.8 fewer in 100 |
| Typical against standard | the yardstick | +0.1%$1 more | -0.7%$6 less | -19.8%$180 less |
| Does it hold? | The base view | Holds | Holds | Holds |
Every indie paid launch tagged Exploration, 6 to 30 months old: 5,078 launches.
Games mostly reviewed outside China. Drops games whose audience is mostly Chinese, meaning 35% or more of their reviews are in Simplified Chinese: 211 of 5,078 launches here. Review language is measured for games with 2,000+ reviews; smaller games are guessed from their names.
Drops the single biggest earner, Hollow Knight: Silksong (20.7% of the money): 5,077 launches left.
Keeps only launches 18 months old or newer: 2,727 of 5,078.
Sandbox holds in 3 of 3: every lens keeps the chance and typical earnings within a quarter of the standard figures.
| Sandbox | BaseStandardevery launch | West-facing view1,352 of 1,394 launches | Without the breakout1,393 of 1,394 launches | Last 18 months822 of 1,394 launches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launches counted | 1,394210 hits | 1,352198 hits | 1,393209 hits | 822109 hits |
| Earned $100k+ | 15.1 in 100 | 14.6 in 100 | 15.0 in 100 | 13.3 in 100 |
| Typical first-year earnings | $1,841top tenth $239,640+ | $1,840 | $1,841 | $1,618 |
| Chance against standard | the yardstick | -3.3%0.5 fewer in 100 | -0.7%0.1 fewer in 100 | -11.9%1.8 fewer in 100 |
| Typical against standard | the yardstick | -0.1%$1 less | 0.0%no change | -12.1%$223 less |
| Does it hold? | The base view | Holds | Holds | Holds |
Every indie paid launch tagged Sandbox, 6 to 30 months old: 1,394 launches.
Games mostly reviewed outside China. Drops games whose audience is mostly Chinese, meaning 35% or more of their reviews are in Simplified Chinese: 42 of 1,394 launches here. Review language is measured for games with 2,000+ reviews; smaller games are guessed from their names.
Drops the single biggest earner, Manor Lords (22.6% of the money): 1,393 launches left.
Keeps only launches 18 months old or newer: 822 of 1,394.
A lens holds when chance and typical earnings both stay within 25% of standard. Lens figures by price band are not computed yet, so this table is for all prices.
Alerts when Exploration + Sandbox moves, comparables the day they land, and every lens for every pair and price. Free until launch.
Keep gold access after launch: alerts, comparables, every lens.
Ticker: 30 upcoming games dated within 90 days, with wishlist rank, release date and followers. The same list is on the Upcoming page.