Connecting the dots: Pricing has always been a tricky topic for indie developers, and new data suggests that multiple factors are putting downward pressure on how much shoppers are willing to pay on Steam. While expensive AAA games remain as popular as ever, hit indie titles have become noticeably cheaper over the past couple of years.
Recent analysis from the GameDiscoverCo newsletter has uncovered a trend of falling game prices on Steam. A wave of successful titles with MSRPs under $10 appears to be a primary cause.
GameDiscoverCo compared the prices, estimated sales, and revenue for the 50 top-selling non – free-to-play games on Steam for each month since February 2023. Although pricing remains highly variable on the storefront, isolating a line of best fit reveals a slight but detectable downward trend.
Average prices fell by only 2% during this period, likely due to the influence of AAA games, which have begun shifting from $60 to a new standard MSRP of $70. However, the median price decreased by 20% for the top-selling games – from $19.50 to $15.64 – and by 14% for the top-earning titles, from $23.70 to $20.35.
The analysts interpreted the data as evidence of a growing gap between $60 - $70 AAA games and indie titles increasingly sold for less than $20. For example, a list of the top 13 games from September 2025 includes numerous titles costing $20 or less and a few $70 AAA games, but only one item priced above $20 and below $60: Shape of Dreams, available for $25.
Meanwhile, several well-regarded indie titles with MSRPs under $10 have debuted on Steam over the past couple of years. Many are part of a rising wave of online co-op games such as Content Warning, Peak, RV There Yet?, and R.E.P.O., all of which cost $8 except R.E.P.O., which costs $10. Other successful, distinctive releases in the same timeframe with similarly low prices include Rusty's Retirement ($7) and Buckshot Roulette ($3).
Looking at median prices since 2020 suggests the trend began in 2023, though the causes may be numerous. New tools may have lowered the cost of developing compelling indie games, and rising sales of retro titles might have intensified a price war.
Still, the middle pricing bracket hasn't disappeared entirely. The top-selling game on Steam as of this writing, Arc Raiders, costs $40. Other notable examples include Dispatch ($30), Solo Leveling: Arise Overdrive ($40), and Of Ash and Steel ($30).
Indie games on Steam are getting cheaper, and the $10 hit is taking over
