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How many copies did Space Engineers sell?

Estimated copies sold
≈ 3.9M–6.3M
$21.3M–$57.2M after Steam's cut $38.7M–$88.0M before the cut
from 134k reviews (Very 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 Space Engineers out and predicted the genre from its 8 similar games. Every figure here, including Space Engineers's, is estimated from Steam reviews, not self-reported sales.

Copies, estimated from reviews

typical (middle half) 4.7M–9.5M
best case 9.8M (RimWorld)
Games like Space Engineers

The middle of these games

≈ 4.7M–9.5M copies

≈ $35.0M–$135.6M after Steam's cut

from ~141k 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: RimWorld at ≈ 7.5M–12.1M copies, ≈ $71.8M–$193.1M after Steam's cut.

The genre you'd be entering
Your set
Your set clusters on Base-Building (5 of 8) and Building (5 of 8).
The winners
Winners here lead with Colony Sim + Base-Building, priced around $35.
The era
The games you compared span 2015 to 2024, and 1 of your 8 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 61 for the oldest, then widened into a range; revenue rides on that estimate times price. Source: GameDiscoverCo (2020) and VG Insights (2021).

Similar games

Kerbal Space Program
2015
Est. copies
≈ 7.1M–11.6M
SteamSpy 2M–5M
Est. revenue
$78.6M–$211.3M after Steam's cut $142.9M–$325.1M before the cut
$39.99
146k reviews
Overwhelmingly Positive
SpaceSimulation
Dyson Sphere Program
2021
Est. copies
≈ 2.3M–3.7M
SteamSpy 2M–5M
Est. revenue
$12.5M–$33.6M after Steam's cut $22.7M–$51.6M before the cut
$19.99
92k reviews
Overwhelmingly Positive
AutomationSpace
Starbound
2016
Est. copies
≈ 5.1M–8.3M
SteamSpy 2M–5M
Est. revenue
$21.1M–$56.8M after Steam's cut $38.4M–$87.4M before the cut
$14.99
123k reviews
Very Positive
Open World Survival CraftSandbox
RimWorld
2018
Est. copies
≈ 7.5M–12.1M
1.7x vs typical
SteamSpy 5M–10M
Est. revenue
$71.8M–$193.1M after Steam's cut $130.6M–$297.1M before the cut
$34.99
246k reviews
Overwhelmingly Positive
Colony SimBase-Building
Stellaris
2016
Est. copies
≈ 8.2M–13.3M
SteamSpy 2M–5M
Est. revenue
$112.6M–$302.8M after Steam's cut $204.7M–$465.8M before the cut
$49.99
197k reviews
Very Positive
The Planet Crafter
2024
Est. copies
≈ 1.8M–2.9M
SteamSpy 1M–2M
Est. revenue
$12.0M–$32.2M after Steam's cut $21.7M–$49.5M before the cut
$23.99
73k reviews
Overwhelmingly Positive
Open World Survival CraftBase-Building
Oxygen Not Included
2019
Est. copies
≈ 4.1M–6.7M
SteamSpy 2M–5M
Est. revenue
$28.4M–$76.4M after Steam's cut $51.7M–$117.5M before the cut
$24.99
144k reviews
Overwhelmingly Positive
Colony SimBase-Building
ASTRONEER
2019
Est. copies
≈ 4.0M–6.5M
SteamSpy 2M–5M
Est. revenue
$33.0M–$88.8M after Steam's cut $60.1M–$136.6M before the cut
$29.99
139k reviews
Very Positive
MultiplayerOpen World

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