Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Niches / Simulation / Science
Simulation + Science: 49 releases in the last 12 months
There is no price yet: it needs 30 or more indie paid launches in the last four complete quarters. 5 of 45 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 4.3 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 96% on the year before: 49 against 25.
- Price
- n/a under 30 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- n/a no price
- Releases, 12 months
- 49 25 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 120 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 336 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. | 0.06%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.04% to 0.09% | 11 ranked of 120 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #2,263 of 7,193pairs on this board |
| Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter. | 1.09xhits against expected | 0.75x to 1.70x | 45 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #2,278 of 6,324pairs on this board |
| Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches. | −13%player demand against new supply, relative to Steam | −41% to +19% | 16 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025; releases 30 Sep 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 vs prior 12 months | #1,821 of 2,361pairs on this board |
| Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal. | +15%review growth against same-age games | +1% to +28% | 16 tracked gamesJun 2026 to Aug 2026 vs Jun 2025 to Aug 2025 | #103 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
- 45
- Hit rate
- 11.1%7.7% to 24.4%
- Expected rate
- 9.7%
- Against expected
- 1.09x0.75x to 1.70x
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
45 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
- $808
- Top tenth
- $97,556
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
- +96%
- Against Steam
- +33%after Steam-wide growth, shrunk by 5 releases
Parent tags
- SimulationGenre pageRanked on every board, with its best pairs.
- ScienceNot a genreA theme, mood, feature or presentation tag: never ranked as a market on its own, only inside 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.
- OUTBRK (opens the Steam store)2024 · 3,235 reviews, 82% positiveest. $2.3M
- Aviassembly (opens the Steam store)2025 · 9,383 reviews, 96% positiveest. $1.9M
- Solar Expanse - Space Exploration Manager (opens the Steam store)2026 · 1,285 reviews, 87% positiveest. $468k
- Planetary Life (opens the Steam store)2025 · 922 reviews, 94% positiveest. $224k
- JOY OF PROGRAMMING - Software Engineering Simulator (opens the Steam store)2024 · 382 reviews, 76% positiveest. $139k
- Monster Lab Simulator (opens the Steam store)2026 · 507 reviews, 71% positiveest. $133k
- Atomcraft (opens the Steam store)2026 · 417 reviews, 94% positiveest. $127k
- Bugaboo Pocket (opens the Steam store)2025 · 301 reviews, 85% positiveest. $122k
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 Science
pairs with Science- Casual + Scienceno price49 releases in 12 months
- 2D + Scienceno price42 releases in 12 months
- Physics + Scienceno price33 releases in 12 months
- Puzzle + Scienceno price31 releases in 12 months
- Exploration + Scienceno price26 releases in 12 months
- Sandbox + Scienceno price24 releases in 12 months
Verdicts
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