Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026

PvP + PvE: a typical launch earns $607 in its first year

That is the median of 87 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 14 of 181 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 16.1 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 57% on the year before: 225 against 143.

Big publishers: over 85% from majors or $40+ games

Price: $607
Price vs a year earlier: −50.0%
Releases, 12 months: 225
Upcoming games: 750
Games on the store: 1,539

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.

PvP + PvE 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.	1.33%share of upcoming wishlist heat	0.76% to 1.94%	76 ranked of 750 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026	#180 of 7,193pairs on this board
Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter. Big publishers: over 85% from majors or $40+ games	0.89xhits against expected	0.63x to 1.26x	181 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old)	#3,490 of 6,324pairs on this board
Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches. One game dominates the figure	−12%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam	−26% to +5%	60 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months	#1,784 of 2,361pairs on this board
Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal. One game dominates the figure Listed after unflagged rows on this board	0%review growth against same-age games	−10% to +10%	60 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025	#1,965 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: 14
Expected: 16.1

Launches: 181
Hit rate: 7.2%3.5% to 10.2%
Expected rate: 8.9%
Against expected: 0.89x0.63x to 1.26x

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

180 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: $536
Top tenth: $43,407

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: 225
Prior 12 months: 143

Change: +57%
Against Steam: +13%after Steam-wide growth, shrunk by 5 releases

Parent tags

PvPNot a genreA theme, mood, feature or presentation tag: never ranked as a market on its own, only inside pairs.
PvENot 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 PvP

pairs with PvP

RPG + PvP$1,53738 launches priced, 91 releases in 12 months
PvP + Funny$1,11269 launches priced, 197 releases in 12 months
PvP + Party Game$1,11243 launches priced, 282 releases in 12 months
Sports + PvP$92876 launches priced, 150 releases in 12 months
PvP + Cute$90972 launches priced, 100 releases in 12 months
Simulation + PvP$81051 launches priced, 114 releases in 12 months

Every pair with PvP

More with PvE

pairs with PvE

Co-op + PvE$16,63155 launches priced, 88 releases in 12 months
Online Co-Op + PvE$5,26063 launches priced, 100 releases in 12 months
Multiplayer + PvE$2,00370 launches priced, 120 releases in 12 months
PvE + Deckbuilding$1,11233 launches priced, 40 releases in 12 months
Dungeon Crawler + PvE$1,06262 launches priced, 97 releases in 12 months
Hack and Slash + PvE$1,06166 launches priced, 101 releases in 12 months

Every pair with PvE

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.