Realism / photorealism
A promising niche: there are players and relatively few competitors. Average across 4 platforms: niche 66/100, demand 80/100, competition 44/100, development cost 72/100. On Steam: 6,586 games and 505,664 players online; 18% of games reach 500+ reviews, average spend per player is $20.56.
Niche
66/100
Demand (0–100)
80/100
Competition
44/100
Dev cost
72/100
Spend per player
$20.56
Hit rate (500+ reviews)
18%
Key findings
- Ranked #1 of 24 in the overall niche ranking.
- The niche looks best on Google Play (72/100) and weakest on Steam (55/100).
- Competition is below typical: 44/100 vs a median of 60/100 — a new game has an easier time getting noticed.
- Development is costlier than typical: index 72/100 vs a median of 36/100 — plan for more time and money.
- On Steam, 18% of games reached 500+ reviews — more often than usual (median 12%).
- Small-studio games make up 47% of all Steam games with this tag.
By platform
| Platform | Popularity | Games / leaders’ share | Competition | Niche | Dev cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam | 99/100 | 6,586 | 75/100 | 55/100 | 74/100 |
| itch.io | 64/100 | 903 | 36/100 | 64/100 | 68/100 |
| Yandex Games | no data | ||||
| Google Play | 95/100 | 70% | 46/100 | 72/100 | 79/100 |
| App Store | 62/100 | 41% | 19/100 | 71/100 | 66/100 |
Example games — Steam
AAA / big hits
Red Dead Redemption 2Rockstar Games · $59.99
Arma 3Bohemia Interactive · $29.99
Cities: SkylinesColossal Order · $29.99
Indie
Euro Truck Simulator 2SCS Software · $19.99
SquadOffworld · $39.99
American Truck SimulatorSCS Software · $19.99
Other art styles
Data updated October 12, 2026 Methodology