Steam Revenue Calculator
Plan what your studio keeps from Steam sales. Enter your own assumptions, follow the deductions and compare up to three scenarios. Free, with no sign-up.
Result after your costs
—Break-even copies
—Studio share of receipts
—Balance still to recoup
—Before withholding, income/corporate tax and bank fees. This is a scenario, not a sales forecast or a payment statement.
The link contains your input amounts. Share it only with people who should see them.
From sales to studio receipts
| Stage | USD |
|---|---|
| Price × copies | — |
| Discounts | − — |
| Customer receipts | — |
| Refunds and chargebacks | − — |
| Consumer tax remitted | − — |
| Revenue before Valve’s share | — |
| Valve’s share | − — |
| Receipts after Valve | — |
| Publisher recoup | − — |
| Publisher’s remaining share | − — |
| Studio receipts | — |
| Your studio’s costs | − — |
| Result after your costs | — |
Sales sensitivity
Half, current and double the entered copies, with all other assumptions unchanged. These are scenarios, not probabilities or a confidence interval.
| Scenario | Copies sold before refunds | Studio receipts |
|---|
Compare your scenarios
Save up to three snapshots, then change the inputs. Snapshots last until you reload this page. The share link includes only the current inputs.
No scenarios saved yet.
| Scenario | Copies sold before refunds | Studio receipts | Result after your costs | Break-even copies |
|---|
Method and questions
What exactly is calculated?
Copies × average price × (1 − discount) gives sales before refunds. The selected tax mode determines checkout receipts. Refunds reduce those receipts, consumer tax is removed, then Valve’s share is deducted. Publisher recoup and the publisher’s remaining share come next. Studio receipts minus your own costs gives the modelled result. Calculations retain full precision; display rounds to cents.
How do the Steam tiers work?
The standard scenario applies 30% to the first USD 10 million, 25% to the next USD 40 million and 20% above USD 50 million. The lower percentage applies only to the part above a threshold. Prior eligible revenue moves the scenario through those bands. Valve’s public announcement dates these tiers from 1 October 2018. Your signed distribution agreement and Steamworks reports control the actual calculation.
Does this calculate the bank payment or corporate tax?
No. Consumer taxes, platform fees, publisher deductions, studio profit and cash payment are different measures. US withholding depends on US-source income and the recipient’s tax interview; local income tax depends on the business. Bank fees, exchange rates, payment thresholds and timing also affect cash received. This tool stops before withholding and income tax and does not calculate an accounting profit.
Can it tell me how much another game earned?
No. Reviews, followers and concurrent players do not reveal audited sales. Review-to-sales multipliers vary with the game, release date, keys, bundles and audience. This calculator uses sales and prices you supply; it has no access to private Steamworks data or paid competitor databases. A free-to-play base game at price 0 has no base-game sales revenue in this model.
What does break-even mean here?
The smallest whole number of paid copies before refunds for which studio receipts cover your entered costs. Price, refunds, tax mix and deal terms remain fixed. The search includes commission tiers and recoup, up to 1 billion copies and USD 1 trillion before discounts. It is a planning threshold, not a forecast. Exclude costs financed by an advance if its recoup is already modelled.
Are the numbers private?
The calculator processes inputs in your browser and does not submit them. CSV export is local. A share link encodes the current inputs in its fragment. The surrounding Futura website has its own cookie and privacy settings. Do not enter confidential numbers into a link you intend to publish.
Primary sources
Method reviewed 5 November 2026. USD throughout; no automatic currency conversion.
Putting the numbers into a publishing agreement?
Recoup definitions, deductible costs and the revenue split can change the studio’s result. Futura helps game teams review publishing terms and negotiate the deal.