No need to settle in because you’ll find yourself back on your feet after hearing this: Steam has witnessed a staggering influx of games this year. As reported by the data analytics platform Gamalytic, Valve’s store has recorded nearly 13,000 game launches since January 1, 2025. Unfortunately, many of these titles may get lost in the shuffle, much like those batteries that slip beneath the furniture. Gamalytic frequently updates its information, but these significant milestones were highlighted recently on social media by Artur Smiarowski, the developer behind the turn-based roguelike RPG Soulash and its more acclaimed sequel, Soulash 2. Today, it’s estimated that 12,732 games have been introduced to Steam in 2025.
It’s worth mentioning that Gamalytic employs a relatively lenient estimation approach since full access to Valve’s data is not available. In their assessment, Gamalytic states, “For individual games, our tests have shown that 77% of estimates were within a 30% margin of error, while 98% were within a 50% margin of error,” and, “At an aggregate level, estimates were 99% accurate.”
Developer Insights
More prominent and frequently played titles provide a wealth of data and often corresponding official reports to facilitate more precise estimates. However, smaller and free-to-play games tend to deviate more significantly in their reported figures, likely resulting in discrepancies related to less successful titles. Moreover, inaccurate estimates may arise from Steam bundle sales or technical glitches.
Despite this, the number of low-selling games highlighted through various data points indicates a significant number of overlooked titles on Steam. While these lesser-known games yield less data—resulting in higher estimation errors—there is a reason for this scarcity. Even considering a 50% error margin, one finds that 50% of minimal profits remains minimal.
“An estimated 8% of releases have likely generated over $100,000,” Smiarowski commented, referencing aggregates from Gamalytic. “Meanwhile, 40% have not recouped their $100 release fee.” This fee pertains to the non-refundable Steam direct product submission cost, which can be regained once a game’s gross revenue hits $1,000.
Revenue Conclusions
A chart shared by Smiarowski, seemingly exclusive to premium subscribers of Gamalytic, reveals that the least successful 30% of games by revenue averaged a mere $37 in apparent gross earnings. According to the publicly accessible sections of the 2025 data, it appears that 8,388 games (about 65.9%) on Steam earned under $1,000. Additionally, 47.4% might have sold fewer than 100 copies, while 28% are estimated to have sold between 100 and 1,000 copies.
It goes without saying that entirely free-to-play games without any internal monetization, such as ‘support the dev’ DLC, aren’t going to generate income. This data should not be considered definitive. Nevertheless, the sheer number of largely unnoticed games released on Steam, especially contrasted with the platform’s massive yearly output, reveals an interesting aspect of PC gaming’s more open development culture. This trend allows many hobbyists to publish games on Steam simply for fun, often without any expectation of turning a profit.
Moreover, the Steam store has recently introduced a feature that I didn’t realize I needed until Valve highlighted it: a dedicated page for every bundle that includes a game.