How much revenue did S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl make?

$16.7M–$45.0M after Steam's roughly 30% cut, derived from the copies estimate and its price.

How many copies did S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl sell?

Q: How many copies did S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl sell?

3.0M to 4.9M copies, based on its 48k Steam reviews. This is a labeled estimate from the review count, not exact sales.

Estimated copies sold: ≈ 3.0M–4.9M; $16.7M–$45.0M after Steam's cut $30.4M–$69.2M before the cut; from 48k 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 S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl out and predicted the genre from its 8 similar games. Every figure here, including S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl's, is estimated from Steam reviews, not self-reported sales.

Copies, estimated from reviews

typical (middle half) 4.5M–6.0M

best case 18.7M (DayZ)

Games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl

The middle of these games

≈ 4.5M–6.0M copies

≈ $65.8M–$86.6M after Steam's cut

from ~140k 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.

Your picks lean toward this genre's biggest survivors; the typical figure reads from its ordinary successes.

Best case: DayZ at ≈ 14.2M–23.1M copies, ≈ $195.8M–$526.4M after Steam's cut. A breakout hit, far above a typical game.

What it took to get here

About half the games that made it here had over 51k reviews in their first month; the spread ran 14k to 327k.

The genre you'd be entering

Your set: Your set clusters on Post-apocalyptic (8 of 8) and Open World (7 of 8).
The winners: Winners here lead with Open World + Post-apocalyptic, priced around $32. The breakout hits carry Zombies; a typical game here doesn't.
The era: The games you compared span 2010 to 2024, and 2 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 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

Game	Est. copies	Est. revenue	Price	Reviews	Tags
Fallout: New Vegas 2010	Est. copies ≈ 16.5M–26.8M 1.9x vs typical SteamSpy 5M–10M	Est. revenue $45.3M–$121.9M after Steam's cut $82.5M–$187.6M before the cut	$9.99	261k reviews Overwhelmingly Positive	Open WorldRPG
Fallout 4 2015	Est. copies ≈ 20.9M–34.0M 3.1x vs typical SteamSpy 10M–20M	Est. revenue $115.0M–$309.3M after Steam's cut $209.1M–$475.8M before the cut	$19.99	429k reviews Very Positive	Open WorldPost-apocalyptic
Metro 2033 Redux 2014	Est. copies ≈ 7.9M–12.9M SteamSpy 5M–10M	Est. revenue $43.5M–$117.0M after Steam's cut $79.1M–$180.1M before the cut	$19.99	141k reviews Very Positive	Post-apocalypticFPS
DayZ 2018	Est. copies ≈ 14.2M–23.1M 3.3x vs typical SteamSpy 10M–20M	Est. revenue $195.8M–$526.4M after Steam's cut $356.0M–$809.9M before the cut	$49.99	469k reviews Mostly Positive	SurvivalOpen World
7 Days to Die 2024	Est. copies ≈ 9.9M–16.1M 2.9x vs typical SteamSpy 10M–20M	Est. revenue $122.7M–$330.0M after Steam's cut $223.1M–$507.7M before the cut	$44.99	400k reviews Very Positive	SurvivalZombies
Fallout 76 2020	Est. copies ≈ 3.5M–5.7M SteamSpy 2M–5M	Est. revenue $38.3M–$103.1M after Steam's cut $69.7M–$158.5M before the cut	$39.99	141k reviews Mostly Positive	Open WorldMultiplayer
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl 2024	Est. copies ≈ 3.5M–5.6M SteamSpy 2M–5M	Est. revenue $57.1M–$153.6M after Steam's cut $103.9M–$236.3M before the cut	$59.99	140k reviews Mostly Positive	Open WorldFPS
Metro Exodus 2020	Est. copies ≈ 3.4M–5.5M SteamSpy 2M–5M	Est. revenue $27.8M–$74.6M after Steam's cut $50.5M–$114.8M before the cut	$29.99	136k reviews Very Positive	Post-apocalypticFPS