Ticker: price and year-over-year change for 40 genres. Price is the median estimated first-year revenue of indie paid launches. The change shows for genres with 100+ launches. The same figures are on the Genres page.
Niches / Exploration + Sandbox
Exploration + Sandbox
Games tagged both Exploration and Sandbox: 346 indie paid launches, 58 of them earned $100k+ in their first year.
Showing Exploration + Sandbox priced $10 to $20, west-facing view. Lens figures exist at all prices only, so inside a price band the page shows the standard figures. This filter changes the answer: at all prices the pair beats Exploration and is about level with Sandbox; priced $10 to $20 it beats Exploration and trails Sandbox.
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 Exploration and trails Sandbox: 28.4 in 100 of its launches earned $100k+ priced $10 to $20, against 20.8 in 100 for Exploration and 32.8 in 100 for Sandbox.
That is about 1.4 times the 20.4 in 100 expected for any launch at this price. Lens figures by price band are not computed yet, so this band uses the standard figures.
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: 0.4 in 100 launches earned $100k+; $20 to $40: 44.2 in 100), so read it within a price band.
The overlap is this niche: the 102 games tagged both Exploration and Sandbox priced $10 to $20. 28.4 in 100 of them earned $100k+, against 19.8 in 100 for Exploration-only games and 34.5 in 100 for Sandbox-only games, so the mix beats Exploration alone and trails Sandbox alone.
Both: 102 games priced $10 to $20; 28.4 in 100 earned $100k+, typical first-year earnings $16,387.
Circle areas follow launch counts; the gold overlap is exactly the pair's 102 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. The west-facing view lens is not computed for the outer parts, so this diagram uses the standard figures.
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 base the others are compared with. 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: games mostly reviewed in Chinese, the single biggest earner, and everything older than 18 months.
Exploration + Sandbox holds in West-facing view, Without the breakout and Last 18 months. No lens moves the chance or typical earnings more than chance alone would.
| This pair | BaseStandardevery launch | West-facing view328 of 346 launches | Without the breakout345 of 346 launches | Last 18 months105 of 346 launches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launches counted | 34658 hits | 32853 hits | 34557 hits | 10520 hits |
| Earned $100k+ | 16.8 in 100 | 16.2 in 100 | 16.5 in 100 | 19.0 in 100 |
| Typical first-year earnings | $1,569top tenth $334,165+ | $1,535 | $1,535 | $1,697 |
| Chance against standard | the base | -3.6%0.6 fewer in 100 | -1.4%0.2 fewer in 100 | +13.6%2.3 more in 100 |
| Typical against standard | the base | -2.2%$34 less | -2.2%$34 less | +8.2%$128 more |
| Does it hold? | The base view | Holds | Holds | Holds |
Every indie paid launch tagged both Exploration and Sandbox, 12 to 36 months old: 346 launches.
Games mostly reviewed outside China. Drops games mostly reviewed in Chinese, meaning 35% or more of their reviews are in Simplified Chinese: 18 of 346 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 (10.8% of the money): 345 launches left. It moves the answer when that one game earned over half the money.
Keeps only launches 18 months old or newer: 105 of 346.
Exploration holds in West-facing view, Without the breakout and Last 18 months. No lens moves the chance or typical earnings more than chance alone would.
| Exploration | BaseStandardevery launch | West-facing view4,381 of 4,582 launches | Without the breakout4,581 of 4,582 launches | Last 18 months1,268 of 4,582 launches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launches counted | 4,582382 hits | 4,381366 hits | 4,581381 hits | 1,268105 hits |
| Earned $100k+ | 8.3 in 1001 in 12 | 8.4 in 1001 in 12 | 8.3 in 1001 in 12 | 8.3 in 1001 in 12 |
| Typical first-year earnings | $877top tenth $65,025+ | $901 | $877 | $884 |
| Chance against standard | the base | +0.2%no change | -0.2%no change | -0.7%0.1 fewer in 100 |
| Typical against standard | the base | +2.7%$24 more | 0.0%no change | +0.8%$7 more |
| Does it hold? | The base view | Holds | Holds | Holds |
Every indie paid launch tagged Exploration, 12 to 36 months old: 4,582 launches.
Games mostly reviewed outside China. Drops games mostly reviewed in Chinese, meaning 35% or more of their reviews are in Simplified Chinese: 201 of 4,582 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 (22.3% of the money): 4,581 launches left. It moves the answer when that one game earned over half the money.
Keeps only launches 18 months old or newer: 1,268 of 4,582.
Sandbox holds in West-facing view, Without the breakout and Last 18 months. No lens moves the chance or typical earnings more than chance alone would.
| Sandbox | BaseStandardevery launch | West-facing view1,173 of 1,220 launches | Without the breakout1,219 of 1,220 launches | Last 18 months386 of 1,220 launches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launches counted | 1,220206 hits | 1,173194 hits | 1,219205 hits | 38665 hits |
| Earned $100k+ | 16.9 in 100 | 16.5 in 100 | 16.8 in 100 | 16.8 in 100 |
| Typical first-year earnings | $2,007top tenth $290,975+ | $2,070 | $1,992 | $2,439 |
| Chance against standard | the base | -2.1%0.3 fewer in 100 | -0.4%0.1 fewer in 100 | -0.3%no change |
| Typical against standard | the base | +3.1%$63 more | -0.7%$15 less | +21.5%$432 more |
| Does it hold? | The base view | Holds | Holds | Holds |
Every indie paid launch tagged Sandbox, 12 to 36 months old: 1,220 launches.
Games mostly reviewed outside China. Drops games mostly reviewed in Chinese, meaning 35% or more of their reviews are in Simplified Chinese: 47 of 1,220 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 (23.1% of the money): 1,219 launches left. It moves the answer when that one game earned over half the money.
Keeps only launches 18 months old or newer: 386 of 1,220.
A lens moves the chance only when it differs from standard by more than a random cut of the same size would, with 5+ hits on both sides; typical earnings are compared from 100 launches, within 25%. Without the breakout moves the answer when one game earned over half the money. 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.
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