Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
2D + Cats: a typical launch earns $642 in its first year
That is the median of 93 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 5 of 181 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 3.8 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 41% on the year before: 156 against 111.
- Price
- $642 median of 93 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- +32.2% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 156 111 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 177 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 643 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. | 0.04%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.02% to 0.05% | 7 ranked of 177 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #2,934 of 7,193pairs on this board |
| Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter. | 1.17xhits against expected | 0.80x to 1.92x | 181 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #1,877 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 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
- 181
- Hit rate
- 2.8%1.1% to 5.2%
- Expected rate
- 2.1%
- Against expected
- 1.17x0.80x to 1.92x
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
181 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
- $33
- Median
- $546
- Top tenth
- $14,238
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
- +41%
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.
- Mewgenics (opens the Steam store)2026 · 50,493 reviews, 89% positiveest. $29M
- Find Matt's Cats (opens the Steam store)2026 · 730 reviews, 98% positiveest. $296k
- Fischer's Fishing Journey (opens the Steam store)2025 · 1,582 reviews, 91% positiveest. $256k
- Morsels (opens the Steam store)2025 · 553 reviews, 75% positiveest. $168k
- HER TREES : PUZZLE DREAM (opens the Steam store)2026 · 1,960 reviews, 97% positiveest. $158k
- Tap Tap Loot (opens the Steam store)2026 · 831 reviews, 76% positiveest. $118k
- Everdeep Aurora (opens the Steam store)2025 · 176 reviews, 89% positiveest. $71k
- Stars In The Trash (opens the Steam store)2024 · 281 reviews, 97% positiveest. $68k
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
More with Cats
pairs with Cats- Adventure + Cats$1,84443 launches priced, 70 releases in 12 months
- Family Friendly + Cats$1,33045 launches priced, 62 releases in 12 months
- Point & Click + Cats$1,12857 launches priced, 110 releases in 12 months
- Cats + Cozy$1,10583 launches priced, 142 releases in 12 months
- Relaxing + Cats$887143 launches priced, 201 releases in 12 months
- Cats + Wholesome$88478 launches priced, 95 releases in 12 months
Verdicts
in developmentGMD Verdicts will be a written read on a niche, built from the same data and the published method on this site. Join the early list and we will email you when the first ones are ready. Nothing on this page is held back while you wait.