Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Niches / Simulation / Interactive Fiction
Simulation + Interactive Fiction: a typical launch earns $909 in its first year
That is the median of 89 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 20 of 205 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 10.9 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 58% on the year before: 193 against 122.
- China market: over 35% of reviews are Chinese
- Price
- $909 median of 89 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- −36.7% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 193 122 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 451 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 1,045 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. | 0.10%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.08% to 0.13% | 30 ranked of 451 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #1,756 of 7,193pairs on this board |
Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter.
| 1.66xhits against expected | 1.23x to 2.24x | 205 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #5,852 of 6,324pairs on this board |
Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches.
| −18%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam | −34% to 0% | 33 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months | #1,936 of 2,361pairs on this board |
Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal.
| −5%review growth against same-age games | −14% to +5% | 33 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 | #1,043 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
- 205
- Hit rate
- 9.8%5.7% to 17.1%
- Expected rate
- 5.3%
- Against expected
- 1.66x1.23x to 2.24x
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
205 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
- $970
- Top tenth
- $89,346
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
- +58%
- Against Steam
- +15%after Steam-wide growth, shrunk by 5 releases
Parent tags
- SimulationGenre pageRanked on every board, with its best pairs.
- Interactive FictionGenre 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.
Easy Delivery Co. (opens the Steam store)2025 · 9,616 reviews, 95% positiveest. $2.5M
Mandate Of Heaven (opens the Steam store)2025 · 5,466 reviews, 90% positiveest. $967k
Sweet Home (opens the Steam store)2025 · 10,073 reviews, 94% positiveest. $919k
Home Safety Hotline (opens the Steam store)2024 · 2,767 reviews, 90% positiveest. $840k
Desktop Explorer (opens the Steam store)2026 · 2,222 reviews, 95% positiveest. $749k
I Am Jesus Christ (opens the Steam store)2026 · 1,503 reviews, 87% positiveest. $608k
Politics The Game (opens the Steam store)2025 · 2,533 reviews, 95% positiveest. $512k
Love is All Around 2 (opens the Steam store)2025 · 3,751 reviews, 83% positiveest. $473k
More with Simulation
pairs with Simulation- Simulation + Shop Keeper$32,26936 launches priced, 330 releases in 12 months
- Simulation + Cozy$15,70676 launches priced, 253 releases in 12 months
- Simulation + Online Co-Op$11,02868 launches priced, 133 releases in 12 months
- Simulation + Multiplayer$8,980122 launches priced, 253 releases in 12 months
- Simulation + Base Building$7,38289 launches priced, 173 releases in 12 months
- Simulation + Economy$6,979210 launches priced, 540 releases in 12 months
More with Interactive Fiction
pairs with Interactive Fiction- Interactive Fiction + FMV$39,86745 launches priced, 64 releases in 12 months
- Cinematic + Interactive Fiction$4,18748 launches priced, 48 releases in 12 months
- Interactive Fiction + LGBTQ+$4,04637 launches priced, 62 releases in 12 months
- Dating Sim + Interactive Fiction$3,15892 launches priced, 128 releases in 12 months
- Romance + Interactive Fiction$3,13063 launches priced, 96 releases in 12 months
- Story Rich + Interactive Fiction$2,268207 launches priced, 343 releases in 12 months
Verdicts
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