Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Niches / Strategy / Pixel Graphics
Strategy + Pixel Graphics: a typical launch earns $405 in its first year
That is the median of 356 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 35 of 697 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 27.4 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 59% on the year before: 649 against 407.
- Price
- $405 median of 356 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- +0.1% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 649 407 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 1,440 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 3,689 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. | 0.36%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.25% to 0.49% | 63 ranked of 1,440 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #642 of 7,193pairs on this board |
| Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter. | 1.25xhits against expected | 0.98x to 1.61x | 697 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #1,526 of 6,324pairs on this board |
| Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches. | −15%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam | −28% to −2% | 88 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months | #1,871 of 2,361pairs on this board |
| Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal. | 0%review growth against same-age games | −9% to +13% | 88 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 | #822 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
- 697
- Hit rate
- 5.0%3.8% to 7.3%
- Expected rate
- 3.9%
- Against expected
- 1.25x0.98x to 1.61x
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
697 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
- $404
- Top tenth
- $23,821
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
- +59%
- Against Steam
- +17%after Steam-wide growth, shrunk by 5 releases
Parent tags
- StrategyGenre pageRanked on every board, with its best pairs.
- Pixel GraphicsNot 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.
- Balatro (opens the Steam store)2024 · 161,221 reviews, 97% positiveest. $46M
- UFO 50 (opens the Steam store)2024 · 7,144 reviews, 94% positiveest. $3.6M
- Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors (opens the Steam store)2026 · 18,708 reviews, 96% positiveest. $3.3M
- Cobalt Core (opens the Steam store)2023 · 4,082 reviews, 95% positiveest. $1.7M
- Beholder: Conductor (opens the Steam store)2025 · 4,658 reviews, 91% positiveest. $1.3M
- Everything is Crab: The Animal Evolution Roguelite (opens the Steam store)2026 · 6,950 reviews, 76% positiveest. $1.2M
- Slots & Daggers (opens the Steam store)2025 · 7,454 reviews, 93% positiveest. $1.2M
- Arco (opens the Steam store)2024 · 2,195 reviews, 96% positiveest. $889k
More with Strategy
pairs with Strategy- Strategy + Roguelike Deckbuilder$8,599104 launches priced, 217 releases in 12 months
- Strategy + Base Building$6,139160 launches priced, 260 releases in 12 months
- Strategy + Turn-Based$5,85566 launches priced, 104 releases in 12 months
- Strategy + Historical$4,25980 launches priced, 157 releases in 12 months
- Strategy + Party-Based RPG$3,88255 launches priced, 102 releases in 12 months
- Strategy + Story Rich$3,64284 launches priced, 149 releases in 12 months
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
Verdicts
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