Steam Revenue Calculator

Estimate your net earnings from Steam game sales. Adjust for regional pricing, refunds, discounts, and publisher revenue share to see a realistic breakdown of what lands in your pocket.

Estimated Copies Sold

Game Price (USD)

Steam prices are VAT-inclusive. VAT is deducted before revenue is calculated, so it is not shown separately here. The Steam cut is applied using a tiered structure: 30% on the first $10M, 25% on $10M-$50M, and 20% above $50M.

Your Net Revenue

$45,375

Without publisher: $64,822

Per copy

$4.54

Per copy (no publisher)

$6.48

Gross Revenue$149,900

Regional Pricing−$32,978

Refunds−$14,031

Discounts−$10,289

Adjusted Gross$92,602

Steam Cut (tiered)−$27,781

Publisher Cut−$19,446

Net Revenue$45,375

How Steam Revenue Share Works

Steam operates on a tiered revenue share model. Valve takes 30% of all revenue up to $10 million in lifetime gross sales. Once a game crosses that threshold, the cut drops to 25% for revenue between $10M and $50M, and further to 20% for anything above $50M. These tiers are per-game, not across your catalog - each title starts at the 30% rate independently.

For the vast majority of indie developers, the effective rate is a flat 30%. The tiered discounts only benefit titles that become major commercial hits.

What Reduces Your Take-Home Revenue?

Beyond Steam's platform fee, several factors reduce what actually lands in your bank account:

Regional pricing- Following Steam's recommended pricing for different regions typically lowers your average revenue per sale by 20-25%.
Refunds- Steam's no-questions-asked policy (under 2 hours, within 14 days) means 10-15% of purchases get refunded on average.
Sales and discounts - Participating in Steam sales boosts visibility but reduces per-unit revenue on discounted copies.
Publisher cut - If you work with a publisher, they typically take 20-50% of net revenue depending on the deal.

All combined, most indie developers keep around 40-55% of what you'd calculate as "price × units sold" at the US sticker price.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Steam take from game sales?: Steam takes 30% of revenue on the first $10 million, 25% between $10M and $50M, and 20% above $50M. Most indie games stay in the 30% tier.
What is the average refund rate on Steam?: The average Steam refund rate is around 10-15%. Players can refund within 14 days of purchase if they have less than 2 hours of playtime.
How much does regional pricing reduce Steam revenue?: Following Steam's recommended regional pricing typically reduces your effective per-sale revenue by 20-25% compared to the base US price, depending on your geographic sales mix.
How much do game publishers take?: Publisher revenue shares typically range from 20% to 50% of net revenue after platform fees, depending on the deal structure and what the publisher provides (funding, marketing, QA, localization, etc.).
Is VAT included in this calculator?: Steam prices are VAT-inclusive in most regions. VAT is deducted before revenue reaches you, so it's already factored into the gross revenue figure. This calculator focuses on the deductions you can control or estimate.

How Steam Revenue Share Works

For the vast majority of indie developers, the effective rate is a flat 30%. The tiered discounts only benefit titles that become major commercial hits.

What Reduces Your Take-Home Revenue?

Beyond Steam's platform fee, several factors reduce what actually lands in your bank account:

Regional pricing- Following Steam's recommended pricing for different regions typically lowers your average revenue per sale by 20-25%.

Refunds- Steam's no-questions-asked policy (under 2 hours, within 14 days) means 10-15% of purchases get refunded on average.

Sales and discounts - Participating in Steam sales boosts visibility but reduces per-unit revenue on discounted copies.

Publisher cut - If you work with a publisher, they typically take 20-50% of net revenue depending on the deal.

All combined, most indie developers keep around 40-55% of what you'd calculate as "price × units sold" at the US sticker price.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Steam take from game sales?

Steam takes 30% of revenue on the first $10 million, 25% between $10M and $50M, and 20% above $50M. Most indie games stay in the 30% tier.

What is the average refund rate on Steam?

The average Steam refund rate is around 10-15%. Players can refund within 14 days of purchase if they have less than 2 hours of playtime.

How much does regional pricing reduce Steam revenue?

Following Steam's recommended regional pricing typically reduces your effective per-sale revenue by 20-25% compared to the base US price, depending on your geographic sales mix.

How much do game publishers take?

Publisher revenue shares typically range from 20% to 50% of net revenue after platform fees, depending on the deal structure and what the publisher provides (funding, marketing, QA, localization, etc.).

Is VAT included in this calculator?

Steam prices are VAT-inclusive in most regions. VAT is deducted before revenue reaches you, so it's already factored into the gross revenue figure. This calculator focuses on the deductions you can control or estimate.