An indie card game in early access just outsold one of the year's most anticipated open-world releases and a mainline Resident Evil entry. Combined. That's the story of March on Steam.
According to estimates from Alinea Analytics, Slay the Spire 2 moved approximately 5.3 million copies during its early access debut in March, generating around $108 million in revenue on Steam alone. That puts Mega Crit's sequel comfortably at the top of Steam's monthly sales chart, ahead of every major release that launched in the same window.
How the numbers stack up
The full top 5 for March, by estimated copies sold, tells a pretty clear story:
The gap between first and second place is not close. Slay the Spire 2 sold nearly three times as many copies as Crimson Desert, which itself had a strong month despite what analyst Rhys Elliott described as a "mixed bag" at launch. Elliott, posting on X (formerly Twitter), noted that Crimson Desert's word of mouth has kept building post-launch and called the game's community management "frankly incredible," predicting it will be remembered as one of 2026's defining commercial successes.
The early access factor and what it actually means
Here's the thing: Slay the Spire 2 pulled these numbers while still in early access. That's not a finished product. Players are buying into an incomplete version of the game because the original Slay the Spire built that level of trust over years of updates and a devoted community.
The $108 million total revenue figure is particularly striking given the context. Within two weeks of launch, the game had already surpassed the estimated Steam earnings of both Hollow Knight: Silksongand Hades 2. The sequel is operating in a different commercial tier than most indie releases, early access or otherwise.
Mega Crit has been active with updates throughout the early access period. The most recent beta patch rolled back several changes from the prior update following player feedback, including adjustments to the Prepared (Silent), Borrowed Time, and Capture Spirit (Necrobinder) cards. You can track the latest patch notes and developer updates as the team continues iterating.
Necrobinder cards post-patch
The revenue split that explains everything
The copies-sold ranking obscures something worth paying attention to. Climber Animals Together, the viral "friendslop" game that exploded after gaining traction on Chinese short-video platforms like Douyu and Bilibili, tied Resident Evil Requiem at 1.2 million units. But its ultra-low price point meant it generated under $6 million in March revenue. Resident Evil Requiem, as a premium title, generated roughly $70 million from the same unit volume.
That gap, more than 10x the revenue from identical sales figures, is a reminder that copy counts and actual commercial performance can tell very different stories depending on pricing strategy.
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Resident Evil 3 Remake selling close to a million copies at a 90% discount illustrates another point Elliott raised: Steam's audience responds to aggressive discounting far more readily than console platforms, which continues to inform Capcom's PC-first release approach.For Slay the Spire 2 players, the strong sales numbers mean Mega Crit has the resources and momentum to keep the early access roadmap moving. The developer has already signaled that the current patch cadence is just the beginning of what will be 12 to 18 months of continued development. For the latest on what's changing in the game, check out our gaming news feed for ongoing coverage as new updates drop. Make sure to check out more:
