Best niches
$10 to $20Pairs with the best chance of $100k+, above the base rateFree until launch
Ticker: price and year-over-year change for 40 genres. Price is the median estimated first-year revenue of indie paid launches. The change shows for genres with 100+ launches. The same figures are on the Genres page.
Genres 3 Oct
Of 75 genres with 100+ launches at $10 to $20, 38 beat the 18 in 100 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 219 under $5, 40 in 100 at $20 to $40.38 of 75 genres beat the 18 in 100 base rate.38 beat the base rate.
Typical launch, all prices, first year $540
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 5 to 8 in 100 launches overall.
Pairs with the best chance of $100k+, above the base rateFree until launch
75 of 256 genres have 100+ launches at $10 to $20. Sorted by chance of $100k+, lowest first.
| Rank# | Genre | Chance of $100k+ | Typical year | Top 1 in 10 | Launches | Markers | Pin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All games at $10 to $20the base rate: the row to beat | 18 in 100758 of 4,301 | $8,234 | $217,858 | 4,301 | |||
| 1 | VR1 in 24 earned $100k+, from 195 launches | 1 in 248 hits | $2,650 | $33,643 | 195 | none | Pin VR |
| 2 | Hidden Object1 in 19 earned $100k+, from 173 launches | 1 in 199 hits | $1,532 | $41,277 | 173 | none | Pin Hidden Object |
| 3 | Puzzle Platformer1 in 19 earned $100k+, from 131 launches | 1 in 197 hits | $4,322 | $51,139 | 131 | Audience | Pin Puzzle Platformer |
| 4 | Party-Based RPG1 in 16 earned $100k+, from 127 launches | 1 in 168 hits | $5,899 | $72,146 | 127 | none | Pin Party-Based RPG |
| 5 | 3D Platformer1 in 11 earned $100k+, from 180 launches | 1 in 1116 hits | $2,672 | $85,014 | 180 | none | Pin 3D Platformer |
| 6 | Sports1 in 11 earned $100k+, from 152 launches | 1 in 1114 hits | $4,390 | $72,554 | 152 | none | Pin Sports |
| 7 | JRPG1 in 11 earned $100k+, from 171 launches | 1 in 1116 hits | $4,022 | $93,788 | 171 | 1-hitAudience | Pin JRPG |
| 8 | Magic1 in 11 earned $100k+, from 127 launches | 1 in 1112 hits | $4,259 | $99,462 | 127 | none | Pin Magic |
| 9 | Tactical RPG10 in 100 earned $100k+, from 117 launches | 10 in 10012 hits | $8,618 | $103,323 | 117 | none | Pin Tactical RPG |
| 10 | Arcade10 in 100 earned $100k+, from 346 launches | 10 in 10036 hits | $3,292 | $101,169 | 346 | none | Pin Arcade |
| 11 | Romance12 in 100 earned $100k+, from 170 launches | 12 in 10020 hits | $7,090 | $119,162 | 170 | none | Pin Romance |
| 12 | Shoot 'Em Up12 in 100 earned $100k+, from 106 launches | 12 in 10013 hits | $5,630 | $189,234 | 106 | Audience | Pinned Shoot 'Em Up |
| 13 | Puzzle12 in 100 earned $100k+, from 686 launches | 12 in 10085 hits | $3,798 | $130,392 | 686 | Audience | Pin Puzzle |
| 14 | Choose Your Own Adventure12 in 100 earned $100k+, from 242 launches | 12 in 10030 hits | $4,517 | $145,060 | 242 | Audience | Pin Choose Your Own Adventure |
| 15 | Visual Novel13 in 100 earned $100k+, from 434 launches | 13 in 10055 hits | $7,469 | $149,635 | 434 | Audience | Pin Visual Novel |
| 16 | Real Time Tactics13 in 100 earned $100k+, from 115 launches | 13 in 10015 hits | $3,677 | $145,060 | 115 | none | Pin Real Time Tactics |
| 17 | Collectathon13 in 100 earned $100k+, from 113 launches | 13 in 10015 hits | $6,569 | $154,485 | 113 | 1-hit | Pin Collectathon |
| 18 | Turn-Based Tactics14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 242 launches | 14 in 10033 hits | $6,721 | $133,311 | 242 | none | Pin Turn-Based Tactics |
| 19 | Point & Click14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 249 launches | 14 in 10034 hits | $3,377 | $142,534 | 249 | none | Pin Point & Click |
| 20 | Strategy RPG14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 131 launches | 14 in 10018 hits | $8,302 | $135,536 | 131 | Audience | Pin Strategy RPG |
| 21 | Interactive Fiction14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 229 launches | 14 in 10032 hits | $7,666 | $165,201 | 229 | Audience | Pin Interactive Fiction |
| 22 | 2D Platformer14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 311 launches | 14 in 10045 hits | $6,569 | $179,642 | 311 | none | Pin 2D Platformer |
| 23 | Action-Adventure14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 545 launches | 14 in 10079 hits | $5,932 | $144,629 | 545 | none | Pin Action-Adventure |
| 24 | Post-apocalyptic15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 112 launches | 15 in 10017 hits | $10,843 | $193,708 | 112 | none | Pin Post-apocalyptic |
| 25 | Survival Horror15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 117 launches | 15 in 10018 hits | $10,843 | $149,228 | 117 | 1-hit | Pin Survival Horror |
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.
Ticker: 30 upcoming games dated within 90 days, with wishlist rank, release date and followers. The same list is on the Upcoming page.