Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Niches / Pixel Graphics / 2D Platformer
Pixel Graphics + 2D Platformer: a typical launch earns $303 in its first year
That is the median of 424 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 28 of 831 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 38.1 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 6% on the year before: 535 against 504.
- Price
- $303 median of 424 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- −34.7% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 535 504 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 1,195 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 3,955 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. | 0.57%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.28% to 1.06% | 76 ranked of 1,196 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #422 of 7,193pairs on this board |
| Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter. | 0.75xhits against expected | 0.57x to 1.00x | 831 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #4,379 of 6,324pairs on this board |
| Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches. | +40%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam | +24% to +54% | 106 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months | #300 of 2,361pairs on this board |
| Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal. | +10%review growth against same-age games | 0% to +20% | 106 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 | #301 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
- 831
- Hit rate
- 3.4%2.9% to 6.2%
- Expected rate
- 4.6%
- Against expected
- 0.75x0.57x to 1.00x
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
831 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
- $16,597
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
- +6%
- Against Steam
- −22%after Steam-wide growth, shrunk by 5 releases
Parent tags
- Pixel GraphicsNot a genreA theme, mood, feature or presentation tag: never ranked as a market on its own, only inside pairs.
- 2D PlatformerGenre pageRanked on every board, with its best 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.
- Mina the Hollower (opens the Steam store)2026 · 7,664 reviews, 87% positiveest. $3M
- Castlevania Dominus Collection (opens the Steam store)2024 · 2,384 reviews, 94% positiveest. $1.2M
- NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound (opens the Steam store)2025 · 2,509 reviews, 91% positiveest. $1.2M
- Öoo (opens the Steam store)2025 · 6,628 reviews, 99% positiveest. $1.1M
- Terminator 2D: NO FATE (opens the Steam store)2025 · 1,463 reviews, 84% positiveest. $888k
- Aeruta (opens the Steam store)2024 · 2,419 reviews, 94% positiveest. $797k
- Gestalt: Steam & Cinder (opens the Steam store)2024 · 1,883 reviews, 79% positiveest. $762k
- Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo (opens the Steam store)2025 · 2,011 reviews, 97% positiveest. $718k
More with Pixel Graphics
pairs with Pixel Graphics- Pixel Graphics + Tactical RPG$3,27132 launches priced, 42 releases in 12 months
- Metroidvania + Pixel Graphics$2,73164 launches priced, 75 releases in 12 months
- Pixel Graphics + Turn-Based Combat$2,18391 launches priced, 128 releases in 12 months
- Pixel Graphics + Collectathon$1,85847 launches priced, 78 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + Pixel Graphics$1,849182 launches priced, 221 releases in 12 months
- Pixel Graphics + Female Protagonist$1,69299 launches priced, 140 releases in 12 months
More with 2D Platformer
pairs with 2D Platformer- Metroidvania + 2D Platformer$1,78091 launches priced, 107 releases in 12 months
- Anime + 2D Platformer$1,17390 launches priced, 113 releases in 12 months
- 2D Platformer + Souls-like$96931 launches priced, 35 releases in 12 months
- Sci-fi + 2D Platformer$84935 launches priced, 59 releases in 12 months
- 2D Platformer + Female Protagonist$84281 launches priced, 102 releases in 12 months
- Hack and Slash + 2D Platformer$72841 launches priced, 55 releases in 12 months
Verdicts
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