Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Strategy + Space: a typical launch earns $708 in its first year
That is the median of 76 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 13 of 165 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 11.7 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 61% on the year before: 140 against 87.
- Price
- $708 median of 76 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- +59.1% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 140 87 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 437 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 1,248 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.
| 1.28%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.23% to 2.95% | 32 ranked of 437 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #4,205 of 7,193pairs on this board |
| Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter. | 1.09xhits against expected | 0.77x to 1.55x | 165 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #2,293 of 6,324pairs on this board |
Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches.
| −10%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam | −30% to +16% | 32 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months | #1,737 of 2,361pairs on this board |
Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal.
| +5%review growth against same-age games | −6% to +19% | 32 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 | #1,716 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
- 165
- Hit rate
- 7.9%4.2% to 14.0%
- Expected rate
- 7.1%
- Against expected
- 1.09x0.77x to 1.55x
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
165 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
- $570
- Top tenth
- $74,324
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
- +61%
- Against Steam
- +16%after Steam-wide growth, shrunk by 5 releases
Parent tags
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.
- Star Trek: Voyager - Across the Unknown (opens the Steam store)2026 · 4,178 reviews, 79% positiveest. $3M
- The Crust (opens the Steam store)2024 · 3,764 reviews, 75% positiveest. $2.4M
- Void War (opens the Steam store)2025 · 3,683 reviews, 94% positiveest. $1.5M
- ERA ONE (opens the Steam store)2025 · 1,582 reviews, 87% positiveest. $961k
- Creeper World IXE (opens the Steam store)2024 · 858 reviews, 69% positiveest. $347k
- Outworld Station (opens the Steam store)2025 · 817 reviews, 84% positiveest. $314k
- Down with the Ship (opens the Steam store)2026 · 834 reviews, 93% positiveest. $253k
- Annihilate The Spance (opens the Steam store)2025 · 348 reviews, 89% positiveest. $211k
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 Space
pairs with Space- Space + Exploration$2,02365 launches priced, 110 releases in 12 months
- Space + PvE$80933 launches priced, 38 releases in 12 months
- Simulation + Space$55452 launches priced, 154 releases in 12 months
- Space + Roguelite$45431 launches priced, 46 releases in 12 months
- Space + Space Sim$40446 launches priced, 106 releases in 12 months
- Adventure + Space$36970 launches priced, 96 releases in 12 months
Verdicts
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