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How many copies did Zen Chess: Mate in Three sell?

Estimated copies sold
≈ 2k–4k
$588–$2k after Steam's cut $1k–$2k before the cut
from 75 reviews (Mostly Positive)

A labeled estimate from the public review count (adjusted for release year), not exact sales. Owner data cross-checked with SteamSpy.

Does this actually work?

We left Zen Chess: Mate in Three out and predicted the genre from its 4 similar games. Every figure here, including Zen Chess: Mate in Three's, is estimated from Steam reviews, not self-reported sales.

Copies, estimated from reviews

typical (middle half) 3k–8k
best case 18k (Zen Chess: Mate in One)
Games like Zen Chess: Mate in Three

The middle of these games

≈ 3k–8k copies

≈ $2k–$3k after Steam's cut

from ~101 reviews

Only the top fifth of 2019’s Steam releases earned about $34k gross, so plan for that or less.

None of your 4 similar games are hits.

From a small set, so take it as a sketch.

Best case: Zen Chess: Mate in One at ≈ 14k–23k copies, ≈ $4k–$10k after Steam's cut.

The genre you'd be entering
Your set
Your set clusters on Chess (4 of 4) and Education (4 of 4).
The winners
Winners here lead with Chess + Puzzle, priced around $1.
The era
None of the games you compared shipped in the last two years; the newest is from 2023. That says more about your picks than about the market, so add newer similar games to read the timing.
How these numbers were worked out

A hit here: 1,000+ reviews, roughly $150k+ before Steam's cut (a standard indie benchmark).

Copies come from each game's reviews times a sales-per-review rate that falls with release age, from about 31 for the most recent game here to about 38 for the oldest, then widened into a range; revenue rides on that estimate times price. Source: GameDiscoverCo (2020) and VG Insights (2021).

Similar games

Zen Chess: Mate in Two
2019
Est. copies
≈ 4k–6k
SteamSpy under 20k
Est. revenue
$996–$3k after Steam's cut $2k–$4k before the cut
$0.99
127 reviews
Very Positive
ChessMinimalist
Stress Chess
2023
Est. copies
≈ 1k–2k
SteamSpy under 20k
Est. revenue
$1k–$3k after Steam's cut $2k–$5k before the cut
$2.99
54 reviews
Mostly Positive
ChessEducation
Zen Chess: Mate in Four
2019
Est. copies
≈ 2k–3k
SteamSpy under 20k
Est. revenue
$580–$2k after Steam's cut $1k–$2k before the cut
$0.99
74 reviews
Mixed
ChessMinimalist
Zen Chess: Mate in One
2018
Est. copies
≈ 14k–23k
4.6x vs typical
SteamSpy under 20k
Est. revenue
$4k–$10k after Steam's cut $7k–$16k before the cut
$0.99
463 reviews
Very Positive
ChessMinimalist

Sizing up your own game? See what its genre can realistically do before you build it.