Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Niches / Co-op / Exploration
Co-op + Exploration: a typical launch earns $5,147 in its first year
That is the median of 62 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 26 of 114 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 9.3 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 51% on the year before: 101 against 67.
- Price
- $5,147 median of 62 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- −14.4% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 101 67 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 421 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 717 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. | 2.45%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 1.68% to 3.65% | 97 ranked of 421 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #88 of 7,193pairs on this board |
| Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter. | 2.35xhits against expected | 1.82x to 3.01x | 114 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #55 of 6,324pairs on this board |
| Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches. | 0%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam | −28% to +30% | 46 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months | #1,427 of 2,361pairs on this board |
| Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal. | +9%review growth against same-age games | −2% to +20% | 46 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 | #343 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
- 114
- Hit rate
- 22.8%17.9% to 37.0%
- Expected rate
- 8.2%
- Against expected
- 2.35x1.82x to 3.01x
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
114 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
- $260
- Median
- $10,053
- Top tenth
- $1,073,902
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
- +51%
- Against Steam
- +9%after Steam-wide growth, shrunk by 5 releases
Parent tags
- Co-opNot a genreA theme, mood, feature or presentation tag: never ranked as a market on its own, only inside pairs.
- ExplorationNot a genreA theme, mood, feature or presentation tag: never ranked as a market on its own, only inside pairs.
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.
- Lethal Company (opens the Steam store)2023 · 411,708 reviews, 97% positiveest. $82M
- Subnautica 2 (opens the Steam store)2026 · 117,367 reviews, 91% positiveest. $69M
- PEAK (opens the Steam store)2025 · 304,996 reviews, 94% positiveest. $48M
- RV There Yet? (opens the Steam store)2025 · 74,481 reviews, 90% positiveest. $12M
- Content Warning (opens the Steam store)2024 · 72,658 reviews, 93% positiveest. $12M
- Drive Beyond Horizons (opens the Steam store)2025 · 17,980 reviews, 77% positiveest. $9M
- Nightingale (opens the Steam store)2024 · 15,338 reviews, 66% positiveest. $9M
- StarRupture (opens the Steam store)2026 · 12,406 reviews, 80% positiveest. $4.9M
More with Co-op
pairs with Co-op- Co-op + PvE$16,63155 launches priced, 88 releases in 12 months
- Co-op + First-Person$11,81190 launches priced, 133 releases in 12 months
- Co-op + Action Roguelike$10,63341 launches priced, 58 releases in 12 months
- Survival + Co-op$7,36134 launches priced, 70 releases in 12 months
- Horror + Co-op$7,08089 launches priced, 127 releases in 12 months
- Simulation + Co-op$6,44568 launches priced, 108 releases in 12 months
More with Exploration
pairs with Exploration- Exploration + Cozy$24,01549 launches priced, 99 releases in 12 months
- Exploration + Open World Survival Craft$13,97334 launches priced, 26 releases in 12 months
- Driving + Exploration$10,40830 launches priced, 42 releases in 12 months
- Exploration + Multiplayer$8,00174 launches priced, 137 releases in 12 months
- Exploration + Online Co-Op$7,08069 launches priced, 134 releases in 12 months
- Metroidvania + Exploration$4,85889 launches priced, 137 releases in 12 months
Verdicts
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