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 12 to 36 months old, data 3 Oct 2026. A hit is an estimated first year of $100k+. Earnings are sales on Steam after discounts and regional prices, before Steam's 30% cut, refunds and sales tax. About 58% of it reaches the developer. The revenue estimate is soft: about 6 to 7.5 in 100 launches overall.

Best niches

All prices

Pairs with the best chance of $100k+, above the base rateFree until launch

Building + Multiplayerabout 2.3 times expected at its prices, could be luck46 in 100

1Building + Multiplayer46 in 10048 launches 2Base Building + Multiplayer46 in 10046 launches 3Online Co-Op + Roguelike45 in 10040 launches 4Cozy + Farming Sim45 in 10040 launches 5Crafting + Multiplayer45 in 10049 launches

Lens checkHolds in 3 of 3. Standard: the base the others are compared with. West-facing view: holds. Without the breakout: holds. Last 18 months: holds.

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Best nichesFree until launchClick to unlockTag pairs that beat the odds

The genre list

Price $10 to $20

All prices1 in 15 hit $100k+Under $51 in 238 hit $100k+$5 to $101 in 28 hit $100k+$10 to $2020 in 100 hit $100k+$20 to $4044 in 100 hit $100k+

Base rate: indie paid launches 12 to 36 months old, 26,291 launches. Odds compare best within one price.

Lens West-facing view

Standard West-facing view Without the breakout Last 18 months

Games mostly reviewed outside China: drops games with 35% or more of their reviews in Chinese. That share is measured for games with 2,000+ reviews; for smaller games it is guessed from the game's name. Lenses are computed across all prices only so far, so a lens reads All prices.

Sample 30+

10+ launchesshow small samples 30+ launches 100+ launchesonly big markets

Hides anything measured on fewer launches.

$10 to $20 West-facing view 30+ launches Reset

The West-facing view 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: Colony Sim, 22 in 100. 74 match.Biggest typical yearWhat the middle launch earned, highest first.Now: Open World Survival Craft, $25,124 typical. 253 match.Biggest upsideWhat the top tenth earned at least.Not computed for lenses yet.Proven at scale100+ launches and above the base rate.Now: Open World Survival Craft, 32 in 100. 97 match.Busiest marketsMost launches first: where the competition is.Now: Puzzle, 5,055 launches. 253 match.

Hide one-hit markets46 out Hide small samples21 out

253 of 256 genres have 30+ launches at any price, West-facing view. Sorted by chance of $100k+, lowest first.

Parody 1 in 18 earned $100k+, from 129 launches at any price, West-facing viewtypical $371 none

Farming 15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 46 launches at any price, West-facing view$10k+ not computed yet 1-hitSmall

Management 18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 974 launches at any price, West-facing viewtypical $4,018 none

Genres at any price, West-facing view, sorted by chance of $100k+. The first row is the base rate.
Rank#	Genre	Chance of $100k+	Typical year	Top 1 in 10	Launches	Markers	Pin
	All games at any price, West-facing viewthe base rate: the row to beat	1 in 151,722 of 26,291	$552	not computed	26,291
1	6DOFnone of 67 launches earned $100k+	0 of 67no hits	under 100	under 100	67	none	Pin 6DOF
2	Intentionally Awkward Controlsnone of 31 launches earned $100k+	0 of 31no hits	under 100	under 100	31	Small	Pin Intentionally Awkward Controls
3	Solitaire1 of 185 launches earned $100k+	1 of 1851 hit	$313	not computed	185	1-hit	Pin Solitaire
4	Sokoban2 of 228 launches earned $100k+	2 of 2282 hits	$421	not computed	228	none	Pin Sokoban
5	Match 33 of 278 launches earned $100k+	3 of 2783 hits	$138	not computed	278	1-hit	Pin Match 3
6	Spelling1 of 90 launches earned $100k+	1 of 901 hit	under 100	under 100	90	none	Pin Spelling
7	Runner1 in 74 earned $100k+, from 515 launches	1 in 747 hits	$94	not computed	515	none	Pin Runner
8	Hidden Object1 in 66 earned $100k+, from 1,583 launches	1 in 6624 hits	$536	not computed	1,583	none	Pin Hidden Object
9	Score Attack1 in 62 earned $100k+, from 554 launches	1 in 629 hits	$211	not computed	554	none	Pin Score Attack
10	3D Fighter1 in 61 earned $100k+, from 303 launches	1 in 615 hits	$158	not computed	303	none	Pin 3D Fighter
11	Precision Platformer1 in 58 earned $100k+, from 867 launches	1 in 5815 hits	$234	not computed	867	Audience	Pin Precision Platformer
12	Trivia2 of 105 launches earned $100k+	2 of 1052 hits	$146	not computed	105	Audience	Pin Trivia
13	Chess1 of 50 launches earned $100k+	1 of 501 hit	under 100	under 100	50	none	Pin Chess
14	Incremental1 in 47 earned $100k+, from 977 launches	1 in 4721 hits	$278	not computed	977	none	Pin Incremental
15	Bullet Time2 of 93 launches earned $100k+	2 of 932 hits	under 100	under 100	93	none	Pin Bullet Time
16	Shoot 'Em Up1 in 44 earned $100k+, from 872 launches	1 in 4420 hits	$284	not computed	872	Audience	Pin Shoot 'Em Up
17	Logic1 in 44 earned $100k+, from 871 launches	1 in 4420 hits	$344	not computed	871	Audience	Pin Logic
18	Arcade1 in 40 earned $100k+, from 3,559 launches	1 in 4088 hits	$220	not computed	3,559	none	Pin Arcade
19	Puzzle Platformer1 in 39 earned $100k+, from 1,086 launches	1 in 3928 hits	$214	not computed	1,086	Audience	Pin Puzzle Platformer
20	Basketball1 of 38 launches earned $100k+	1 of 381 hit	under 100	under 100	38	Small	Pin Basketball
21	Submarine1 of 38 launches earned $100k+	1 of 381 hit	under 100	under 100	38	Small	Pin Submarine
22	Aliens1 in 37 earned $100k+, from 262 launches	1 in 377 hits	$268	not computed	262	none	Pin Aliens
23	Arena Shooter1 in 37 earned $100k+, from 516 launches	1 in 3714 hits	$286	not computed	516	Audience	Pin Arena Shooter
24	Space Sim1 in 35 earned $100k+, from 207 launches	1 in 356 hits	$315	not computed	207	none	Pin Space Sim
25	3D Platformer1 in 33 earned $100k+, from 1,493 launches	1 in 3345 hits	$199	not computed	1,493	none	Pin 3D Platformer

Show 25 moreShowing 25 of 253 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 or 5 hits 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.