The gaming marketing expert Chris Zukowski reminded developers of an important benchmark for success in games on Steam. He discussed this at the GDC 2025 conference.
Beltmatic
According to Zukowski, the degree of a game's success can be understood within the first week to a month after its release. Developers, especially indie studios, should aim for the following metric — a minimum of 250 reviews on Steam within a month.
After this milestone, one can rely on Steam's algorithms and tools with which Valve increases the visibility of successful titles. The next significant goal is 1,000 reviews.
"If you don't hit 250 reviews in the first month, it's not going to work out," Zukowski declared. "It's time to move on. Come up with plan B, anything. You won't be able to succeed afterward. I'm sorry."
Among the exceptions is typically mentioned Among Us, which went viral only two years after its release in 2018. Last year, among all new releases, there was only one such title — Beltmatic.
The factory automation simulator, developed by the indie studio Notional Games, received only 51 reviews in its first three months. Ultimately, the game miraculously reached the mark of 1,000 reviews after nine months. "This is not the real Steam," Zukowski notes.
By "real Steam," he means the patterns seen in most successful releases. Typically, their gross revenue reaches $150,000 in the first six to nine months post-launch. Moreover, 74% of titles earn the majority of their money in the first three months.