Hand-drawn hidden-object puzzles of real neighborhoods
Search large ink drawings of real streets and markets for hidden people and objects; calm, untimed, no ads.
- Game
- Cozy
- Medium build
- 3-4 months (artist + developer)
- Researched by ProjPilot
The problem
Hidden-object games get heavy search traffic, but many are older casual titles with timers and busy photo collages. The newer hand-drawn games sell as paid downloads with a handful of scenes each. Scenes based on real places, with a short note on each, give players a reason to explore and come back.
For: Cozy and casual players · Illustration fans · Parents playing with kids
Why now
Wooga's June's Journey passed $1 billion in lifetime gross revenue as a hidden-object game in 2023, and PC Gamer profiled a Steam creator who shipped 42 small cozy hidden-object games in two years.
Demand signals
Monthly Google searches in the US, pulled 2026-09-24. These are the words people with this problem actually type.
What exists already
- Hidden Folks ↗Hand-drawn classic from 2017 (about $5.99 on mobile); a sequel is due in 2027.
- Hidden Through Time ↗Hand-drawn scenes through history, $7.99 on Steam; Windows and macOS.
- Travellin Cats in USA ↗Find-the-cats scenes of real US cities ($3.99, 2026); Windows only.
- Big Fish Games ↗Large catalog of classic hidden-object titles at $9.99-$19.98 each, or a $6.99/month club.
MVP scope
- Large zoomable hand-drawn scenes, one per neighborhood
- 20-40 hidden items per scene with small animations when found
- No timers or penalties; optional hints
- Short notes about each real place after finishing a scene
- Touch and mouse controls that work well on tablets and in the browser
- New scene packs every few months
How it could make money
- Premium $5.99 with 6 scenes; scene packs $1.99
- Free web demo scene
Suggested stack
- Godot 4
- Tiled deep-zoom images
- Procreate or Clip Studio Paint for art
Comments 0
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