Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Horror + 2D: a typical launch earns $910 in its first year
That is the median of 168 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 16 of 320 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 12.6 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 2% on the year before: 215 against 210.
- Price
- $910 median of 168 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- −6.3% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 215 210 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 533 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 1,738 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. | 0.44%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.20% to 0.73% | 51 ranked of 533 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #536 of 7,193pairs on this board |
| Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter. | 1.22xhits against expected | 0.88x to 1.71x | 320 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #1,680 of 6,324pairs on this board |
| Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches. | +42%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam | +18% to +63% | 98 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months | #278 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 | −2% to +17% | 98 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 | #465 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
- 320
- Hit rate
- 5.0%3.3% to 9.4%
- Expected rate
- 3.9%
- Against expected
- 1.22x0.88x to 1.71x
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
320 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
- $586
- Top tenth
- $23,737
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
- +2%
- Against Steam
- −24%after Steam-wide growth, shrunk by 5 releases
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.
- ANIMAL WELL (opens the Steam store)2024 · 22,873 reviews, 95% positiveest. $10M
- Five Nights at Freddy's: Into the Pit (opens the Steam store)2024 · 10,180 reviews, 95% positiveest. $4.1M
- Look Outside (opens the Steam store)2025 · 13,793 reviews, 98% positiveest. $2.7M
- Urban Myth Dissolution Center (opens the Steam store)2025 · 5,989 reviews, 88% positiveest. $1.9M
- KinitoPET (opens the Steam store)2024 · 13,472 reviews, 92% positiveest. $1.6M
- American Arcadia (opens the Steam store)2023 · 3,147 reviews, 94% positiveest. $1.2M
- Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer (opens the Steam store)2025 · 1,253 reviews, 96% positiveest. $507k
- Kugayama Shiori's Death Diary (opens the Steam store)2026 · 996 reviews, 95% positiveest. $504k
More with Horror
pairs with Horror- Horror + Co-op$7,08089 launches priced, 127 releases in 12 months
- Horror + Online Co-Op$5,819120 launches priced, 169 releases in 12 months
- Horror + Multiplayer$5,680106 launches priced, 172 releases in 12 months
- Horror + Lovecraftian$3,41850 launches priced, 72 releases in 12 months
- Horror + Roguelike$3,33937 launches priced, 73 releases in 12 months
- Horror + Text-Based$2,83130 launches priced, 65 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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