Tag pairdata 30 Sep 2026
Niches / Strategy / 2D Platformer
Strategy + 2D Platformer: a typical launch earns $101 in its first year
That is the median of 136 indie paid launches, 2024 Q4 to 2025 Q3. 2 of 270 matured launches earned $100k or more, against 9.9 expected for their price and launch quarter. Releases rose 39% on the year before: 230 against 165.
- China market: over 35% of reviews are Chinese
- Price
- $101 median of 136 launches
- Price vs a year earlier
- +25.0% four quarters on the four before
- Releases, 12 months
- 230 165 the year before
- Upcoming games
- 363 coming soon on Steam
- Games on the store
- 1,245 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.
| 0.11%share of upcoming wishlist heat | 0.02% to 0.20% | 9 ranked of 363 upcoming gameswishlist rank 30 Sep 2026 | #5,575 of 7,193pairs on this board |
Launch successLaunches earning $100k or more, against the number expected for their price tier and launch quarter.
| 0.39xhits against expected | 0.28x to 0.69x | 270 launchesindie paid launches 31 Mar 2024 to 1 Apr 2026 (6 to 30 months old) | #6,324 of 6,324pairs on this board |
| Fewer new releasesFewer launches relative to players. Historically this did not predict better launches. | Below this board's minimum sample, so not ranked. Needs 15 or more tracked games and 20 or more releases in each 12-month period. | |||
| Rising demandGaining players faster than same-age games. Descriptive, not a launch signal. | Below this board's minimum sample, so not ranked. Needs 15 or more tracked games and 1,000 reviews in each window. | |||
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
- 270
- Hit rate
- 0.7%0.3% to 3.6%
- Expected rate
- 3.7%
- Against expected
- 0.39x0.28x to 0.69x
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
270 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
- $100
- Top tenth
- $4,015
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
- +39%
Parent tags
- StrategyGenre pageRanked on every board, with its best pairs.
- 2D PlatformerGenre 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.
- METAL SLUG ATTACK RELOADED (opens the Steam store)2024 · 1,643 reviews, 69% positiveest. $332k
- The Three Kingdoms: The Tales of Jian An (opens the Steam store)2024 · 691 reviews, 89% positiveest. $138k
- Cafe Master Story (opens the Steam store)2023 · 385 reviews, 96% positiveest. $101k
- Demon Castle Story (opens the Steam store)2026 · 259 reviews, 76% positiveest. $68k
- Arcane Trigger (opens the Steam store)2025 · 368 reviews, 85% positiveest. $67k
- YGGDRA REFRAIN (opens the Steam store)2025 · 313 reviews, 79% positiveest. $63k
- Land Of Idyllic Beauty (opens the Steam store)2024 · 223 reviews, 83% positiveest. $54k
- Ile d'Or (opens the Steam store)2025 · 164 reviews, 88% positiveest. $50k
More with Strategy
pairs with Strategy- Strategy + Roguelike Deckbuilder$8,599104 launches priced, 217 releases in 12 months
- Strategy + Base Building$6,139160 launches priced, 260 releases in 12 months
- Strategy + Turn-Based$5,85566 launches priced, 104 releases in 12 months
- Strategy + Historical$4,25980 launches priced, 157 releases in 12 months
- Strategy + Party-Based RPG$3,88255 launches priced, 102 releases in 12 months
- Strategy + Story Rich$3,64284 launches priced, 149 releases in 12 months
More with 2D Platformer
pairs with 2D Platformer- Metroidvania + 2D Platformer$1,78091 launches priced, 107 releases in 12 months
- Anime + 2D Platformer$1,17390 launches priced, 113 releases in 12 months
- 2D Platformer + Souls-like$96931 launches priced, 35 releases in 12 months
- Sci-fi + 2D Platformer$84935 launches priced, 59 releases in 12 months
- 2D Platformer + Female Protagonist$84281 launches priced, 102 releases in 12 months
- Hack and Slash + 2D Platformer$72841 launches priced, 55 releases in 12 months
Verdicts
in developmentGMD 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.