How much does a Steam wishlist cost?
What indie developers pay per Steam wishlist through ads, creators and events, what a wishlist is worth, and how to work out your own break-even price.
Updated
Cost per wishlist, in one sentence
Cost per wishlist is what you spent on a channel divided by the wishlists it brought. It’s the number indie marketers use to compare ads, creators, events and press, because wishlists are what Steam’s algorithm watches before launch.
What it costs through each channel
- Paid social ads: well-targeted campaigns are often reported at about $1–$3 per wishlist, and much more with weak creative or a cold audience. Treat these as rough marketer rules of thumb, not a measured average.
- Creators, paid a flat fee: the cost per wishlist swings widely, because the fee is fixed and the result isn’t. A video that flops can cost tens of dollars per wishlist. See flat fees versus paying per wishlist.
- Creators, paid per wishlist: you set the price up front and only pay for wishlists Steam attributes to their link. On Wishlistme the suggested range is $0.15–$0.40.
- Key networks (Keymailer, Lurkit): free or a monthly fee, but no cost per wishlist you can count on, because nothing ties coverage to results. See Keymailer alternatives compared.
- Events and festivals (Next Fest and others): no direct cost per wishlist, but they reward games that arrive with momentum. See Steam Next Fest and wishlists.
What a wishlist is worth to you
A wishlist is worth the share of wishlisters who end up buying, times what you earn per sale. GameDiscoverCo’s conversion benchmarks give a starting point: benchmark for games launched August–October 2024 with at least 5,000 wishlists put the median at about 0.1 first-week sales per launch wishlist. Wishlists keep converting after launch week, especially during sales.
A rough break-even check: price after Steam’s cut and refunds × the share of wishlists you expect to convert over the game’s life. For a $15 game that nets you about $9.50 per copy, at 20% lifetime conversion, a wishlist is worth about $1.90.
Pay less than that and the wishlists pay for themselves, before counting the extra visibility Steam gives games with more wishlists. See how many wishlists Popular Upcoming takes.
Free tool
What is one wishlist worth to you?
Enter your price and how many wishlists you expect to turn into sales over the game’s life. You get what a wishlist is worth and the most you can bid per wishlist and still break even.
- You keep per copy
- $9.50
- One wishlist is worth
- $1.90
- Break-even bid
- $1.81
Assumes you keep about 63% of the price after Steam’s 30% cut, sales tax and refunds. The break-even bid leaves room for the 5% Wishlistme fee; any bid under it pays for itself before counting the visibility more wishlists bring.
How to pay less per wishlist
- Fix the store page first. Capsule art, the first trailer seconds and the first screenshots decide whether a visitor wishlists.
- Track every channel with Steam UTM links, so you know which one works. See Steam UTM tracking.
- Pay for results where you can. A per-wishlist price caps your cost no matter how a video performs.
Want to try it? Pay creators to showcase your game and set your own bid per wishlist.