Sign in
wishvane

How many copies did Helm or High Water sell?

Estimated copies sold
≈ 99–161
$408–$1k after Steam's cut $742–$2k before the cut
from 4 reviews (4 user reviews)
Thin evidence: 4 reviews. That range swings on one or two people, so read it as a hint, not a measurement.

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 Helm or High Water out and predicted the genre from its 8 similar games. Every figure here, including Helm or High Water's, is estimated from Steam reviews, not self-reported sales.

Copies, estimated from reviews

typical (middle half) 223k–681k
best case 2.6M (Assassin’s Creed® IV Black Flag™)
Games like Helm or High Water

The middle of these games

≈ 223k–681k copies

≈ $1.3M–$3.8M after Steam's cut

from ~6k reviews

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

All 8 of your similar games are hits.

Best case: Assassin’s Creed® IV Black Flag™ at ≈ 1.9M–3.2M copies, ≈ $21.4M–$57.6M after Steam's cut.

The genre you'd be entering
Your set
Your set clusters on Pirates (8 of 8) and Naval (6 of 8).
The winners
Winners here lead with Pirates + Open World, priced around $40.
The era
The games you compared span 2005 to 2024, and 1 of your 7 shipped in the last two years.
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 79 for the oldest, then widened into a range; revenue rides on that estimate times price. Source: GameDiscoverCo (2020) and VG Insights (2021).

Similar games

Assassin’s Creed® IV Black Flag™
unreleased
Est. copies
≈ 1.9M–3.2M
13x vs typical
SteamSpy 5M–10M
Est. revenue
$21.4M–$57.6M after Steam's cut $38.9M–$88.6M before the cut
$39.99
79k reviews
Very Positive
PiratesOpen World
The Pirate: Caribbean Hunt
2016
Est. copies
≈ 193k–314k
SteamSpy 500k–1M
Est. revenue
Free
Free
5k reviews
Very Positive
Free to PlayNaval Combat
Sea Dogs: To Each His Own
2012
Est. copies
≈ 149k–242k
SteamSpy 100k–200k
Est. revenue
$615k–$1.7M after Steam's cut $1.1M–$2.5M before the cut
$14.99
2k reviews
Mostly Positive
PiratesNaval
Sid Meier's Pirates!
2005
Est. copies
≈ 476k–774k
SteamSpy 200k–500k
Est. revenue
$1.3M–$3.5M after Steam's cut $2.4M–$5.4M before the cut
$9.99
8k reviews
Very Positive
PiratesOpen World
Skull and Bones
2024
Est. copies
≈ 121k–196k
SteamSpy 50k–100k
Est. revenue
$995k–$2.7M after Steam's cut $1.8M–$4.1M before the cut
$29.99
5k reviews
Mixed
PiratesAction
Naval Action
2019
Est. copies
≈ 426k–693k
2.4x vs typical
SteamSpy 200k–500k
Est. revenue
$2.3M–$6.3M after Steam's cut $4.3M–$9.7M before the cut
$19.99
15k reviews
Mixed
SailingNaval Combat
Blackwake
2020
Est. copies
≈ 646k–1.1M
4.2x vs typical
SteamSpy 500k–1M
Est. revenue
Free
Free
26k reviews
Very Positive
PiratesMultiplayer
Windward
2015
Est. copies
≈ 177k–288k
SteamSpy 200k–500k
Est. revenue
$487k–$1.3M after Steam's cut $885k–$2.0M before the cut
$9.99
4k reviews
Mostly Positive
PiratesNaval Combat

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