The Outer Worlds Steam Revenue & Sales Estimates

Based on our analysis using the Boxleiter method, we estimate The Outer Worlds's total gross revenue on Steam at approximately $14,435,934.

This estimate comes with a confidence range:

• Conservative estimate (x20): $10,311,382
• Calibrated midpoint (x28): $14,435,934
• Optimistic estimate (x60): $30,934,145

The actual revenue may vary due to regional pricing, seasonal discounts, and refund rates.

With 26,052 Steam reviews and a 83% positive rating, we estimate The Outer Worlds has sold between 521,040 and 1,563,120 copies, with a best estimate of 729,456.

This is based on the Boxleiter method, which uses the observation that roughly 1 in every 20 to 60 buyers leaves a Steam review. For the midpoint we do not assume a universal 30x value; we use a calibrated multiplier of x28 that adjusts for the title's age, price tier, genre, and review profile.

After Steam's tiered platform fee of effectively 28.5%, Obsidian Entertainment keeps an estimated $10,326,951 from The Outer Worlds's gross revenue of $14,435,934.

Here's the breakdown:

• Gross Revenue: $14,435,934
• Steam's Fee (28.5%): -$4,108,984
• Developer Revenue: $10,326,951

Note: This doesn't account for publisher shares, taxes, or development costs.

Steam uses a tiered revenue sharing model that reduces the platform's cut as a game earns more:

• First $10 million: 30% to Steam, 70% to developer
• $10M to $50M: 25% to Steam, 75% to developer
• Above $50M: 20% to Steam, 80% to developer

For The Outer Worlds, with an estimated gross revenue of $14,435,934, this results in an effective rate of 28.5%. Steam keeps approximately $4,108,984 and Obsidian Entertainment receives $10,326,951.

These estimates use the Boxleiter method, a widely-used industry approach that estimates game sales from the number of Steam reviews.

Factors that affect accuracy:

• Review-to-purchase ratio varies by genre
• Discount history - games with frequent deep sales may have higher ratios
• Regional pricing - different prices in different markets are not captured
• Refunds - Steam's return policy means some counted sales were refunded
• Bundled sales - keys sold through third-party bundles may not generate reviews

We provide a confidence range ($10,311,382 to $30,934,145) to reflect this uncertainty. For the best estimate we combine the Boxleiter range with a calibrated midpoint (x28) and a calibrated ASP of $20.

If The Outer Worlds generated the same gross revenue on the Epic Games Store, Obsidian Entertainment would keep approximately $12,823,622 - that's $2,496,671 more than on Steam.

At this revenue level, Epic's concrete platform fee would be $1,612,312. Epic charges 0% on the first $1 million in annual per-app revenue and then 12% on the remaining amount. On GOG (30% cut), the developer would earn approximately $10,105,154.

Note: This is a hypothetical comparison. Actual sales volumes differ significantly between platforms, and Steam's larger user base typically drives substantially higher sales.

According to SteamSpy data, players spend an average of 20.4 hours in The Outer Worlds, with a median playtime of 14 hours. This indicates solid player engagement.

The Outer Worlds has a Metacritic score of 82/100, which is considered "generally favorable" by critics. The Steam community rates the game 83% positive based on 26,052 user reviews.