Open world
An average niche: demand and competition are roughly balanced — the idea and execution decide. Average across 4 platforms: niche 55/100, demand 74/100, competition 59/100, development cost 72/100. On Steam: 6,892 games and 1,742,991 players online; 37% of games reach 500+ reviews, average spend per player is $22.25.
Niche
55/100
Demand (0–100)
74/100
Competition
59/100
Dev cost
72/100
Spend per player
$22.25
Hit rate (500+ reviews)
37%
Key findings
- Ranked #21 of 100 in the overall niche ranking.
- The niche looks best on App Store (65/100) and weakest on Google Play (49/100).
- Competition is at a typical level: 59/100 vs a median of 57/100.
- Development is costlier than typical: index 72/100 vs a median of 39/100 — plan for more time and money.
- On Steam, 37% of games reached 500+ reviews — more often than usual (median 16%).
- Small-studio games make up 50% of all Steam games with this tag.
By platform
| Platform | Popularity | Games / leaders’ share | Competition | Niche | Dev cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam | 90/100 | 6,892 | 75/100 | 51/100 | 76/100 |
| itch.io | 69/100 | 4,515 | 59/100 | 53/100 | 76/100 |
| Yandex Games | no data | ||||
| Google Play | 72/100 | 78% | 66/100 | 49/100 | 64/100 |
| App Store | 65/100 | 46% | 35/100 | 65/100 | 73/100 |
Example games — Steam
AAA / big hits
Grand Theft Auto V LegacyRockstar North · free
New World: AeternumAmazon Games · $59.99
ELDEN RINGFromSoftware, Inc. · $59.99
Related genres
Data updated October 12, 2026 Methodology