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Shoot 'Em Up on Steam: success rate & trends

Shoot 'Em Up is a tough, below-average bet for Steam developers: 2.9% of releases reach a meaningful audience (below the 6.0% Steam-wide average), across 1,119 games tracked since 2024.

2.9%
Success rate
1,119
Releases tracked
32
Reached an audience
0.5×
vs Steam avg (6.0%)

Shoot 'Em Up success rate by year

Steam avg 6.0%4.4%2.4%0.9%*202420252026** 2026 in progress — partial year, still maturing
YearReleasesReached audienceSuccess rate
2024434194.4%
2025454112.4%
2026 · in progress23120.9%

2026 is still in progress — it covers only part of the year, and recent releases haven't had time to reach the review threshold yet, so its release count and success rate both read artificially low. Across complete years (2024–2025) the settled rate is 3.4%.

What the data says

Out of every 100 Shoot 'Em Up games released on Steam, roughly 3 break out to a meaningful audience — compared with about 6 in 100 across Steam as a whole. Shoot 'Em Up ranks #77 of 466 tags by release volume, and #201 by success rate among well-populated genres, which makes it relatively underserved. Across complete years (2024–2025), Shoot 'Em Up's success rate settles at 3.4% — the in-progress 2026 reads lower only because its games are still new.

Unlike "top sellers" lists that only count winners, this is an honest base rate — every tracked Shoot 'Em Up release is in the denominator, including the many that never found an audience. That's the number that actually tells you your odds going in.

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Shoot 'Em Up on Steam — FAQ

What percentage of Shoot 'Em Up games succeed on Steam?
About 2.9% of Shoot 'Em Up releases reach a meaningful audience — below the 6.0% Steam-wide average — measured across 1,119 games released between 2024 and 2026.
Is Shoot 'Em Up saturated on Steam?
Shoot 'Em Up is relatively underserved, with 1,119 releases tracked (rank #77 by volume). High release volume and a below-average success rate mean it's a competitive space.
How many Shoot 'Em Up games release on Steam each year?
In 2025 (the last complete year) about 454 Shoot 'Em Up games released on Steam; 2026 is still in progress.
Is Shoot 'Em Up a good genre to release on Steam?
By the numbers, Shoot 'Em Up looks like a tough, below-average bet — a 2.9% base-rate success vs 6.0% Steam-wide. Pair that with your scope, budget and marketing plan before committing.

Compare other Steam genres