Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Niches / Detective / Choices Matter
Detective + Choices Matter: 47 releases in the last 12 months
There is no price yet: it needs 30 or more indie paid launches in the last four complete quarters. 5 of 58 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 4.1 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 68% on the year before: 47 against 28.
- One game dominates the figure
- Price
- n/a under 30 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- n/a no price
- Releases, 12 months
- 47 28 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 198 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 419 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.
| 0.23%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.11% to 0.39% | 36 ranked of 198 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #4,941 of 7,193pairs on this board |
Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter.
| 1.12xhits against expected | 0.77x to 1.78x | 58 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #2,098 of 6,324pairs on this board |
Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches.
| −14%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam | −42% to +35% | 28 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months | #1,862 of 2,361pairs on this board |
Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal.
| 0%review growth against same-age games | −15% to +14% | 28 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 | #2,000 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
- 58
- Hit rate
- 8.6%3.7% to 17.4%
- Expected rate
- 7.1%
- Against expected
- 1.12x0.77x to 1.78x
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
58 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
- $155
- Median
- $1,241
- Top tenth
- $66,093
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
- +68%
- Against Steam
- +16%after Steam-wide growth, shrunk by 5 releases
Parent tags
- DetectiveNot a genreA theme, mood, feature or presentation tag: never ranked as a market on its own, only inside pairs.
- Choices MatterNot 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.
- Back to the Dawn (opens the Steam store)2023 · 8,575 reviews, 94% positiveest. $2.8M
- The Thaumaturge (opens the Steam store)2024 · 3,918 reviews, 81% positiveest. $2.6M
- The Rise of the Golden Idol (opens the Steam store)2024 · 3,797 reviews, 92% positiveest. $1.5M
- 再见断刀 (opens the Steam store)2025 · 2,591 reviews, 92% positiveest. $297k
- Best Served Cold (opens the Steam store)2025 · 678 reviews, 87% positiveest. $247k
- The Posthumous Investigation (opens the Steam store)2026 · 558 reviews, 94% positiveest. $226k
- Forensics: Crime Scene Detective (opens the Steam store)2026 · 298 reviews, 63% positiveest. $151k
- Heaven Does Not Respond (opens the Steam store)2026 · 540 reviews, 90% positiveest. $109k
More with Detective
pairs with Detective- Visual Novel + Detective$5,29368 launches priced, 134 releases in 12 months
- Detective + Mystery$5,207106 launches priced, 184 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + Detective$4,125108 launches priced, 153 releases in 12 months
- Detective + Investigation$3,96395 launches priced, 150 releases in 12 months
- Point & Click + Detective$2,10470 launches priced, 109 releases in 12 months
- Exploration + Detective$1,94182 launches priced, 113 releases in 12 months
More with Choices Matter
pairs with Choices Matter- Choices Matter + Management$6,87135 launches priced, 79 releases in 12 months
- Mystery + Choices Matter$6,00949 launches priced, 114 releases in 12 months
- Choices Matter + Dating Sim$4,06442 launches priced, 66 releases in 12 months
- RPG + Choices Matter$3,339128 launches priced, 212 releases in 12 months
- Character Customization + Choices Matter$3,15735 launches priced, 42 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + Choices Matter$3,038225 launches priced, 352 releases in 12 months
Verdicts
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