Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Action + 2D: a typical launch earns $242 in its first year
That is the median of 1,241 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 71 of 2,541 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 101.6 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 34% on the year before: 2,016 against 1,501.
- Price
- $242 median of 1,241 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- −20.2% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 2,016 1,501 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 4,331 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 14,373 carrying both tags
Boards
as of 30 Sep 2026Where this pair stands on each board of the front page. Every value carries its 90% interval and its sample.
| Board | Value | Interval | Sample | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most anticipatedShare of all upcoming wishlist heat on Steam, with the number of upcoming games beside it. | 1.80%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.97% to 3.06% | 187 ranked of 4,334 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #124 of 7,193pairs on this board |
| Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter. | 0.71xhits against expected | 0.59x to 0.85x | 2,541 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #4,690 of 6,324pairs on this board |
| Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches. | +4%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam | −6% to +12% | 266 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months | #1,306 of 2,361pairs on this board |
| Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal. | +3%review growth against same-age games | −2% to +9% | 266 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 | #683 of 2,461pairs on this board |
Pairs are noisier than genres: the demand boards at pair level are indicative only.
Launch success
launches 6 to 30 months oldMatured indie paid launches that earned an estimated $100k or more, against the number expected for games at the same price tier and launch quarter.
- Launches
- 2,541
- Hit rate
- 2.8%2.1% to 5.4%
- Expected rate
- 4.0%
- Against expected
- 0.71x0.59x to 0.85x
Launch window: indie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old). Hit odds are shrunk toward the Steam-wide rate by 3 expected hits.
Revenue spread
2,541 launchesEstimated lifetime gross of the same matured launches. Half earned less than the median; one in ten earned more than the top figure.
- Bottom tenth
- $0
- Median
- $202
- Top tenth
- $10,321
Estimated from Steam review counts. Lifetime to date, so it differs from the first-year price above.
Supply
raw release countsGames released with both tags, last 12 months against the 12 before.
- Change
- +34%
- Against Steam
- −1%after Steam-wide growth, shrunk by 5 releases
Parent tags
Comparable games
8 indie titlesThe biggest indie games in this pair by estimated lifetime gross. Revenue is shown as a number at 50 or more reviews, as a range at 10 to 49, and not at all below 10.
- Nine Sols (opens the Steam store)2024 · 40,347 reviews, 94% positiveest. $23M
- ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist (opens the Steam store)2024 · 17,206 reviews, 95% positiveest. $7.2M
- Five Nights at Freddy's: Into the Pit (opens the Steam store)2024 · 10,180 reviews, 95% positiveest. $4.1M
- UFO 50 (opens the Steam store)2024 · 7,144 reviews, 94% positiveest. $3.6M
- Rotwood (opens the Steam store)2024 · 7,462 reviews, 74% positiveest. $3.4M
- Mina the Hollower (opens the Steam store)2026 · 7,664 reviews, 87% positiveest. $3M
- Death Must Die (opens the Steam store)2023 · 20,960 reviews, 90% positiveest. $2.9M
- The Last Faith (opens the Steam store)2023 · 4,677 reviews, 83% positiveest. $2.4M
More with Action
pairs with Action- Action + Mechs$7,85932 launches priced, 46 releases in 12 months
- Action + Bullet Heaven$6,31331 launches priced, 177 releases in 12 months
- Action + Co-op$3,733172 launches priced, 259 releases in 12 months
- Action + Team-Based$2,97239 launches priced, 71 releases in 12 months
- Action + Metroidvania$2,893107 launches priced, 128 releases in 12 months
- Action + Fighting$2,52840 launches priced, 34 releases in 12 months
More with 2D
pairs with 2D- 2D + Roguelike Deckbuilder$6,77234 launches priced, 64 releases in 12 months
- 2D + Romance$3,28176 launches priced, 110 releases in 12 months
- War + 2D$3,16035 launches priced, 55 releases in 12 months
- 2D + Dating Sim$2,55991 launches priced, 116 releases in 12 months
- 2D + LGBTQ+$2,46550 launches priced, 85 releases in 12 months
- 2D + Historical$2,32474 launches priced, 130 releases in 12 months
Verdicts
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