Small Spaces Achieves Remarkable 15x Sales Growth From First Week to Year One

June 27, 2026 - 13:45

The apartment decorating game Small Spaces has demonstrated an extraordinary sales trajectory, multiplying its first week revenue by roughly 15 times over the course of a year. Developer Niklas Tomkowitz and publisher Pretty Soon shared data showing the game launched into Early Access in late May 2025 with 9,980 units and $97,000 in gross revenue during week one. By month one, those numbers had grown to 18,000 units and $180,000. But the real story came over the following months, with the game reaching 141,000 units and $1.4 million gross in its first year.

The game's success appears tied to its focus on creative construction rather than strict objectives. Unlike popular cozy games like Unpacking that ask players to restore spaces or unpack boxes, Small Spaces lets players design rooms freely. Tomkowitz, who comes from a design background, drew inspiration from games like Townscaper and Tiny Glade, as well as the YouTube channel Never Too Small, which showcases small apartment interior design.

The biggest challenge was balancing ease of use with depth. Tomkowitz wanted players to get started quickly while offering endless possibilities through new content and features like modular kitchens, different surface materials, and more furniture. He built a Discord community, ran regular playtests, released a demo six months into development, and kept updating the game like a live service title.

The team has grown from just Tomkowitz with freelance help to five people. The publisher credits much of the long-term sales to organic influencer coverage and smart marketing moves. A November 2025 update adding an Unpacking Mode, where players could unpack and style community-designed rooms, coincided with a Steam Daily Deal and outreach to about 700 new creators.

A major spike came in February 2026 when creator Simmary posted a video showcasing the game on Instagram and TikTok, generating 11 million views and 1 million likes. The publisher also used a short-form influencer agency to generate around one million additional views across both platforms.

Sales data shows 25 percent of purchases came from the United States, 13 percent from China, 10 percent from Germany, and smaller percentages from the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and Brazil. The median playtime sits at 1 hour 37 minutes, while the average reaches 5 hours 9 minutes, indicating a dedicated core of players spending much more time with the game.

The case study suggests that games focused on open-ended creative systems rather than explicit goals can find strong audiences, especially among players who enjoy titles like The Sims.