Social co-op games for friends are the main indie trend of the year. How much do they earn and how crowded is the niche?

By the end of 2025, quirky indie games with a focus on co-op and interaction with friends have firmly established themselves as one of the fastest-growing niches on Steam. In this new piece, we present our report on the state of this category, which many have already dubbed "friendslop," as well as data on game revenue and other metrics.

In this article, you will learn:

• how the trend of affordable indie games with social co-op emerged and took shape;
• what common criteria unite current co-op hits like PEAK, R.E.P.O., Lethal Company, and Schedule I;
• how many such games have already been released on Steam and how rapidly the number of releases is growing;
• what financial results the niche shows — median revenue, percentile values, and top-grossing hits;
• how low pricing and viral potential became key to the genre's success;
• what weaknesses and risks of oversaturation the segment may face in the future;
• and why, despite obvious challenges, the demand for fun co-op games with friends is unlikely to disappear.