Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Action + 3D: a typical launch earns $304 in its first year
That is the median of 1,203 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 82 of 2,449 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 122.0 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 23% on the year before: 1,904 against 1,552.
- Price
- $304 median of 1,203 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- −5.9% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 1,904 1,552 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 5,743 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 13,593 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. | 7.26%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 4.00% to 10.09% | 393 ranked of 5,746 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #23 of 7,193pairs on this board |
| Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter. | 0.68xhits against expected | 0.57x to 0.81x | 2,449 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #4,845 of 6,324pairs on this board |
| Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches. | +14%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam | +5% to +24% | 323 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months | #960 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 | −3% to +7% | 323 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 | #693 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
- 2,449
- Hit rate
- 3.4%2.3% to 4.8%
- Expected rate
- 5.0%
- Against expected
- 0.68x0.57x to 0.81x
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
2,449 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
- $303
- Top tenth
- $11,976
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
- +23%
- Against Steam
- −10%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.
- Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic (opens the Steam store)2025 · 10,957 reviews, 86% positiveest. $8.9M
- Tempest Rising (opens the Steam store)2025 · 9,865 reviews, 87% positiveest. $7.6M
- Shape of Dreams (opens the Steam store)2025 · 16,209 reviews, 89% positiveest. $7.3M
- DragonSword : Awakening (opens the Steam store)2026 · 10,938 reviews, 88% positiveest. $5.8M
- IRON NEST: Heavy Turret Simulator (opens the Steam store)2026 · 13,930 reviews, 97% positiveest. $5.3M
- STAR WARS™: Battlefront Classic Collection (opens the Steam store)2024 · 7,125 reviews, 23% positiveest. $5.1M
- Nuclear Option (opens the Steam store)2023 · 10,455 reviews, 95% positiveest. $4.2M
- Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft (opens the Steam store)2024 · 6,903 reviews, 85% positiveest. $4.2M
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 3D
pairs with 3D- 3D + Dark Humor$3,90132 launches priced, 46 releases in 12 months
- 3D + Cozy$3,23738 launches priced, 91 releases in 12 months
- 3D + Economy$3,15761 launches priced, 109 releases in 12 months
- 3D + Management$2,196130 launches priced, 192 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + 3D$2,162144 launches priced, 256 releases in 12 months
- 3D + Resource Management$2,02434 launches priced, 66 releases in 12 months
Verdicts
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