Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Relaxing + Idler: a typical launch earns $910 in its first year
That is the median of 175 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 34 of 389 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 7.0 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 177% on the year before: 537 against 194.
- Price
- $910 median of 175 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- −22.1% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 537 194 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 663 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 1,594 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. | 0.24%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.17% to 0.31% | 30 ranked of 664 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #921 of 7,193pairs on this board |
| Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter. | 3.69xhits against expected | 2.89x to 4.72x | 389 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #4 of 6,324pairs on this board |
| Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches. | −55%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam | −62% to −44% | 55 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months | #2,333 of 2,361pairs on this board |
| Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal. | −9%review growth against same-age games | −19% to +7% | 55 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 | #1,234 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
- 389
- Hit rate
- 8.7%5.3% to 12.5%
- Expected rate
- 1.8%
- Against expected
- 3.69x2.89x to 4.72x
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
389 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
- $43
- Median
- $1,050
- Top tenth
- $68,522
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
- +177%
- Against Steam
- +101%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.
- Spirit City: Lofi Sessions (opens the Steam store)2024 · 15,259 reviews, 97% positiveest. $3.4M
- Cast n Chill (opens the Steam store)2025 · 8,422 reviews, 94% positiveest. $2.4M
- Scritchy Scratchy (opens the Steam store)2026 · 15,717 reviews, 94% positiveest. $2.1M
- Chill with You : Lo-Fi Story (opens the Steam store)2025 · 12,357 reviews, 98% positiveest. $2.1M
- Rusty's Retirement (opens the Steam store)2024 · 13,915 reviews, 96% positiveest. $1.7M
- Bills Must Be Paid (opens the Steam store)2026 · 11,047 reviews, 96% positiveest. $1.5M
- Shelldiver (opens the Steam store)2025 · 16,989 reviews, 98% positiveest. $1.4M
- BitCraft Online (opens the Steam store)2025 · 3,342 reviews, 71% positiveest. $1.1M
More with Relaxing
pairs with Relaxing- Relaxing + Economy$7,82849 launches priced, 115 releases in 12 months
- Relaxing + Open World$3,43945 launches priced, 56 releases in 12 months
- Building + Relaxing$3,39787 launches priced, 134 releases in 12 months
- Relaxing + Management$3,154101 launches priced, 233 releases in 12 months
- Relaxing + Farming Sim$2,87450 launches priced, 106 releases in 12 months
- Relaxing + Crafting$2,42950 launches priced, 83 releases in 12 months
More with Idler
pairs with Idler- Cozy + Idler$3,51835 launches priced, 157 releases in 12 months
- Collectathon + Idler$1,77756 launches priced, 144 releases in 12 months
- Nature + Idler$1,66633 launches priced, 83 releases in 12 months
- Management + Idler$1,48690 launches priced, 270 releases in 12 months
- Idler + Creature Collector$1,45476 launches priced, 140 releases in 12 months
- Building + Idler$1,44436 launches priced, 59 releases in 12 months
Verdicts
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