The We Love It platform published the Steam Revenue Report, which analyzed the revenues of games across different genres. The data is estimated: the authors used the Boxleiter method, which considers the number of reviews, game price, and a special multiplier.
In total, the study covers about 100,000 games with an estimated cumulative revenue of $129.8 billion. Sandbox games showed high median revenue and strong results for the most successful games. The share of projects that earned over $100,000 was 27.4% – one of the best indicators among genres.
Visual novels, simulators, RPGs, horrors, and clickers follow in median revenue. In terms of revenue from the top ten percent of successful games, sandbox games almost catch up with first-person shooters.
Platformers, despite hits like Sonic and Celeste, generally earn significantly less. Their lag became particularly noticeable after 2020.
The authors emphasize: the results are estimates, not actual sales data.