Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026

Pixel Graphics + Dark: a typical launch earns $191 in its first year

That is the median of 72 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 7 of 153 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 5.8 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 36% on the year before: 118 against 87.

Price: $191
Price vs a year earlier: −79.5%
Releases, 12 months: 118
Upcoming games: 279
Games on the store: 742

Boards

as of 30 Sep 2026

Where this pair stands on each board of the front page. Every value carries its 90% interval and its sample.

Pixel Graphics + Dark on each board
Board	Value	Interval	Sample	Standing
Most anticipatedShare of all upcoming wishlist heat on Steam, with the number of upcoming games beside it. One game dominates the figure Listed after unflagged rows on this board	0.17%share of upcoming wishlist heat	0.08% to 0.30%	29 ranked of 279 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026	#5,196 of 7,193pairs on this board
Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter.	1.14xhits against expected	0.77x to 1.77x	153 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old)	#2,031 of 6,324pairs on this board
Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches.	+2%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam	−21% to +29%	30 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months	#1,387 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	−7% to +9%	30 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025	#808 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 old

Matured indie paid launches that earned an estimated $100k or more, against the number expected for games at the same price tier and launch quarter.

Hits: 7
Expected: 5.8

Launches: 153
Hit rate: 4.6%2.7% to 10.2%
Expected rate: 3.8%
Against expected: 1.14x0.77x to 1.77x

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

153 launches

Estimated 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: $424
Top tenth: $24,019

Estimated from Steam review counts. Lifetime to date, so it differs from the first-year price above.

Supply

raw release counts

Games released with both tags, last 12 months against the 12 before.

Last 12 months: 118
Prior 12 months: 87

Change: +36%
Against Steam: −1%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.
DarkNot a genreA theme, mood, feature or presentation tag: never ranked as a market on its own, only inside pairs.

Comparable games

8 indie titles

The 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.

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

Every pair with Pixel Graphics

More with Dark

pairs with Dark

RPG + Dark$3,32642 launches priced, 68 releases in 12 months
Dark + Female Protagonist$3,04831 launches priced, 31 releases in 12 months
Dark + Supernatural$2,48942 launches priced, 63 releases in 12 months
Story Rich + Dark$2,427120 launches priced, 161 releases in 12 months
Dark + Choices Matter$2,30338 launches priced, 62 releases in 12 months
Visual Novel + Dark$1,85867 launches priced, 112 releases in 12 months

Every pair with Dark

Verdicts

in development

GMD 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.