Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026

Pixel Graphics + Linear: a typical launch earns $303 in its first year

That is the median of 95 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 3 of 199 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 4.7 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 20% on the year before: 138 against 115.

China market: over 35% of reviews are Chinese

Price: $303
Price vs a year earlier: −6.3%
Releases, 12 months: 138
Upcoming games: 206
Games on the store: 795

Boards

as of 30 Sep 2026

Where this pair stands on each board of the front page. Every value carries its 90% interval and its sample.

Pixel Graphics + Linear on each board
Board	Value	Interval	Sample	Standing
Most anticipatedShare of all upcoming wishlist heat on Steam, with the number of upcoming games beside it.	0.02%share of upcoming wishlist heat	0.01% to 0.02%	8 ranked of 206 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026	#3,529 of 7,193pairs on this board
Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter. China market: over 35% of reviews are Chinese Listed after unflagged rows on this board	0.78xhits against expected	0.55x to 1.35x	199 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old)	#6,217 of 6,324pairs on this board
Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches.	Below this board's minimum sample, so not ranked. Needs 15 or more tracked games and 20 or more releases in each 12-month period.
Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal.	Below this board's minimum sample, so not ranked. Needs 15 or more tracked games and 1,000 reviews in each window.

Pairs are noisier than genres: the demand boards at pair level are indicative only.

Launch success

launches 6 to 30 months old

Matured indie paid launches that earned an estimated $100k or more, against the number expected for games at the same price tier and launch quarter.

Hits: 3
Expected: 4.7

Launches: 199
Hit rate: 1.5%0.5% to 3.1%
Expected rate: 2.4%
Against expected: 0.78x0.55x to 1.35x

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

199 launches

Estimated 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: $261
Top tenth: $7,040

Estimated from Steam review counts. Lifetime to date, so it differs from the first-year price above.

Supply

raw release counts

Games released with both tags, last 12 months against the 12 before.

Last 12 months: 138
Prior 12 months: 115

Change: +20%

Parent tags

Pixel GraphicsNot a genreA theme, mood, feature or presentation tag: never ranked as a market on its own, only inside pairs.
LinearNot a genreA theme, mood, feature or presentation tag: never ranked as a market on its own, only inside pairs.

Comparable games

8 indie titles

The 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.

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

Every pair with Pixel Graphics

More with Linear

pairs with Linear

Walking Simulator + Linear$1,56566 launches priced, 92 releases in 12 months
Psychological Horror + Linear$1,11182 launches priced, 104 releases in 12 months
Story Rich + Linear$91095 launches priced, 129 releases in 12 months
Visual Novel + Linear$84831 launches priced, 69 releases in 12 months
Horror + Linear$808121 launches priced, 153 releases in 12 months
Female Protagonist + Linear$79940 launches priced, 57 releases in 12 months

Every pair with Linear

Verdicts

in development

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