# 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 2026-10-08.

## 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](https://wishlistme.me/guides/pay-youtubers-to-play-your-game).
- 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](https://wishlistme.me/guides/keymailer-alternatives).
- 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](https://wishlistme.me/guides/steam-next-fest-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](https://wishlistme.me/guides/steam-wishlist-conversion-rate) 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](https://wishlistme.me/guides/steam-popular-upcoming-wishlists).

## 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. Use it at https://wishlistme.me/guides/how-much-does-a-steam-wishlist-cost.

Formula: value of a wishlist = price × 0.633 (what you keep after Steam’s cut, tax and refunds) × lifetime conversion. Break-even bid = value ÷ 1.05 (the 5% platform fee).

## 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](https://wishlistme.me/guides/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](https://wishlistme.me/buy-steam-wishlists) and set your own bid per wishlist.

## Sources

- [GameDiscoverCo via Game World Observer: wishlist-to-sales benchmark, Aug–Oct 2024 launches (Dec 2024)](https://gameworldobserver.com/2024/12/06/wishlist-to-sales-ratio-steam-gamediscoverco-benchmark)
- [GameDiscoverCo: “Steam: the new wishlists to first week sales expectations” (June 2020)](https://newsletter.gamediscover.co/p/steam-the-new-wishlists-to-first)

More guides: https://wishlistme.me/guides