5 Games Released on Steam—$48k Revenue Later, Indie Dev Still Feels Out of Reach. What Should I Do Next?
I’ve released 5 games on Steam over the past few years, earning $48,302 total revenue across 11,692 units sold—but I still can’t make indie dev a full-time career.
Quick breakdown of my games:
- PEGGO! – $15,613, 5,851 units. My most consistent seller. Incremental pachinko game with “Mostly Positive” reviews.
- Dead Unending – $28,117, 3,524 units. My highest revenue game ($10 price), but reviews are Mixed and burnout hit hard during development.
- Incremental Island – $2,799, 1,029 units. Launched recently and slowly building momentum.
- Portal Puzzle – $161, 59 units. Great game but flopped because I skipped marketing entirely.
- Level Down – Launching June 2025. Hoping this one does better.
Marketing So Far:
- Reddit has been my best tool—consistent sales when I post in relevant subs.
- YouTube occasionally hit big when creators like Cartoonz picked up my games, but results have been unpredictable.
- Steam sales always boost revenue, but only temporarily.
The Problem:
I’ve graduated with a CS degree, and now I’m unsure what’s next. Indie dev is the dream, but it doesn’t feel sustainable yet. I’m stuck between pushing harder to grow sales or looking for a more traditional job.
What I Need Help With:
- How do I break out of this earnings plateau and scale up my games?
- What’s worked for other devs trying to grow from hobby income to full-time indie dev?
- Should I double down on my marketing strategies or pivot entirely?
- How do you know when to stop pushing a game and move on to the next one?
I’d love to hear advice from anyone who’s made this work—or even from those still trying. Thanks for reading!
Links to my games for context (feedback always welcome):