Finding no success on dating apps, way too hard to meet people IRL atm, everything seems hopeless

I am a 26-year-old heterosexual man. I've never been in a relationship. The closest relationship I had was when I talked to a girl for an entire year during the pandemic. After seeing each other three times in person, she finally told me that she just could not see past me being a good friend. I've been on and off dating apps for a very long time now and I've never been successful in them because I simply just can't get matches. I have a financially stable career, and everyone I've asked for advice says that I have a good personality including my therapist. I'm not convinced that the reason I've always been unsuccessful with the opposite sex is because I'm just plain unattractive or not good enough for women nowadays. Dating to me right now feels so competitive. It's no longer about being the right person to someone or finding someone that's right for you. Rather, it's about being the best "option". I have to be better than all the other single men and that means being more physically fit than them, smarter, and being wealthier. I absolutely hate this because it puts so much pressure on me as someone who literally just wants to find someone compatible with them. But now, I have to physically fit, I have to play games with women so I don't look desperate, I have to make sure I don't look like a simp so I can't be too nice I have to be mean too because apparently that's what most people want nowadays. Long story short, everything just seems hopeless for average looking men nowadays.