Survey Shows Steam Users Prefer Lower-Priced Indie Games

Survey Shows Steam Users Prefer Lower-Priced Indie Games, Median Price of Best-Selling Games Drops 20% in Two and a Half Years

According to a recent report by gaming media Games Radar, research firm GameDiscoverCo has found that the median price of best-selling games on the Steam platform has fallen by over 14% in the past two years, indicating that today’s players prefer affordable and enjoyable indie games.

GameDiscoverCo began this survey in February 2023, collecting data on the first-month sales of the top 50 non-free new releases on Steam each month. Initially, the data showed almost no change in the average game price on Steam, with only a 2% decrease from February 2023 to October 2025.

However, when examining the median price, despite trends such as inflation and industry-wide price increases, the median game price decreased by 20% from early 2023 to late 2025. This suggests that cheaper games have seen significant sales growth over the past two and a half years.

The study also pointed out that as genres like roguelike and “Survivor-like” games have matured, indie games can offer considerable playability while maintaining low prices. This means players can enjoy better games for the same amount of money.

The report also highlighted two extremes in the market: on one hand, players are more willing to try games priced below $20 (approximately ¥142 RMB) because they are affordable, and even if the gameplay is unsatisfactory, the loss is minimal; on the other hand, AAA titles priced at $60–70 (approximately ¥426.1–497.1 RMB) continue to sell well due to their strong brand appeal.

This market polarization has made it more challenging for games priced in the $30–50 range (approximately ¥213.1–355.1 RMB)—they must demonstrate sufficient appeal or brand advantage to convince players to make a purchase.

The report also offered pricing advice for new developers: “We believe that if you are developing a new IP from scratch that is not a deep-strategy game and is not led by a well-known team, the game’s price should not exceed $25. Players will naturally compare your game to those priced at $10–15, which offer plenty of fun and replayability.”