By the end of 2025, quirky indie games with a focus on co-op and interaction with friends have firmly established themselves as one of the fastest-growing niches on Steam. In this new piece, we present our report on the state of this category, which many have already dubbed “friendslop,” as well as data on game revenue and other metrics.

The update that added a desert biome and a major discount have significantly boosted sales of the co-op climbing hit Peak, report analysts from Alinea Analytics.

On August 11, the cooperative climbing simulator Peak received its first major update, which added a desert biome, dynamite, cannons, and other new content to the game. A significant number of players were eager to try all of this, and as a result, Peak’s peak online presence on Steam reached a record high for the project.

The first half of 2025 was the most profitable period for cooperative mode games on Steam, according to analysts from Alinea Analytics. These projects earned a total of $4.1 billion during this time—an 11% increase compared to the previous year.

The cooperative climbing simulator, Peak, continues to sell excellently. The milestone of surpassing 4.5 million copies sold was discussed by Aggro Crab—one of the two studios that developed the game—in a conversation with Simon Carless, the founder of GameDiscoverCo.

The top of the chart for the most profitable products on Steam has changed little compared to the previous week. Counter-Strike 2 once again led the overall ranking, while the portable PC Steam Deck and indie hit Peak topped the paid chart.

Simon Carless from GameDiscoverCo compiled two lists of the most successful new games on Steam for June: based on gross revenue and the number of copies sold. The Russian strategy game Broken Arrow made it onto both lists.

Before wrapping up the first half of the year, let’s take a look at the results of June’s game releases. Today’s piece features plenty of statistics and data about the highly successful launch of Mario Kart World, the initial sales of Death Stranding 2, a surprising FMV hit from China, among other key releases of the past month.

Rematch held onto the lead in the paid Steam chart for only a short while. For the week from June 24 to July 1, it was pushed from the top spot among premium games by the climbing simulator Peak (although in the top chart of all paid products, Peak secured second place—trailing behind the portable PC Steam Deck).

The Game Bakers studio, known for games like Furi and Haven, is preparing to release the mountaineering simulator Cairn. Recently, it reached a significant milestone. The number of demo downloads for Cairn in Steam and PlayStation Store has surpassed half a million.

The cooperative indie hit Peak took nine days to sell over 2 million copies. Developers from Aggro Crab and Landfall announced this new achievement in the game’s Steam community.

On June 16, the portfolio of the Swedish studio Landfall Games expanded with another cooperative hit — the climbing simulator Peak, where a significant emphasis is placed on the comedic nature of gameplay situations. Seven developers from two studios, four months from game jam to release, and a unique approach to marketing — we explore the game’s success.

The cooperative climbing simulator PEAK is selling exceptionally well. Aggro Crab and Landfall Studios announced that their new release was purchased a million times within the first six days.

Recently, studios Aggro Crab and Landfall—creators of Another Crab’s Treasure and Content Warning—released a cooperative game called PEAK on Steam, where players must conquer mountains. The new release had a successful launch, selling 100,000 copies on its first day.