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How many copies did Satellite Command sell?

Estimated copies sold
≈ 3k–5k
$9k–$25k after Steam's cut $17k–$38k before Steam's cut
from 81 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 Satellite Command and predicted how it would do from its 8 similar games. Every figure here, including Satellite Command's, is estimated from Steam reviews.

Copies, estimated from reviews

typical (middle half) 5.3M–8.8M
best case 10.7M (Stellaris)
Games like Satellite Command

A typical game among these

≈ 5.3M–8.8M copies

≈ $41.1M–$122.6M after Steam's cut

from ~121k 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: Stellaris at ≈ 8.2M–13.3M copies, ≈ $112.6M–$302.6M after Steam's cut.

The genre you'd be entering
These games
The similar games share Simulation (8 of 8) and Space (8 of 8).
The winners
Winners here lead with Space + Grand Strategy, priced around $50.
When they shipped
The similar games span 2008 to 2021, and none of them 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

Universe Sandbox
2015
Est. copies
≈ 1.6M–2.6M
too small to compare
SteamSpy 1M–2M
Est. revenue
$13.0M–$35.0M after Steam's cut $23.6M–$53.8M before Steam's cut
$29.99
32k reviews
Overwhelmingly Positive
SandboxSpace
Stellaris
2016
Est. copies
≈ 8.2M–13.3M
1.6x vs typical
SteamSpy 2M–5M
Est. revenue
$112.6M–$302.6M after Steam's cut $204.7M–$465.6M before Steam's cut
$49.99
197k reviews
Very Positive
Dyson Sphere Program
2021
Est. copies
≈ 2.3M–3.7M
SteamSpy 2M–5M
Est. revenue
$12.5M–$33.7M after Steam's cut $22.8M–$51.9M before Steam's cut
$19.99
92k reviews
Overwhelmingly Positive
AutomationSpace
Space Engineers
2019
Est. copies
≈ 3.9M–6.3M
SteamSpy 2M–5M
Est. revenue
$21.3M–$57.3M after Steam's cut $38.7M–$88.1M before Steam's cut
$19.99
135k reviews
Very Positive
SpaceSandbox
Kerbal Space Program
2015
Est. copies
≈ 7.2M–11.7M
SteamSpy 2M–5M
Est. revenue
$79.0M–$212.3M after Steam's cut $143.6M–$326.6M before Steam's cut
$39.99
147k reviews
Overwhelmingly Positive
SpaceSimulation
Empyrion - Galactic Survival
2020
Est. copies
≈ 854k–1.4M
too small to compare
SteamSpy 1M–2M
Est. revenue
$4.7M–$12.6M after Steam's cut $8.5M–$19.4M before Steam's cut
$19.99
34k reviews
Mostly Positive
Elite Dangerous
2015
Est. copies
≈ 5.3M–8.5M
SteamSpy 2M–5M
Est. revenue
$28.9M–$77.8M after Steam's cut $52.6M–$119.6M before Steam's cut
$19.99
108k reviews
Mostly Positive
Space SimSpace
SPORE™
2008
Est. copies
≈ 4.6M–7.5M
SteamSpy 2M–5M
Est. revenue
$25.3M–$68.0M after Steam's cut $46.0M–$104.7M before Steam's cut
$19.99
73k reviews
Very Positive
God GameOpen World

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