Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Niches / Action / Psychological
Action + Psychological: a typical launch earns $505 in its first year
That is the median of 39 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 2 of 97 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 2.6 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 49% on the year before: 67 against 45.
- Big publishers: over 85% from majors or $40+ games
- One game dominates the figure
- Price
- $505 median of 39 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- −37.1% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 67 45 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 160 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 374 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.
| 0.15%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.03% to 0.29% | 10 ranked of 160 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #5,325 of 7,193pairs on this board |
Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter.
| 0.90xhits against expected | 0.66x to 1.59x | 97 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #3,432 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
- 97
- Hit rate
- 2.1%0.0% to 5.4%
- Expected rate
- 2.6%
- Against expected
- 0.90x0.66x to 1.59x
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
97 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
- $809
- Top tenth
- $16,344
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
- +49%
Parent tags
- ActionNot a genreA theme, mood, feature or presentation tag: never ranked as a market on its own, only inside pairs.
- PsychologicalNot 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.
- Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (opens the Steam store)2024 · 3,125 reviews, 93% positiveest. $1.6M
- Supernatural (opens the Steam store)2024 · 1,187 reviews, 63% positiveest. $216k
- Dementium: The Ward (opens the Steam store)2025 · 278 reviews, 87% positiveest. $84k
- [Bober Bros] The Hole (opens the Steam store)2024 · 784 reviews, 85% positiveest. $47k
- [Bober Bros] No Means Nothing (opens the Steam store)2025 · 412 reviews, 94% positiveest. $42k
- WISE GUYS (opens the Steam store)2026 · 195 reviews, 90% positiveest. $35k
- Ire: A Prologue (opens the Steam store)2025 · 77 reviews, 61% positiveest. $31k
- Creepy Shift: Uncle Joe’s Motel (opens the Steam store)2026 · 182 reviews, 90% positiveest. $26k
More with Action
pairs with Action- Action + Mechs$7,85932 launches priced, 46 releases in 12 months
- Action + Bullet Heaven$6,31331 launches priced, 177 releases in 12 months
- Action + Co-op$3,733172 launches priced, 259 releases in 12 months
- Action + Team-Based$2,97239 launches priced, 71 releases in 12 months
- Action + Metroidvania$2,893107 launches priced, 128 releases in 12 months
- Action + Fighting$2,52840 launches priced, 34 releases in 12 months
More with Psychological
pairs with Psychological- Psychological + Walking Simulator$1,81661 launches priced, 78 releases in 12 months
- Surreal + Psychological$1,78330 launches priced, 41 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + Psychological$1,57670 launches priced, 122 releases in 12 months
- Psychological + Multiple Endings$1,45530 launches priced, 59 releases in 12 months
- Thriller + Psychological$1,37437 launches priced, 52 releases in 12 months
- Psychological Horror + Psychological$1,354130 launches priced, 188 releases in 12 months
Verdicts
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