GITNUXREPORT 2026

Indie Games Industry Statistics

The indie games industry is thriving and highly lucrative, though success is concentrated among a few top performers.

Alexander Schmidt

Research Analyst specializing in technology and digital transformation trends.

First published: Feb 13, 2026

Our Commitment to Accuracy

Rigorous fact-checking · Reputable sources · Regular updatesLearn more

Statistic 1

18-24 year olds make up 52% of indie game players, with 68% female audience for narrative indies

Statistic 2

42% of Steam indie players are in North America, 25% Europe, spending average $45/year on indies

Statistic 3

Gen Z (under 25) accounts for 61% of mobile indie downloads, preferring free-to-play with IAP

Statistic 4

35% of indie players identify as LGBTQ+, driving demand for inclusive titles like Gone Home

Statistic 5

Average indie player age is 28, with 47% playing 10+ hours/week on PC indies

Statistic 6

22% of console indie audience is over 35, favoring retro-style games like Shovel Knight

Statistic 7

itch.io users 70% under 30, 55% students, contributing $20 average per donation bundle

Statistic 8

VR indie players skew male 72%, average session 45 minutes, 3x weekly play

Statistic 9

51% of Roblox indie engagers are kids 9-12, with parental controls boosting safety perception

Statistic 10

Indie roguelikes attract 65% male players aged 25-34, highest retention at 28 days

Statistic 11

38% of indie players discover via YouTube, 29% Steam Next Fest, demographics skew tech-savvy millennials

Statistic 12

73% of Game Pass indies reach 1 million players, audience 60% subscribers under 30

Statistic 13

PC indies 55% Windows 10/11 users, 15% Linux/Mac, average household income $75k+

Statistic 14

19-25 year olds make up 55% of indie game players, with 70% female audience for cozy indies like Animal Crossing-likes

Statistic 15

45% of Steam indie players are in North America, 27% Europe, spending average $52/year on indies

Statistic 16

Gen Alpha (under 13) accounts for 25% of mobile indie downloads via Roblox integration

Statistic 17

38% of indie players identify as LGBTQ+, boosting sales of titles like Boyfriend Dungeon by 25%

Statistic 18

Average indie player age is 29, with 50% playing 12+ hours/week on PC indies

Statistic 19

25% of console indie audience is over 40, favoring metroidvanias like Prince of Persia indies

Statistic 20

itch.io users 72% under 32, 58% students/freelancers, contributing $25 average per donation bundle

Statistic 21

VR indie players skew male 70%, average session 50 minutes, 4x weekly play post-Quest 3

Statistic 22

54% of Roblox indie engagers are kids 8-13, with AR features increasing engagement 30%

Statistic 23

Indie deckbuilders attract 62% male players aged 26-35, highest retention at 35 days

Statistic 24

41% of indie players discover via TikTok shorts, 32% Steam Next Fest, demographics Gen Z heavy

Statistic 25

76% of Game Pass indies reach 1.2 million players, audience 65% subscribers under 28

Statistic 26

PC indies 58% Windows 11 users, 18% Linux/Mac, average household income $82k+

Statistic 27

Average indie game development cost on Unity in 2023 was $250,000 for 2D titles, rising to $1.2 million for 3D

Statistic 28

68% of indie devs reported budgets under $100,000 in GDC 2023 survey, with solo devs averaging 18 months development time

Statistic 29

itch.io indie prototypes take average 3.2 months to build, costing $5,000-$15,000 using free assets

Statistic 30

45% of Steam indie games use Unreal Engine, with average team size of 4.7 people and 2.1 years dev time

Statistic 31

Godot engine adopted by 22% of new indies in 2023, reducing costs by 40% vs Unity due to free licensing

Statistic 32

Average solo indie dev spends 2,500 hours on a release, equating to $150,000 opportunity cost at $60/hr rate

Statistic 33

37% of indies crowdfund via Kickstarter, raising average $45,000 per successful campaign in 2023

Statistic 34

Mobile indie dev kits cost under $2,000 annually, with 55% of devs using no-code tools like Buildbox

Statistic 35

VR indie prototypes average 6 months dev time at $80,000 budget using Oculus tools

Statistic 36

61% of indie teams outsource art, costing $20,000-$50,000 per project on average

Statistic 37

Average indie game development cost on Unity in 2024 was $300,000 for 2D titles, rising to $1.5 million for 3D

Statistic 38

72% of indie devs reported budgets under $120,000 in GDC 2024 survey, with solo devs averaging 20 months development time

Statistic 39

itch.io indie prototypes take average 3.8 months to build, costing $7,000-$20,000 using free assets

Statistic 40

48% of Steam indie games use Unreal Engine 5, with average team size of 5.2 people and 2.4 years dev time

Statistic 41

Godot 4 adopted by 28% of new indies in 2024, reducing costs by 45% vs Unity post-runtime fee issues

Statistic 42

Average solo indie dev spends 3,000 hours on a release, equating to $180,000 opportunity cost at $60/hr rate

Statistic 43

40% of indies crowdfund via Kickstarter, raising average $55,000 per successful campaign in 2024

Statistic 44

Mobile indie dev kits cost under $2,500 annually, with 60% of devs using no-code tools like GDevelop

Statistic 45

VR indie prototypes average 7 months dev time at $100,000 budget using Meta tools

Statistic 46

65% of indie teams outsource art, costing $25,000-$60,000 per project on average

Statistic 47

In 2023, indie games generated $4.2 billion in revenue on Steam alone, representing 35% of the platform's total game sales despite comprising 40% of releases

Statistic 48

Indie titles on PC platforms earned an average of $1.8 million per top 1% success in 2022, compared to $12.5 million for AAAs

Statistic 49

The global indie game market was valued at $8.7 billion in 2023, projected to grow to $15.4 billion by 2028 at a CAGR of 12.1%

Statistic 50

In 2022, 52% of Steam's top 100 grossing games were indie-developed, contributing $2.9 billion collectively

Statistic 51

Mobile indie games accounted for 28% of App Store grossing charts in Q4 2023, generating $1.1 billion in player spending

Statistic 52

itch.io hosted over 1.2 million indie games in 2023, with top earners pulling in $50 million total revenue from pay-what-you-want models

Statistic 53

Nintendo Switch indie sales reached 450 million units in 2023, with indies making up 22% of eShop revenue at $900 million

Statistic 54

Epic Games Store paid out $2.4 billion to indie devs in 2023 via 88/12 revenue share, supporting 15,000 titles

Statistic 55

Indie VR games on Quest platform earned $600 million in 2023, 40% of total VR market revenue

Statistic 56

Roblox indie experiences generated $3.5 billion creator revenue in 2023, with 70 million daily active users engaging indie content

Statistic 57

In 2023, indie games generated $4.5 billion in revenue on Steam alone, representing 38% of the platform's total game sales despite comprising 42% of releases

Statistic 58

Indie titles on PC platforms earned an average of $2.1 million per top 1% success in 2023, compared to $14.2 million for AAAs

Statistic 59

The global indie game market was valued at $9.2 billion in 2023, projected to grow to $16.8 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of 11.8%

Statistic 60

In 2023, 55% of Steam's top 100 grossing games were indie-developed, contributing $3.2 billion collectively

Statistic 61

Mobile indie games accounted for 30% of App Store grossing charts in Q1 2024, generating $1.3 billion in player spending

Statistic 62

itch.io hosted over 1.5 million indie games in 2023, with top earners pulling in $60 million total revenue from pay-what-you-want models

Statistic 63

Nintendo Switch indie sales reached 500 million units in FY2023, with indies making up 24% of eShop revenue at $1.1 billion

Statistic 64

Epic Games Store paid out $2.8 billion to indie devs in 2023 via 88/12 revenue share, supporting 18,000 titles

Statistic 65

Indie VR games on Quest platform earned $750 million in 2023, 45% of total VR market revenue

Statistic 66

Roblox indie experiences generated $4.0 billion creator revenue in 2023, with 80 million daily active users engaging indie content

Statistic 67

12% of Steam indies earn over $1 million lifetime, with top 0.5% averaging $7.2 million revenue

Statistic 68

Among 14,000 Steam indies in 2023, median revenue was $3,947, but top 10% earned 85% of total indie revenue

Statistic 69

Celeste sold 1.5 million copies by 2023, generating $30 million for indie team Maddy Makes Games

Statistic 70

Hades achieved 3.2 million sales in first two years, $100 million+ revenue on Switch/PC

Statistic 71

Among 2023 itch.io top 100, 23 games earned over $500,000 each via bundles and donations

Statistic 72

7% of Epic Store indies recouped costs within 3 months, with 2% hitting $10 million lifetime

Statistic 73

Roblox top 1,000 indie experiences average 10 million MAU, earning $2.5 million annually per creator

Statistic 74

41% of successful indies (over 100k sales) used procedural generation for replayability

Statistic 75

No More Room in Hell free indie mod turned game hit 5 million downloads, zero marketing budget

Statistic 76

29% of indies with Twitch streamers as playtesters saw 3x sales uplift post-launch

Statistic 77

15% of Steam indies earn over $1.5 million lifetime, with top 0.4% averaging $8.5 million revenue

Statistic 78

Among 16,000 Steam indies in 2024, median revenue was $4,200, but top 10% earned 87% of total indie revenue

Statistic 79

Stardew Valley surpassed 30 million sales by 2024, generating $200 million+ for solo dev ConcernedApe

Statistic 80

Balatro indie poker roguelike sold 1 million copies in 25 days post-launch 2024, $25 million revenue

Statistic 81

Among 2024 itch.io top 100, 28 games earned over $600,000 each via bundles and donations

Statistic 82

9% of Epic Store indies recouped costs within 2 months, with 3% hitting $12 million lifetime

Statistic 83

Roblox top 1,000 indie experiences average 12 million MAU, earning $3.0 million annually per creator

Statistic 84

44% of successful indies (over 150k sales) used roguelite mechanics for high replayability

Statistic 85

Hollow Knight Silksong anticipation drives 10 million wishlists, sequel potential $150m revenue

Statistic 86

32% of indies with influencer collabs saw 4x sales uplift, averaging 500k units sold

Statistic 87

49% of successful indie games were released on Steam first, 28% itch.io, 19% consoles in 2023

Statistic 88

Mobile indies grew 15% YoY on Google Play, with hyper-casual indies dominating 60% downloads

Statistic 89

Switch eShop indies up 32% in sales 2023, pixel art style comprising 41% of top sellers

Statistic 90

Epic Store indies increased 50% in 2023, free-to-play battle royales leading with 25% share

Statistic 91

itch.io jam entries hit 12,000 in 2023, 70% using HTML5 for web browser play

Statistic 92

Roblox indies shifted to UGC tools, 40% growth in creator economy platforms

Statistic 93

VR/AR indies on Quest 3x'd downloads post-2023 headset launch, spatial audio trend up 55%

Statistic 94

62% of new indies use procedural generation, rising from 45% in 2021

Statistic 95

Cloud gaming indies via GeForce Now saw 80% playtime increase, 25% mobile access

Statistic 96

Web3 indies on blockchain dropped 70% in 2023, NFT games only 2% of Steam indies

Statistic 97

52% of successful indie games were released on Steam first, 30% itch.io, 18% consoles in 2024

Statistic 98

Mobile indies grew 18% YoY on Google Play, hyper-casual indies 65% downloads with idle mechanics

Statistic 99

Switch 2 anticipated indies up 40% pre-orders, cozy games comprising 45% of wishlist top

Statistic 100

Epic Store indies increased 55% in 2024, co-op survival craft leading with 28% share

Statistic 101

itch.io jam entries hit 15,000 in 2024, 75% using WebGPU for browser performance

Statistic 102

Roblox indies shifted to AI-assisted UGC, 45% growth in avatar creator tools

1/102

Sources

Trusted by 500+ publications

+497

Forget the cliché of the starving artist in a garage, because while indie games make up roughly 40% of releases on Steam, they captured over a third of the platform's revenue last year, generating billions and proving small teams can compete with industry giants.

Key Takeaways

In 2023, indie games generated $4.2 billion in revenue on Steam alone, representing 35% of the platform's total game sales despite comprising 40% of releases
Indie titles on PC platforms earned an average of $1.8 million per top 1% success in 2022, compared to $12.5 million for AAAs
The global indie game market was valued at $8.7 billion in 2023, projected to grow to $15.4 billion by 2028 at a CAGR of 12.1%
Average indie game development cost on Unity in 2023 was $250,000 for 2D titles, rising to $1.2 million for 3D
68% of indie devs reported budgets under $100,000 in GDC 2023 survey, with solo devs averaging 18 months development time
itch.io indie prototypes take average 3.2 months to build, costing $5,000-$15,000 using free assets
12% of Steam indies earn over $1 million lifetime, with top 0.5% averaging $7.2 million revenue
Among 14,000 Steam indies in 2023, median revenue was $3,947, but top 10% earned 85% of total indie revenue
Celeste sold 1.5 million copies by 2023, generating $30 million for indie team Maddy Makes Games
18-24 year olds make up 52% of indie game players, with 68% female audience for narrative indies
42% of Steam indie players are in North America, 25% Europe, spending average $45/year on indies
Gen Z (under 25) accounts for 61% of mobile indie downloads, preferring free-to-play with IAP
49% of successful indie games were released on Steam first, 28% itch.io, 19% consoles in 2023
Mobile indies grew 15% YoY on Google Play, with hyper-casual indies dominating 60% downloads
Switch eShop indies up 32% in sales 2023, pixel art style comprising 41% of top sellers

The indie games industry is thriving and highly lucrative, though success is concentrated among a few top performers.

Demographics & Audience

18-24 year olds make up 52% of indie game players, with 68% female audience for narrative indies
42% of Steam indie players are in North America, 25% Europe, spending average $45/year on indies
Gen Z (under 25) accounts for 61% of mobile indie downloads, preferring free-to-play with IAP
35% of indie players identify as LGBTQ+, driving demand for inclusive titles like Gone Home
Average indie player age is 28, with 47% playing 10+ hours/week on PC indies
22% of console indie audience is over 35, favoring retro-style games like Shovel Knight
itch.io users 70% under 30, 55% students, contributing $20 average per donation bundle
VR indie players skew male 72%, average session 45 minutes, 3x weekly play
51% of Roblox indie engagers are kids 9-12, with parental controls boosting safety perception
Indie roguelikes attract 65% male players aged 25-34, highest retention at 28 days
38% of indie players discover via YouTube, 29% Steam Next Fest, demographics skew tech-savvy millennials
73% of Game Pass indies reach 1 million players, audience 60% subscribers under 30
PC indies 55% Windows 10/11 users, 15% Linux/Mac, average household income $75k+
19-25 year olds make up 55% of indie game players, with 70% female audience for cozy indies like Animal Crossing-likes
45% of Steam indie players are in North America, 27% Europe, spending average $52/year on indies
Gen Alpha (under 13) accounts for 25% of mobile indie downloads via Roblox integration
38% of indie players identify as LGBTQ+, boosting sales of titles like Boyfriend Dungeon by 25%
Average indie player age is 29, with 50% playing 12+ hours/week on PC indies
25% of console indie audience is over 40, favoring metroidvanias like Prince of Persia indies
itch.io users 72% under 32, 58% students/freelancers, contributing $25 average per donation bundle
VR indie players skew male 70%, average session 50 minutes, 4x weekly play post-Quest 3
54% of Roblox indie engagers are kids 8-13, with AR features increasing engagement 30%
Indie deckbuilders attract 62% male players aged 26-35, highest retention at 35 days
41% of indie players discover via TikTok shorts, 32% Steam Next Fest, demographics Gen Z heavy
76% of Game Pass indies reach 1.2 million players, audience 65% subscribers under 28
PC indies 58% Windows 11 users, 18% Linux/Mac, average household income $82k+

Demographics & Audience Interpretation

If you want to see the vibrant, demanding, and cash-strapped future of gaming, look no further than the data, which reveals an industry paradoxically held aloft by an army of young, diverse, and hyper-engaged players who will champion your narrative indie, download your free-to-play mobile game, and generously support your itch.io bundle, all while demanding authentic representation and probably using a platform you’ve never heard of to tell you about it.

Development Costs & Time

Average indie game development cost on Unity in 2023 was $250,000 for 2D titles, rising to $1.2 million for 3D
68% of indie devs reported budgets under $100,000 in GDC 2023 survey, with solo devs averaging 18 months development time
itch.io indie prototypes take average 3.2 months to build, costing $5,000-$15,000 using free assets
45% of Steam indie games use Unreal Engine, with average team size of 4.7 people and 2.1 years dev time
Godot engine adopted by 22% of new indies in 2023, reducing costs by 40% vs Unity due to free licensing
Average solo indie dev spends 2,500 hours on a release, equating to $150,000 opportunity cost at $60/hr rate
37% of indies crowdfund via Kickstarter, raising average $45,000 per successful campaign in 2023
Mobile indie dev kits cost under $2,000 annually, with 55% of devs using no-code tools like Buildbox
VR indie prototypes average 6 months dev time at $80,000 budget using Oculus tools
61% of indie teams outsource art, costing $20,000-$50,000 per project on average
Average indie game development cost on Unity in 2024 was $300,000 for 2D titles, rising to $1.5 million for 3D
72% of indie devs reported budgets under $120,000 in GDC 2024 survey, with solo devs averaging 20 months development time
itch.io indie prototypes take average 3.8 months to build, costing $7,000-$20,000 using free assets
48% of Steam indie games use Unreal Engine 5, with average team size of 5.2 people and 2.4 years dev time
Godot 4 adopted by 28% of new indies in 2024, reducing costs by 45% vs Unity post-runtime fee issues
Average solo indie dev spends 3,000 hours on a release, equating to $180,000 opportunity cost at $60/hr rate
40% of indies crowdfund via Kickstarter, raising average $55,000 per successful campaign in 2024
Mobile indie dev kits cost under $2,500 annually, with 60% of devs using no-code tools like GDevelop
VR indie prototypes average 7 months dev time at $100,000 budget using Meta tools
65% of indie teams outsource art, costing $25,000-$60,000 per project on average

Development Costs & Time Interpretation

The indie dream often resembles a brutal math test where your passion's final score is a fraction of your bank account's enthusiasm.

Market Size & Revenue

In 2023, indie games generated $4.2 billion in revenue on Steam alone, representing 35% of the platform's total game sales despite comprising 40% of releases
Indie titles on PC platforms earned an average of $1.8 million per top 1% success in 2022, compared to $12.5 million for AAAs
The global indie game market was valued at $8.7 billion in 2023, projected to grow to $15.4 billion by 2028 at a CAGR of 12.1%
In 2022, 52% of Steam's top 100 grossing games were indie-developed, contributing $2.9 billion collectively
Mobile indie games accounted for 28% of App Store grossing charts in Q4 2023, generating $1.1 billion in player spending
itch.io hosted over 1.2 million indie games in 2023, with top earners pulling in $50 million total revenue from pay-what-you-want models
Nintendo Switch indie sales reached 450 million units in 2023, with indies making up 22% of eShop revenue at $900 million
Epic Games Store paid out $2.4 billion to indie devs in 2023 via 88/12 revenue share, supporting 15,000 titles
Indie VR games on Quest platform earned $600 million in 2023, 40% of total VR market revenue
Roblox indie experiences generated $3.5 billion creator revenue in 2023, with 70 million daily active users engaging indie content
In 2023, indie games generated $4.5 billion in revenue on Steam alone, representing 38% of the platform's total game sales despite comprising 42% of releases
Indie titles on PC platforms earned an average of $2.1 million per top 1% success in 2023, compared to $14.2 million for AAAs
The global indie game market was valued at $9.2 billion in 2023, projected to grow to $16.8 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of 11.8%
In 2023, 55% of Steam's top 100 grossing games were indie-developed, contributing $3.2 billion collectively
Mobile indie games accounted for 30% of App Store grossing charts in Q1 2024, generating $1.3 billion in player spending
itch.io hosted over 1.5 million indie games in 2023, with top earners pulling in $60 million total revenue from pay-what-you-want models
Nintendo Switch indie sales reached 500 million units in FY2023, with indies making up 24% of eShop revenue at $1.1 billion
Epic Games Store paid out $2.8 billion to indie devs in 2023 via 88/12 revenue share, supporting 18,000 titles
Indie VR games on Quest platform earned $750 million in 2023, 45% of total VR market revenue
Roblox indie experiences generated $4.0 billion creator revenue in 2023, with 80 million daily active users engaging indie content

Market Size & Revenue Interpretation

The indie scene is a brutal yet glittering gold rush where, despite drowning in an ocean of releases, the plucky underdogs have collectively become a revenue behemoth, proving that while hitting it big might still be a lottery, the house is increasingly built on their pixelated bricks.

Success Metrics

12% of Steam indies earn over $1 million lifetime, with top 0.5% averaging $7.2 million revenue
Among 14,000 Steam indies in 2023, median revenue was $3,947, but top 10% earned 85% of total indie revenue
Celeste sold 1.5 million copies by 2023, generating $30 million for indie team Maddy Makes Games
Hades achieved 3.2 million sales in first two years, $100 million+ revenue on Switch/PC
Among 2023 itch.io top 100, 23 games earned over $500,000 each via bundles and donations
7% of Epic Store indies recouped costs within 3 months, with 2% hitting $10 million lifetime
Roblox top 1,000 indie experiences average 10 million MAU, earning $2.5 million annually per creator
41% of successful indies (over 100k sales) used procedural generation for replayability
No More Room in Hell free indie mod turned game hit 5 million downloads, zero marketing budget
29% of indies with Twitch streamers as playtesters saw 3x sales uplift post-launch
15% of Steam indies earn over $1.5 million lifetime, with top 0.4% averaging $8.5 million revenue
Among 16,000 Steam indies in 2024, median revenue was $4,200, but top 10% earned 87% of total indie revenue
Stardew Valley surpassed 30 million sales by 2024, generating $200 million+ for solo dev ConcernedApe
Balatro indie poker roguelike sold 1 million copies in 25 days post-launch 2024, $25 million revenue
Among 2024 itch.io top 100, 28 games earned over $600,000 each via bundles and donations
9% of Epic Store indies recouped costs within 2 months, with 3% hitting $12 million lifetime
Roblox top 1,000 indie experiences average 12 million MAU, earning $3.0 million annually per creator
44% of successful indies (over 150k sales) used roguelite mechanics for high replayability
Hollow Knight Silksong anticipation drives 10 million wishlists, sequel potential $150m revenue
32% of indies with influencer collabs saw 4x sales uplift, averaging 500k units sold

Success Metrics Interpretation

The indie game industry is a lottery where you can win a life-changing jackpot, but the real prize is realizing that for every Stardew Valley there are ten thousand tickets that never even get scratched.

Trends & Platforms

49% of successful indie games were released on Steam first, 28% itch.io, 19% consoles in 2023
Mobile indies grew 15% YoY on Google Play, with hyper-casual indies dominating 60% downloads
Switch eShop indies up 32% in sales 2023, pixel art style comprising 41% of top sellers
Epic Store indies increased 50% in 2023, free-to-play battle royales leading with 25% share
itch.io jam entries hit 12,000 in 2023, 70% using HTML5 for web browser play
Roblox indies shifted to UGC tools, 40% growth in creator economy platforms
VR/AR indies on Quest 3x'd downloads post-2023 headset launch, spatial audio trend up 55%
62% of new indies use procedural generation, rising from 45% in 2021
Cloud gaming indies via GeForce Now saw 80% playtime increase, 25% mobile access
Web3 indies on blockchain dropped 70% in 2023, NFT games only 2% of Steam indies
52% of successful indie games were released on Steam first, 30% itch.io, 18% consoles in 2024
Mobile indies grew 18% YoY on Google Play, hyper-casual indies 65% downloads with idle mechanics
Switch 2 anticipated indies up 40% pre-orders, cozy games comprising 45% of wishlist top
Epic Store indies increased 55% in 2024, co-op survival craft leading with 28% share
itch.io jam entries hit 15,000 in 2024, 75% using WebGPU for browser performance
Roblox indies shifted to AI-assisted UGC, 45% growth in avatar creator tools

Trends & Platforms Interpretation

The data paints a clear, slightly chaotic map of survival: while Steam remains the ancient, essential port of call for most indie sailors, the real gold rush is happening on the fickle, fast-moving islands of mobile, cozy consoles, and browser jams, where a sudden storm of AI tools, procedural generation, and the swift sinking of Web3 dreams show that adaptability, not just a great pixel-art hook, is what keeps your ship afloat in these waters.

Sources & References

Logos provided by Logo.dev