Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Niches / Turn-Based Strategy / 2D
Turn-Based Strategy + 2D: a typical launch earns $484 in its first year
That is the median of 213 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 16 of 425 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 28.5 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 74% on the year before: 442 against 254.
- One game dominates the figure
- Price
- $484 median of 213 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- −20.2% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 442 254 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 926 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 2,386 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. | 0.18%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.12% to 0.24% | 39 ranked of 927 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #1,123 of 7,193pairs on this board |
Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter.
| 0.60xhits against expected | 0.43x to 0.85x | 425 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #5,245 of 6,324pairs on this board |
Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches.
| −27%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam | −36% to −15% | 47 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months | #2,119 of 2,361pairs on this board |
Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal.
| −7%review growth against same-age games | −17% to +3% | 47 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 | #2,364 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
- 425
- Hit rate
- 3.8%2.2% to 6.9%
- Expected rate
- 6.7%
- Against expected
- 0.60x0.43x to 0.85x
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
425 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
- $405
- Top tenth
- $22,260
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
- +74%
- Against Steam
- +27%after Steam-wide growth, shrunk by 5 releases
Parent tags
- Turn-Based StrategyGenre pageRanked on every board, with its best pairs.
- 2DNot 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.
- Mewgenics (opens the Steam store)2026 · 50,493 reviews, 89% positiveest. $29M
- SteamWorld Heist II (opens the Steam store)2024 · 2,214 reviews, 93% positiveest. $1.3M
- RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike (opens the Steam store)2026 · 4,266 reviews, 82% positiveest. $950k
- Cross Blitz (opens the Steam store)2023 · 1,560 reviews, 74% positiveest. $726k
- Decktamer (opens the Steam store)2025 · 2,095 reviews, 86% positiveest. $559k
- Cauldron (opens the Steam store)2025 · 1,691 reviews, 92% positiveest. $513k
- Slice & Dice (opens the Steam store)2024 · 2,487 reviews, 96% positiveest. $453k
- Fantasy Maiden Wars - DREAM OF THE STRAY DREAMER - (opens the Steam store)2025 · 609 reviews, 98% positiveest. $432k
More with Turn-Based Strategy
pairs with Turn-Based Strategy- Turn-Based Strategy + Story Rich$8,09741 launches priced, 43 releases in 12 months
- Turn-Based Strategy + Roguelike Deckbuilder$7,14342 launches priced, 61 releases in 12 months
- Turn-Based + Turn-Based Strategy$5,79134 launches priced, 60 releases in 12 months
- Turn-Based Strategy + Historical$4,04836 launches priced, 59 releases in 12 months
- War + Turn-Based Strategy$3,84640 launches priced, 49 releases in 12 months
- Turn-Based Strategy + Deckbuilding$3,05388 launches priced, 169 releases in 12 months
More with 2D
pairs with 2D- 2D + Roguelike Deckbuilder$6,77234 launches priced, 64 releases in 12 months
- 2D + Romance$3,28176 launches priced, 110 releases in 12 months
- War + 2D$3,16035 launches priced, 55 releases in 12 months
- 2D + Dating Sim$2,55991 launches priced, 116 releases in 12 months
- 2D + LGBTQ+$2,46550 launches priced, 85 releases in 12 months
- 2D + Historical$2,32474 launches priced, 130 releases in 12 months
Verdicts
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