Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Niches / Pixel Graphics / Bullet Hell
Pixel Graphics + Bullet Hell: a typical launch earns $483 in its first year
That is the median of 180 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 14 of 356 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 11.3 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 34% on the year before: 267 against 199.
- Price
- $483 median of 180 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- −46.3% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 267 199 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 535 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 1,681 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.
| 0.18%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.08% to 0.34% | 26 ranked of 537 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #5,133 of 7,193pairs on this board |
| Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter. | 1.19xhits against expected | 0.85x to 1.71x | 356 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #1,793 of 6,324pairs on this board |
| Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches. | 0%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam | −15% to +19% | 51 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months | #1,456 of 2,361pairs on this board |
| Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal. | −3%review growth against same-age games | −12% to +10% | 51 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 | #931 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
- 356
- Hit rate
- 3.9%2.9% to 6.2%
- Expected rate
- 3.2%
- Against expected
- 1.19x0.85x 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
356 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
- $485
- Top tenth
- $11,974
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
- +34%
- Against Steam
- −2%after Steam-wide growth, shrunk by 5 releases
Parent tags
- Pixel GraphicsNot a genreA theme, mood, feature or presentation tag: never ranked as a market on its own, only inside pairs.
- Bullet HellGenre pageRanked on every board, with its best 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.
- DELTARUNE (opens the Steam store)2025 · 126,392 reviews, 98% positiveest. $63M
- BALL x PIT (opens the Steam store)2025 · 24,912 reviews, 95% positiveest. $7.2M
- Death Must Die (opens the Steam store)2023 · 20,960 reviews, 90% positiveest. $2.9M
- TEVI (opens the Steam store)2023 · 3,587 reviews, 88% positiveest. $1.7M
- Deadly Days: Roadtrip (opens the Steam store)2025 · 2,882 reviews, 87% positiveest. $766k
- Neon Abyss 2 (opens the Steam store)2025 · 2,004 reviews, 69% positiveest. $580k
- Angel at Dusk (opens the Steam store)2024 · 1,679 reviews, 98% positiveest. $510k
- Fantasy Maiden Wars - DREAM OF THE STRAY DREAMER - (opens the Steam store)2025 · 609 reviews, 98% positiveest. $432k
More with Pixel Graphics
pairs with Pixel Graphics- Pixel Graphics + Tactical RPG$3,27132 launches priced, 42 releases in 12 months
- Metroidvania + Pixel Graphics$2,73164 launches priced, 75 releases in 12 months
- Pixel Graphics + Turn-Based Combat$2,18391 launches priced, 128 releases in 12 months
- Pixel Graphics + Collectathon$1,85847 launches priced, 78 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + Pixel Graphics$1,849182 launches priced, 221 releases in 12 months
- Pixel Graphics + Female Protagonist$1,69299 launches priced, 140 releases in 12 months
More with Bullet Hell
pairs with Bullet Hell- Bullet Hell + Bullet Heaven$14,81455 launches priced, 178 releases in 12 months
- Bullet Hell + Female Protagonist$4,45135 launches priced, 39 releases in 12 months
- Difficult + Bullet Hell$2,12150 launches priced, 58 releases in 12 months
- Twin Stick Shooter + Bullet Hell$1,69964 launches priced, 104 releases in 12 months
- Hack and Slash + Bullet Hell$1,41563 launches priced, 86 releases in 12 months
- Bullet Hell + Procedural Generation$1,36634 launches priced, 34 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.