Analysts also shared other observations.
GameDiscoverCo, an agency specializing in gaming industry research, has published a new report analyzing how wishlists on Steam affect actual game sales. The study identified common traits of games that are more likely to be purchased after being added to a wishlist.
A survey was conducted among publishers and developers to determine the conversion rate (ratio of wishlist additions to sales) for games with more than 10,000 wishlists. The median rate was 0.17, and only a few games significantly exceeded their number of mentions in sales.
Among the 20 games with the highest conversion rates were hits such as the cooperative mountain climbing game PEAK, the voice-controlled magic action game Mage Arena, and the horror game R.E.P.O. These projects became viral among players and streamers, with cooperative online games showing particularly high conversion rates. At the same time, major sports franchises such as NBA 2K26 and EA Sports FC 25 had few wishlists but huge sales, leading to anomalously high conversion rates, as their "casual" audience rarely adds games to wishlists.
An unexpected discovery for analysts was the median conversion rate of 0.15, which was higher than expected. NSFW (adult) games attracted particular attention, showing a disproportionately high conversion rate. This is explained by their niche audience: people passionate about such games add them to their wishlist with the intention of buying them, rather than considering a purchase in the future or waiting for discounts.
