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How many copies did Colonize sell?

Estimated copies sold
≈ 5k–9k
$14k–$39k after Steam's cut $26k–$59k before Steam's cut
from 211 reviews (Mixed)

Copies are estimated from the public review count, adjusted for release year, and cross-checked against SteamSpy's own estimate.

Did the prediction match what actually happened?

We hid Colonize and predicted how it would do from its 8 similar games. Every figure here, including Colonize's, is estimated from Steam reviews.

Copies, estimated from reviews

typical (middle half) 1.1M–2.9M
best case 5.5M (Frostpunk)
Games like Colonize

A typical game among these

≈ 1.1M–2.9M copies

≈ $10.9M–$30.9M after Steam's cut

from ~37k reviews

Only the top fifth of 2019's Steam releases earned $34k or more before Steam's cut, so plan for that or less.

All 8 of the similar games are hits.

Best case: Frostpunk at ≈ 4.2M–6.8M copies, ≈ $34.5M–$92.8M after Steam's cut.

The genre you'd be entering
These games
The similar games share City Builder (8 of 8) and Colony Sim (7 of 8).
The winners
Winners here lead with City Builder + Survival, priced around $30.
When they shipped
The similar games span 2014 to 2025, and 1 of the 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 70 for the oldest, then widened into a range; revenue rides on that estimate times price. Source: GameDiscoverCo (2020) and VG Insights (2021).

Similar games

Frostpunk
2018
Est. copies
≈ 4.2M–6.8M
3.7x vs typical
SteamSpy 2M–5M
Est. revenue
$34.5M–$92.8M after Steam's cut $62.8M–$142.8M before Steam's cut
$29.99
138k reviews
Very Positive
Northgard: Definitive Edition
2018
Est. copies
≈ 2.1M–3.4M
1.8x vs typical
SteamSpy 2M–5M
Est. revenue
$20.1M–$54.1M after Steam's cut $36.6M–$83.2M before Steam's cut
$34.99
69k reviews
Very Positive
StrategyCity Builder
They Are Billions
2019
Est. copies
≈ 1.5M–2.4M
SteamSpy 2M–5M
Est. revenue
$12.2M–$32.9M after Steam's cut $22.2M–$50.6M before Steam's cut
$29.99
52k reviews
Very Positive
Base-BuildingColony Sim
Surviving Mars
2018
Est. copies
≈ 889k–1.4M
SteamSpy 2M–5M
Est. revenue
Free
Free
29k reviews
Mostly Positive
Foundation
2025
Est. copies
≈ 608k–988k
SteamSpy 500k–1M
Est. revenue
$5.9M–$15.7M after Steam's cut $10.6M–$24.2M before Steam's cut
$34.99
25k reviews
Very Positive
Kingdoms and Castles
2017
Est. copies
≈ 1.1M–1.8M
SteamSpy 1M–2M
Est. revenue
$6.0M–$16.0M after Steam's cut $10.8M–$24.6M before Steam's cut
$19.99
32k reviews
Very Positive
Banished
2014
Est. copies
≈ 2.4M–3.9M
SteamSpy 2M–5M
Est. revenue
$13.3M–$35.9M after Steam's cut $24.3M–$55.2M before Steam's cut
$19.99
43k reviews
Very Positive
Dawn of Man
2019
Est. copies
≈ 514k–836k
SteamSpy 1M–2M
Est. revenue
$3.5M–$9.5M after Steam's cut $6.4M–$14.6M before Steam's cut
$24.99
18k reviews
Very Positive

Sizing up your own game? See how many copies games in its genre usually sell before you build it.