Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Sandbox + Cozy: a typical launch earns $8,901 in its first year
That is the median of 37 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 14 of 71 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 5.5 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 92% on the year before: 73 against 38.
- Price
- $8,901 median of 37 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- −27.9% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 73 38 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 226 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 371 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. | 0.25%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.17% to 0.37% | 23 ranked of 226 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #913 of 7,193pairs on this board |
| Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter. | 1.99xhits against expected | 1.44x to 2.72x | 71 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #162 of 6,324pairs on this board |
Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches.
| −33%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam | −51% to −5% | 15 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months | #2,193 of 2,361pairs on this board |
Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal.
| −10%review growth against same-age games | −21% to +3% | 15 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 | #2,418 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
- 71
- Hit rate
- 19.7%14.0% to 30.5%
- Expected rate
- 7.8%
- Against expected
- 1.99x1.44x to 2.72x
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
71 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
- $283
- Median
- $5,987
- Top tenth
- $313,313
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
- +92%
- Against Steam
- +34%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.
- Tiny Glade (opens the Steam store)2024 · 22,804 reviews, 97% positiveest. $6.7M
- Little Kitty, Big City (opens the Steam store)2024 · 10,445 reviews, 96% positiveest. $5M
- Town to City (opens the Steam store)2025 · 6,214 reviews, 97% positiveest. $3.7M
- Hozy (opens the Steam store)2026 · 4,256 reviews, 80% positiveest. $1.2M
- BitCraft Online (opens the Steam store)2025 · 3,342 reviews, 71% positiveest. $1.1M
- gogh: Focus with Your Avatar (opens the Steam store)2025 · 4,832 reviews, 91% positiveest. $974k
- Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator (opens the Steam store)2024 · 905 reviews, 78% positiveest. $458k
- Small Spaces (opens the Steam store)2025 · 1,504 reviews, 88% positiveest. $396k
More with Sandbox
pairs with Sandbox- Sandbox + Multiplayer$32,53338 launches priced, 71 releases in 12 months
- Sandbox + Resource Management$18,39749 launches priced, 96 releases in 12 months
- Sandbox + Economy$15,26966 launches priced, 136 releases in 12 months
- Sandbox + Management$11,910116 launches priced, 204 releases in 12 months
- Sandbox + City Builder$11,53977 launches priced, 92 releases in 12 months
- Sandbox + Colony Sim$10,01834 launches priced, 53 releases in 12 months
More with Cozy
pairs with Cozy- Life Sim + Cozy$34,02737 launches priced, 66 releases in 12 months
- Adventure + Cozy$32,10838 launches priced, 93 releases in 12 months
- Exploration + Cozy$24,01549 launches priced, 99 releases in 12 months
- Simulation + Cozy$15,70676 launches priced, 253 releases in 12 months
- Building + Cozy$14,48232 launches priced, 66 releases in 12 months
- Management + Cozy$9,50833 launches priced, 77 releases in 12 months
Verdicts
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