Last year, Epic Plane Evolution revived an entire genre, generating over $7M in IAP revenue and redefining what was possible with a very simple gameplay loop.
That genre is Distance Games.
The premise is simple: Players launch something as far as possible → earn rewards → upgrade → go even farther.
The fun mainly comes from two factors: “number go up” progression and the curiosity of “What’s beyond that next point?”
Bouncemasters by Azur Games was one of the genre’s biggest early hits, accumulating over 150M downloads. Other games like Crash Delivery and Jetpack Jump also found success with their own variations, and even before them, there were plenty of web-based games exploring the formula. But none managed to turn the formula into a serious IAP business.
Then came Voodoo’s Epic Plane Evolution.
Its hook was simple but powerful. Players started with just a cardboard cylinder and slowly turned it into a plane. Every extra meter and every new wing made progression feel visible and rewarding. Even though the visual curiosity eventually faded somewhat and the grind kicked in, by then, players were already hooked on reaching the finish line. And Voodoo could convert them using player segmentations and smart offers.
And it didn’t take long for another game to push the formula even further.
CrazyLabs’s Sled Surfers essentially took the Bouncemasters theme into 3D while combining it with the simple controls and progression of Epic Plane Evolution. But it added something Epic Plane Evolution couldn’t fully capitalize early on: The environment itself became part of the progression. Every mountain, slope, and optional path reinforced curiosity and fueled discovery, successfully tapping at the genre’s two fun factors.
As a result, reaching new distances felt rewarding without relying as heavily on grind to drive monetization. And it worked. In July 2026, Sled Surfers peaked at over $1M in monthly IAP revenue, surpassing Epic Plane Evolution’s all-time monthly peak.
Naturally, developers noticed. Since then, there has been plenty of distance games using similar progression systems but experimenting with different themes: skating, gliding, mowing, driving, and even major IPs like Talking Tom have taken a shot at the formula.
One that stands out among these new launches is Car Evolve, which interestingly comes from Heseri Games, the same developer behind Epic Plane Evolution.
This time, players start with a wrecked car and gradually upgrade it while traveling through environments that make better use of level design and visual discovery. It’s still nowhere near the top two, but so far, its potential looks stronger than most other recent attempts.
Today, Epic Plane Evolution is well past its peak, Sled Surfers continues to hold strong, and Car Evolve is slowly growing. But the formula itself is still holding up.
