Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Niches / Arcade / Local Multiplayer
Arcade + Local Multiplayer: a typical launch earns $657 in its first year
That is the median of 54 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 4 of 129 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 6.2 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 58% on the year before: 104 against 66.
- One game dominates the figure
- Price
- $657 median of 54 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- +1.9% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 104 66 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 180 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 816 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. | 0.03%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.02% to 0.04% | 10 ranked of 180 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #3,181 of 7,193pairs on this board |
Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter.
| 0.76xhits against expected | 0.52x to 1.27x | 129 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #4,352 of 6,324pairs on this board |
Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches.
| −13%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam | −33% to +13% | 26 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months | #1,816 of 2,361pairs on this board |
Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal.
| −1%review growth against same-age games | −10% to +9% | 26 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 | #2,073 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
- 129
- Hit rate
- 3.1%0.6% to 5.9%
- Expected rate
- 4.8%
- Against expected
- 0.76x0.52x to 1.27x
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
129 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
- $323
- Top tenth
- $6,005
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
- +58%
- Against Steam
- +13%after Steam-wide growth, shrunk by 5 releases
Parent tags
- ArcadeGenre pageRanked on every board, with its best pairs.
- Local MultiplayerNot 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.
- LEGO® Party! (opens the Steam store)2025 · 1,128 reviews, 87% positiveest. $913k
- HOT WHEELS UNLEASHED™ 2 - Turbocharged (opens the Steam store)2023 · 955 reviews, 77% positiveest. $773k
- Victory Heat Rally (opens the Steam store)2024 · 605 reviews, 88% positiveest. $245k
- Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate (opens the Steam store)2025 · 205 reviews, 84% positiveest. $104k
- Bang Average Football – Play, Manage, Create (opens the Steam store)2024 · 417 reviews, 95% positiveest. $101k
- Die by the Blade (opens the Steam store)2024 · 127 reviews, 57% positiveest. $51k
- Deathwish Enforcers Special Edition (opens the Steam store)2024 · 126 reviews, 84% positiveest. $51k
- Super Alloy Crush (opens the Steam store)2026 · 197 reviews, 89% positiveest. $48k
More with Arcade
pairs with Arcade- Co-op + Arcade$1,37646 launches priced, 69 releases in 12 months
- Arcade + Twin Stick Shooter$1,01169 launches priced, 100 releases in 12 months
- Arcade + Female Protagonist$96168 launches priced, 82 releases in 12 months
- Arcade + Local Co-Op$96050 launches priced, 58 releases in 12 months
- Arcade + Anime$91052 launches priced, 96 releases in 12 months
- Arcade + Difficult$80679 launches priced, 145 releases in 12 months
More with Local Multiplayer
pairs with Local Multiplayer- Local Co-Op + Local Multiplayer$1,61847 launches priced, 71 releases in 12 months
- Multiplayer + Local Multiplayer$93984 launches priced, 142 releases in 12 months
- Funny + Local Multiplayer$91940 launches priced, 52 releases in 12 months
- Action + Local Multiplayer$76884 launches priced, 147 releases in 12 months
- 4 Player Local + Local Multiplayer$70769 launches priced, 89 releases in 12 months
- PvP + Local Multiplayer$60667 launches priced, 137 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.