Analysts also reported several additional observations.
GameDiscoverCo, a research firm specializing in the games industry, published a new report analyzing how Steam wishlists influence actual game sales. The study uncovered common traits among titles that are more likely to be purchased after being added to a wishlist.
The team surveyed publishers and developers to estimate the conversion rate (the ratio of wishlist additions to purchases) for games with more than 10,000 wishlisters. The median conversion landed at 0.17, and only a handful of games converted wishlist interest into sales at substantially higher rates.
Among the top 20 games by conversion were breakout hits such as the cooperative climbing title PEAK, the voice-driven magical action game Mage Arena, and the horror game R.E.P.O. These projects became viral with both players and streamers, and cooperative online experiences in particular showed especially strong conversion. Conversely, large sports franchises like NBA 2K26 and EA Sports FC 25 recorded relatively few wishlists but enormous sales, producing anomalously high conversion figures because their casual audiences rarely use wishlists.
Analysts were also surprised by a median conversion around 0.15 — higher than expected. Notably, NSFW (adult) games exhibited disproportionately high conversion: their niche, highly engaged audiences tend to add these titles to wishlists with the explicit intention to purchase, rather than merely bookmarking them for future consideration or discounts.
Source: iXBT.games