If you've anecdotally clocked a rise in cheap-but-fun games regularly taking over Steam, you may be intrigued to hear there might be something to this trend on the statistical level, as well. New research from analyst newsletter GameDiscoverCo finds that the median price of best-selling new Steam games has dropped by upwards of 14% in the last two years.
In an analysis of the first month of sales for the top 50 new, non-free-to-play Steam releases for every month since February 2023, GameDiscoverCo found that the average (mean) price of Steam games has barely shifted, down just 2% from February 2023 to October 2025.
However, looking at the median, which is going to be more useful when interrogating specific price brackets within an industry that's been trending pricier thanks to inflation, we see a 20% drop in price for the same period. "This means that there’s been a notable increase in cheaper titles – when looking at sheer #s of units – over the last 2.5 years," writes Simon Carless.
"The dawn of a new era of cheaper (but often very replayable!) indie titles in the roguelike, Survivors-like and crewlike x friendslop genres has meant some players are paying less," the post says.
The report points to two extremes: games under $20 that people may be more willing to take a chance on precisely because they're affordable, and big or AAA games in the $60 – $70 range that have the brand power to bring people in at that price.
Games have continued to find success in the middle ground – this year's $50 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is an obvious one, and GameDiscoverCo points to the likes of Grounded 2 ($30) and Titan Quest 2 ($35) – but it can be "trickier to win" in this price range if a game lacks that dirt-cheap or mega-brand appeal.
More to the point, the post reads, "We think if you have a new IP you're making from scratch, isn't a deep strategy game, and isn't from a pedigreed team, charging >$25 is getting trickier, as players compare value to the $10-$15 indie titles that have brought them a ton of fun and playtime. Or to the $60-$70 megafranchise titles."
"It really does look like late 2023 was when medians started to shift down," the report specifies.
"And to add to the metadiscussion: let's not forget that players are paying less money for old games all the time, thanks to record catalog sales and 50-90% off deals for almost all old games. Many cheap old games are new to most players – so don't ignore that."
As ever, analysis like this isn't gospel. It does, however, put some numbers behind more speculative market analysis which suggests, yeah, people are selling games cheaper on Steam and players are responding to them. And that's not a function of Steam clutter; there might be escalating torrents of garbage on Valve's store, but this data only looks at the few top-sellers that rise to the top.
"A stand-out month is March 2024, for example, with Content Warning, Rusty’s Retirement, and Buckshot Roulette all in the Top 10 LTD sellers and all <$10," the report adds. As it happens, I spoke to the makers of both Rusty's Retirement and Buckshot Roulette this year in part to discuss their pricing outlook.
This month, we spoke to Lethal Company creator Zeekerss, who says, "I only want to sell a game if I'm very certain that most people will enjoy it." In September, we spoke to Mr. Vampire Survivors himself, Poncle, who says "I see a lot of publishers I don't like" as as they "try to exploit the platforms just to make money."
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