Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Niches / Story Rich / 3D
Story Rich + 3D: a typical launch earns $2,162 in its first year
That is the median of 144 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 24 of 295 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 24.7 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 33% on the year before: 256 against 192.
- Price
- $2,162 median of 144 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- +114.0% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 256 192 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 778 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 1,750 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. | 0.69%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.47% to 0.97% | 89 ranked of 779 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #351 of 7,193pairs on this board |
| Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter. | 0.98xhits against expected | 0.74x to 1.30x | 295 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #2,916 of 6,324pairs on this board |
Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches.
| −2%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam | −20% to +17% | 81 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months | #1,507 of 2,361pairs on this board |
Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal.
| −4%review growth against same-age games | −14% to +10% | 81 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 | #2,247 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
- 295
- Hit rate
- 8.1%5.9% to 11.5%
- Expected rate
- 8.4%
- Against expected
- 0.98x0.74x to 1.30x
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
295 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
- $68
- Median
- $1,516
- Top tenth
- $51,554
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
- +33%
- Against Steam
- −2%after Steam-wide growth, shrunk by 5 releases
Parent tags
- Story RichNot a genreA theme, mood, feature or presentation tag: never ranked as a market on its own, only inside pairs.
- 3DNot 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.
1000xRESIST (opens the Steam store)2024 · 5,342 reviews, 96% positiveest. $2.2M
Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream (opens the Steam store)2025 · 2,468 reviews, 95% positiveest. $2M
Riven (opens the Steam store)2024 · 2,773 reviews, 92% positiveest. $2M
MindsEye (opens the Steam store)2025 · 2,864 reviews, 48% positiveest. $1.9M
METAL GEAR SOLID - Master Collection Version (opens the Steam store)2023 · 4,367 reviews, 84% positiveest. $1.8M
METAL GEAR SOLID 4: Guns of the Patriots - Master Collection Version (opens the Steam store)2026 · 2,565 reviews, 96% positiveest. $1.6M
Wanderstop (opens the Steam store)2025 · 2,949 reviews, 92% positiveest. $1.5M
METAL GEAR SOLID 2: Sons of Liberty - Master Collection Version (opens the Steam store)2023 · 3,580 reviews, 90% positiveest. $1.4M
More with Story Rich
pairs with Story Rich- Story Rich + Narrative$13,10440 launches priced, 59 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + Historical$9,68533 launches priced, 53 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + Investigation$8,90370 launches priced, 96 releases in 12 months
- Turn-Based Strategy + Story Rich$8,09741 launches priced, 43 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + Supernatural$5,82533 launches priced, 45 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + Dating Sim$5,71476 launches priced, 97 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
- 3D + Resource Management$2,02434 launches priced, 66 releases in 12 months
- Online Co-Op + 3D$1,94275 launches priced, 153 releases in 12 months
Verdicts
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