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 156 genres with 30+ launches at $10 to $20, 77 beat the 18 in 100 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 219 under $5, 40 in 100 at $20 to $40.77 of 156 genres beat the 18 in 100 base rate.77 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
156 of 256 genres have 30+ launches at $10 to $20. 57 match the search and chips. 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 | Space19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 107 launches | 19 in 10020 hits | $7,527 | $189,234 | 107 | none | Pin Space |
| 2 | Shooter19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 363 launches | 19 in 10068 hits | $7,216 | $247,645 | 363 | none | Pin Shooter |
| 3 | Card Game19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 201 launches | 19 in 10038 hits | $13,501 | $270,510 | 201 | none | Pin Card Game |
| 4 | Auto Battler19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 58 launches | 19 in 10011 hits | $23,095 | $338,671 | 58 | Audience | Pin Auto Battler |
| 5 | Horror19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 345 launches | 19 in 10066 hits | $9,724 | $232,139 | 345 | none | Pin Horror |
| 6 | Action RPG19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 281 launches | 19 in 10054 hits | $7,717 | $227,369 | 281 | Audience | Pin Action RPG |
| 7 | Tactical19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 113 launches | 19 in 10022 hits | $19,270 | $244,943 | 113 | none | Pin Tactical |
| 8 | Dungeon Crawler20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 204 launches | 20 in 10040 hits | $12,625 | $254,066 | 204 | none | Pin Dungeon Crawler |
| 9 | Racing20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 112 launches | 20 in 10022 hits | $4,470 | $192,570 | 112 | none | Pin Racing |
| 10 | Character Customization20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 191 launches | 20 in 10038 hits | $13,176 | $257,678 | 191 | Audience | Pin Character Customization |
| 11 | Military20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 69 launches | 20 in 10014 hits | $10,189 | $310,598 | 69 | 1-hit | Pin Military |
| 12 | Automobile Sim21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 68 launches | 21 in 10014 hits | $7,507 | $386,359 | 68 | none | Pin Automobile Sim |
| 13 | Detective21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 106 launches | 21 in 10022 hits | $9,645 | $206,730 | 106 | Audience | Pin Detective |
| 14 | Simulation21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 876 launches | 21 in 100183 hits | $11,548 | $289,238 | 876 | none | Pin Simulation |
| 15 | Survival21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 206 launches | 21 in 10044 hits | $18,573 | $241,867 | 206 | none | Pin Survival |
| 16 | Psychological Horror21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 205 launches | 21 in 10044 hits | $15,887 | $316,813 | 205 | none | Pin Psychological Horror |
| 17 | Investigation21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 107 launches | 21 in 10023 hits | $9,410 | $261,863 | 107 | none | Pin Investigation |
| 18 | Farming Sim22 in 100 earned $100k+, from 88 launches | 22 in 10019 hits | $25,147 | $352,182 | 88 | none | Pin Farming Sim |
| 19 | Hack and Slash22 in 100 earned $100k+, from 180 launches | 22 in 10039 hits | $14,890 | $292,848 | 180 | Audience | Pin Hack and Slash |
| 20 | Nature22 in 100 earned $100k+, from 81 launches | 22 in 10018 hits | $15,870 | $171,139 | 81 | none | Pin Nature |
| 21 | Metroidvania22 in 100 earned $100k+, from 129 launches | 22 in 10029 hits | $22,264 | $313,975 | 129 | 1-hitAudience | Pin Metroidvania |
| 22 | Medieval23 in 100 earned $100k+, from 106 launches | 23 in 10024 hits | $14,322 | $344,301 | 106 | none | Pin Medieval |
| 23 | Immersive Sim23 in 100 earned $100k+, from 312 launches | 23 in 10071 hits | $14,472 | $292,763 | 312 | none | Pinned Immersive Sim |
| 24 | Wholesome23 in 100 earned $100k+, from 61 launches | 23 in 10014 hits | $37,600 | $168,317 | 61 | none | Pin Wholesome |
| 25 | FPS23 in 100 earned $100k+, from 219 launches | 23 in 10051 hits | $8,437 | $488,177 | 219 | none | Pin FPS |
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.