Genres

Ticker: price and year-over-year change for 40 genres. Price is the median estimated first-year revenue of indie paid launches. The same figures are on the Genres page.

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191,979
on 2 Oct 2026

Genres 3 Oct

Of 187 genres with 30+ launches at any price, Last 18 months, 114 beat the 1 in 17 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 219 under $5, 40 in 100 at $20 to $40.114 of 187 genres beat the 1 in 17 base rate.114 beat the base rate.

Cohort median $540

Genres

Every genre, screened by how often its indie launches earned $100k or more in their first year. Pick your price first: price moves the odds more than genre does.

Indie paid Steam launches 6 to 30 months old, data 3 Oct 2026. A hit is an estimated first year of $100k+. The revenue estimate is soft: about 5 to 8 in 100 launches overall.

Best niches

All prices

Pairs that hit $100k+ beyond the oddsFree until launch

Cartoony + Horrorabout 6.2 times expected at its prices15 in 100
1Cartoony + Horror15 in 10040 launches2FPS + Funny17 in 10041 launches3Incremental + Pixel Graphics1 in13131 launches4Idler + Pixel Graphics1 in12162 launches5Funny + Online Co-Op20 in 10086 launches

Lens checkChanged recently. Standard: the yardstick. West-facing view: holds. Without the breakout: holds. Last 18 months: moves the answer.

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Best nichesFree until launchClick to unlockTag pairs that beat the odds

The genre list

The Last 18 months lens is computed across all prices only for now, so this list reads All prices. Pick Standard to read $10 to $20.

Best odds at my priceChance of $100k+, read within one price band.Opens $10 to $20, Standard lens.Steady marketsHolds in every lens and no single game owns it.Now: FMV, 25 in 100. 86 match.Biggest typical yearWhat the middle launch earned, highest first.Now: Open World Survival Craft, $36,777 typical. 187 match.Biggest upsideWhat the top tenth earned at least.Not computed for lenses yet.Proven at scale100+ launches and above the base rate.Now: Base Building, 22 in 100. 66 match.Busiest marketsMost launches first: where the competition is.Now: Puzzle, 1,499 launches. 187 match.
Hide one-hit markets26 outHide small samples36 out

187 of 256 genres have 30+ launches at any price, Last 18 months. Sorted by chance of $100k+, lowest first.

class-basedNot in this view: under 30 launches at any price, Last 18 months.
programmingNot in this view: under 30 launches at any price, Last 18 months.
Action RTS 1 in 11 earned $100k+, from 53 launches at any price, Last 18 monthstypical $612. Best of the pins 1-hitAudience
Genres at any price, Last 18 months, sorted by chance of $100k+. The first row is the base rate.
Rank#GenreChance of $100k+Typical yearTop 1 in 10LaunchesMarkersPin
All games at any price, Last 18 monthsthe base rate: the row to beat 1 in 171,546 of 26,280 $540not computed 26,280
1 none of 72 launches earned $100k+ 0 in 100no hits $171 not computed 72 none Pin Aliens
2 none of 63 launches earned $100k+ 0 in 100no hits $192 not computed 63 none Pin Space Sim
3 none of 51 launches earned $100k+ 0 in 100no hits $191 not computed 51 1-hitAudience Pin Solitaire
4 none of 35 launches earned $100k+ 0 in 100no hits $383 not computed 35 SmallAudience Pin Battle Royale
5 1 in 168 earned $100k+, from 168 launches 1 in 1681 hit $230 not computed 168 none Pin Score Attack
6 1 in 130 earned $100k+, from 130 launches 1 in 1301 hit $306 not computed 130 none Pin Arena Shooter
7 1 in 81 earned $100k+, from 81 launches 1 in 811 hit $574 not computed 81 none Pin Demons
8 1 in 78 earned $100k+, from 155 launches 1 in 782 hits $574 not computed 155 Audience Pin Text-Based
9 1 in 72 earned $100k+, from 72 launches 1 in 721 hit $517 not computed 72 none Pin Grid-Based Movement
10 1 in 65 earned $100k+, from 65 launches 1 in 651 hit $383 not computed 65 none Pin Sokoban
11 1 in 62 earned $100k+, from 248 launches 1 in 624 hits $229 not computed 248 none Pin Precision Platformer
12 1 in 61 earned $100k+, from 61 launches 1 in 611 hit $306 not computed 61 none Pin Mystery Dungeon
13 1 in 57 earned $100k+, from 114 launches 1 in 572 hits $574 not computed 114 Audience Pin Word Game
14 1 in 57 earned $100k+, from 226 launches 1 in 574 hits $266 not computed 226 none Pin Top-Down Shooter
15 1 in 52 earned $100k+, from 466 launches 1 in 529 hits $455 not computed 466 none Pin Hidden Object
16 1 in 51 earned $100k+, from 51 launches 1 in 511 hit $286 not computed 51 none Pin Artificial Intelligence
17 1 in 49 earned $100k+, from 49 launches 1 in 491 hit $383 not computed 49 Small Pin Dystopian
18 1 in 47 earned $100k+, from 329 launches 1 in 477 hits $228 not computed 329 none Pin Puzzle Platformer
19 1 in 45 earned $100k+, from 135 launches 1 in 453 hits $115 not computed 135 none Pin Runner
20 1 in 40 earned $100k+, from 120 launches 1 in 403 hits $76 not computed 120 none Pin 2D Fighter
21 1 in 40 earned $100k+, from 79 launches 1 in 402 hits $286 not computed 79 none Pin Comic Book
22 1 in 39 earned $100k+, from 233 launches 1 in 396 hits $229 not computed 233 none Pin Shoot 'Em Up
23 1 in 39 earned $100k+, from 77 launches 1 in 392 hits $287 not computed 77 Audience Pin Flight
24 1 in 36 earned $100k+, from 394 launches 1 in 3611 hits $247 not computed 394 none Pin Incremental
25 1 in 36 earned $100k+, from 71 launches 1 in 362 hits $96 not computed 71 1-hitAudience Pin Match 3
Show 25 moreShowing 25 of 187 genres
green beats the base ratecoral below it bar: the chance; amber tick: the base rate1-hit one game holds over half the moneySmall under 50 launches in this viewAudience reads differently for Western players

Under 30 launches a chance is written as a count ("3 of 12"), never as odds. Typical year is the middle launch's first-year earnings. Lenses, the one-hit share and the audience split are measured across all prices.

Releases

Ticker: 30 upcoming games dated within 90 days, with wishlist rank, release date and followers. The same list is on the Upcoming page.