Automation / factories
An average niche: demand and competition are roughly balanced — the idea and execution decide. Average across 4 platforms: niche 41/100, demand 49/100, competition 50/100, development cost 44/100. On Steam: 929 games and 106,067 players online; 18% of games reach 500+ reviews, average spend per player is $17.30.
Niche
41/100
Demand (0–100)
49/100
Competition
50/100
Dev cost
44/100
Spend per player
$17.30
Hit rate (500+ reviews)
18%
Key findings
- Ranked #86 of 100 in the overall niche ranking.
- The niche looks best on itch.io (61/100) and weakest on App Store (0/100).
- Competition is below typical: 50/100 vs a median of 57/100 — a new game has an easier time getting noticed.
- Development is costlier than typical: index 44/100 vs a median of 39/100 — plan for more time and money.
- On Steam, 18% of games reached 500+ reviews — about usual (median 16%).
- Small-studio games make up 52% of all Steam games with this tag.
By platform
| Platform | Popularity | Games / leaders’ share | Competition | Niche | Dev cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam | 62/100 | 929 | 47/100 | 47/100 | 49/100 |
| itch.io | 70/100 | 1,337 | 47/100 | 61/100 | 44/100 |
| Yandex Games | no data | ||||
| Google Play | 63/100 | 68% | 51/100 | 56/100 | 47/100 |
| App Store | 0/100 | 61% | 54/100 | 0/100 | 39/100 |
Example games — Steam
AAA / big hits
TimberbornMechanistry · $34.99
RoadCraftSaber Interactive · $39.99
Captain of IndustryMaFi Games · $34.99
Indie
SatisfactoryCoffee Stain Studios · $39.99
Schedule ITVGS · $19.99
FactorioWube Software LTD. · $35
Related genres
Data updated October 12, 2026 Methodology