Tools for indie devs.
Silly tools for serious devs.
// rubric How indie is your game?
// creativeDirection
Creative Direction
Who actually decides what the game becomes?
// prime examples
Try a known game
Click any title and I'll fill the calculator with that game's real-world numbers.
// the deets
How the Indie Score works
Run, don't walk, through some examples with me while I wear the famed pink glasses.
// gameKind
What kind of game are you making?
Picks of one of the biggest factors. You can always change later, but engines are good at different things.
// the full video
Watch me actually pick one
15-ish minutes. Everything above came from this.
// platform cheat sheet
Where each engine ships to
Still not sure? Here's a cheat sheet.
// straight from the video
Q & A
// inputs
Plug in a Steam game
Grab the review count and base price from the game's Steam store page.
// how we got there
The math
Reviews go in, sales come out, price gives gross, Steam takes its cut, what's left is yours.
- ReviewsWhat you entered above.512
- Estimated copies soldreviews x NB. Mid value is NB 40; the range uses 20-60.20.48K10.24K - 30.72K
- Gross revenuesales x $14.99.$307K$153.5K - $460.49K
- Refunds5% of gross. Steam's 2-hour rule. Industry average is ~5%.- $15.35K
- Regional pricing15% effective discount in lower-cost regions (BR, IN, etc).- $46.05K
- Sales / discounts10% of revenue bought during sale events at a discount.- $30.7K
- Steam's cut30% up to $10M, 25% to $50M, 20% past that. Yours works out to ~30%.- $64.47K
- Your netGross minus all real-world deductions and Steam's cut. What actually lands in your bank account.$150.43K$75.21K - $225.64K
Defaults follow indie averages. Adjust each percentage in "P&L mode" below to model your specific game.
// p&l mode
Real-world deductions
Subtract refunds, regional pricing, sale discounts, and VAT for a closer estimate of what actually lands in your bank account.
// try a popular game
Pick an indie game and find out the $ it made
Live review counts + prices are pulled straight from Steam when you click. Falls back to a recent snapshot if Steam is having a moment.
// 14 indie picks · 8 big hitters below