Right off the bat, we can say they are. And this definitely is a problem that has historically been just that—a problem. That said, Indie games generated 48% of Steam’s total revenue in 2024, matching AA/AAA (Ludo.ai).
Indie developers notoriously struggle to get the recognition they deserve, even if their game is just as good, if not better, than the biggest titles. We’re talking titles like Call of Duty, Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto (let’s see when GTA 6 comes out), and League of Legends.
In case you didn’t know, an indie developer is an ‘individual or small team that creates video games without the financial, creative, or logistical backing of a major publisher.‘ They essentially don’t have the hype that the biggest titles do, with only some games slipping through the capitalist wall of major software developer names and taking the top spots.
You probably already get the gist of why it would be difficult for new releases and indie games to knock the biggest titles off their pedestal just by the description of indie developers, but we’re going to get into why it’s as difficult as it is. Read on to find out more.
Why Indie Developers and New Game Releases Can Struggle
You’ve got indie developers creating amazing titles across all niches of gaming. If you look at all the casino games, a lot of them are from indie developers. If you look at an overview of the latest releases on the PlayStation Store, you’ll see indie developers.
And it’s not just the small-budget indie teams that we keep referring to. Some new game releases, even if they come from the likes of Epic Games or Sony, can struggle if their release date is at the same time as a game that’s absolutely killing it. They’ll simply never take the top spot. For example, if GTA 6, whenever it’s finally released, is as good as it’s supposed to be, every other game can forget about any chance of having any of the spotlight.
But unless a new game release is coming from one of the game developer giants, the money and the marketing simply aren’t there to generate enough hype about the game to allow it to get anywhere near the top of the rankings. It can be the most incredible game, but we can guarantee it will still only reach a niche group of hardcore gamers.
That said, some games do make it through the cracks, transforming small indie teams into successful and top-position competing developers – more on that in the next section.
The Most Famous Indie Developer Games and New Releases
You will definitely recognize some of these famous indie developer titles and iconic new releases that made it into the 1% category of small developers that generate 1% make over $7 million in revenue (Gamedev Reports). Some of the biggest titles include:
- Mincecraft
- Among Us
- Stardew Valley
- Hollow Knight
- Rocket League
- Undertale
You might not have heard of all of them, but Minecraft, Among Us, and Rocket League are definitely three of the most well-known indie developer games and new releases that ended up smashing the biggest gaming titles off their top spot.
The Average Revenue for Indie Developers
Indie games dominate Steam releases at over 95%, but they generate only about a third of the total, or around $5 billion in annual revenue (Gamedev Reports).
And that’s a combined total of all the separate indie releases, not for one gaming title. The market is really top-heavy: over 50% of indie games make less than $4,000 in lifetime earnings, while the top 1% can generate over $7 million. The median revenue for an indie game on Steam is roughly $13K to $15K. The top 15% are lucky enough to make an average of $108,000, and even that isn’t a dent in the revenue generated by Sony or Nintendo game titles, and the top 9% make over $200,000. All data taken from Gamedev Reports.
Successful indie games rarely have fewer than 5 people, yet are almost always made by teams of fewer than 40. That, again, is nothing compared to the big gaming titles most of us know and love.
The global indie game market was valued at $4.85 billion in 2025, with a 14.54% projected CAGR through 2030. 66% of developers target PC, followed by PS5 (35%) and Xbox Series X/S (34%) (Statista).
The Biggest Games for Q1 2026
There are some big games set for release in 2026, and, as you can imagine, none of them are indie titles. Still, here are the games we’re getting excited for:
- Resident Evil: Requiem
- Crimson Desert
- 007: First Light
- Fatekeeper
- Marvel’s Wolverine (potentially)
Q2, 3, and 4 are looking a little more interesting, with the anticipated release of GTA 6 now set as November 19th, 2026, an entire year after the scheduled release of autumn 2025, so let’s see if it will be worth the wait.
Indie developers and new releases will always struggle to compete with the biggest titles if that biggest title is thriving. There’s simply not the backing or the hype to build the initial community they need to generate enough sales to get anywhere near the top spot. Only a few make it through.
