IndieDevTool

IndieDevTool  /  Profit Calculator

Indie Game Profit Calculator

Live

How many copies do you actually need to sell to break even on the time you put into your game? Set your numbers below. We use the same Steam-aware model as our Wishlist Cost Calculator: regional pricing, discount-heavy lifetime sales, and Valve's cut.

Your project

Total dev hoursh
10010,000
Steam price (USD)$
$1$70
Your wage= $10.00/hr
Monthly is converted at 160 full-time hours/month. Tip: use your local minimum wage to gut-check "would this project have paid at least minimum wage?"
Avg. lifetime discount%
0%80%
Model

Same Steam-aware model as our Wishlist Cost Calculator: regional pricing (~0.77ร— US list on average), ~86% of sales at a discount, and a 0.55 net ratio after Valve's 30% cut, VAT and refunds.

Break-even

Copies to break even
2,731
covers your time + the $100 Steam fee
Net per copy
$5.53
what actually reaches you
Time value
$15,000
dev hours ร— wage
Total to recoup
$15,100
time + Steam Direct fee

If you sellโ€ฆ

CopiesYou keepEffective wage
Heads up: this covers your time only. Marketing, art and audio, software, and post-launch work sit on top. The $100 Steam Direct fee is included here and is refunded by Steam once your game passes $1,000 in revenue.

The math (audit it yourself)

hourlyWage   = monthly ? wage / 160 : wage
timeCost     = devHours ร— hourlyWage
totalCost    = timeCost + $100 (Steam Direct fee)

regionalAvg  = price ร— 0.77            (global average vs US list)
discountFac  = 0.1414 + 0.8586 ร— (1 โˆ’ discount)
netPerCopy   = regionalAvg ร— discountFac ร— 0.55   (0.55 = after Valve 30% + VAT + refunds)

breakEven    = ceil(totalCost / netPerCopy)

0.77 is the weighted average of Steam's regional price multipliers (China, Russia, Turkey, Brazil etc. pull the global average below the US list). 0.8586 reflects that most indie revenue lands during discount periods. 0.55 is the developer's net share after Valve's 30%, VAT and refunds. Same constants as the Wishlist Cost Calculator.

This models the cost of your time, not total production cost. Marketing and asset budgets are separate.

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Why this matters

Most indies underestimate the number of copies they need. 1,500 hours at even a modest $10/hr wage, on a $14.99 game with a 15% average discount, already means roughly 2,700 copies just to break even on your time, before marketing, before art and audio costs, before profit. Raise your wage to a day-job rate and the number climbs fast.

Knowing this ahead of time changes how you think about scope, pricing, and which projects deserve the next year of your life. This surfaces it in 30 seconds.

Frequently asked questions

How does the profit calculator work?

You enter four numbers: total dev hours, your Steam price, your wage (hourly or monthly), and your expected average lifetime discount. We value your time (dev hours ร— wage), add the $100 Steam Direct fee, then divide by realistic net revenue per copy to show how many copies you need to sell to break even on your time.

How is net revenue per copy calculated?

List price โ†’ a global average across regional pricing (about 77% of the US list) โ†’ adjusted for discount-heavy lifetime sales โ†’ ร— a 0.55 net ratio that captures Valve's 30% cut plus VAT and refunds. It's the same model as our Wishlist Cost Calculator, so the two never disagree.

Does this include marketing and asset costs?

No. This covers the cost of your time only. Marketing, art and audio, software, and post-launch work sit on top of the break-even number shown.

What is the $100 Steam fee?

Steam Direct charges a $100 fee per app to publish. We add it to your break-even cost. Steam refunds it once your game passes $1,000 in revenue, so it's recoupable, but it's a real upfront cost.