Genres

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.

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on 3 Oct 2026

Genres 3 Oct

Of 255 genres with 30+ launches at any price, Without the breakout, 134 beat the 1 in 17 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 219 under $5, 40 in 100 at $20 to $40.134 of 255 genres beat the 1 in 17 base rate.134 beat the base rate.

Typical launch, all prices, first year $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 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.

Best niches

All prices

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

Base Building + Multiplayerabout 2.3 times expected at its prices, could be luck44 in 100
1Base Building + Multiplayer44 in 10045 launches2Crafting + Multiplayer44 in 10048 launches3Online Co-Op + Roguelike43 in 10040 launches4Base Building + Open World Survival Craft39 in 10054 launches5Character Customization + Open World39 in 10062 launches

Lens checkOne-hit market. Standard: the base the others are compared with. West-facing view: holds. Without the breakout: moves the answer. Last 18 months: holds.

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Best nichesFree until launchClick to unlockTag pairs that beat the odds

The genre list

The Without the breakout 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: Desktop Companion, 37 in 100. 73 match.Biggest typical yearWhat the middle launch earned, highest first.Now: Desktop Companion, $32,516 typical. 255 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, 30 in 100. 97 match.Busiest marketsMost launches first: where the competition is.Now: Puzzle, 5,256 launches. 255 match.
Hide one-hit markets47 outHide small samples22 out

255 of 256 genres have 30+ launches at any price, Without the breakout. Sorted by chance of $100k+, highest first.

Parody 1 in 21 earned $100k+, from 128 launches at any price, Without the breakouttypical $373. Best of the pins none
Hacking 2 of 67 earned $100k+ at any price, Without the breakouttypical $794 none
Programming 4 of 90 earned $100k+ at any price, Without the breakouttypical $1,222 none
Genres at any price, Without the breakout, 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, Without the breakoutthe base rate: the row to beat 1 in 171,546 of 26,280 $540not computed 26,280
1 37 in 100 earned $100k+, from 30 launches 37 in 10011 hits $32,516 not computed 30 Small Pin Desktop Companion
2 30 in 100 earned $100k+, from 108 launches 30 in 10032 hits $18,701 not computed 108 1-hit Pin Open World Survival Craft
3 27 in 100 earned $100k+, from 70 launches 27 in 10019 hits $20,791 not computed 70 1-hit Pin Shop Keeper
4 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 582 launches 21 in 100124 hits $3,034 not computed 582 none Pin Base Building
5 20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 147 launches 20 in 10029 hits $9,576 not computed 147 Audience Pin FMV
6 20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 218 launches 20 in 10043 hits $2,870 not computed 218 none Pin Colony Sim
7 19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 646 launches 19 in 100125 hits $4,883 not computed 646 none Pin Online Co-Op
8 19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 843 launches 19 in 100156 hits $2,297 not computed 843 none Pin Building
9 18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 676 launches 18 in 100120 hits $3,619 not computed 676 none Pin Co-op
10 18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 860 launches 18 in 100152 hits $1,856 not computed 860 none Pin Open World
11 17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 101 launches 17 in 10017 hits $3,619 not computed 101 none Pin Mechs
12 17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 506 launches 17 in 10084 hits $1,856 not computed 506 none Pin City Builder
13 16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 477 launches 16 in 10078 hits $3,962 not computed 477 none Pin Economy
14 16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 643 launches 16 in 100105 hits $2,085 not computed 643 none Pin Crafting
15 16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 1,005 launches 16 in 100163 hits $3,730 not computed 1,005 none Pin Management
16 16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 74 launches 16 in 10012 hits $7,150 not computed 74 none Pin Trains
17 16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 124 launches 16 in 10020 hits $5,411 not computed 124 none Pin Trading
18 16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 1,218 launches 16 in 100192 hits $1,882 not computed 1,218 Audience Pin Sandbox
19 16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 229 launches 16 in 10036 hits $7,712 not computed 229 Audience Pin Roguelike Deckbuilder
20 15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 86 launches 15 in 10013 hits $7,362 not computed 86 none Pin Job Simulator
21 15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 491 launches 15 in 10074 hits $2,411 not computed 491 Audience Pin Cozy
22 15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 204 launches 15 in 10030 hits $1,351 not computed 204 1-hitAudience Pin Crime
23 14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 77 launches 14 in 10011 hits $2,106 not computed 77 none Pin World War II
24 14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 297 launches 14 in 10042 hits $2,195 not computed 297 1-hit Pin Automation
25 14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 560 launches 14 in 10078 hits $1,915 not computed 560 none Pin Resource Management
26 14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 366 launches 14 in 10050 hits $2,622 not computed 366 1-hitAudience Pin Metroidvania
27 4 of 30 launches earned $100k+ 4 of 304 hits $1,530 not computed 30 Small Pin Dice
28 13 in 100 earned $100k+, from 129 launches 13 in 10017 hits $7,555 not computed 129 none Pin Bullet Heaven
29 13 in 100 earned $100k+, from 114 launches 13 in 10015 hits $1,263 not computed 114 none Pin Mining
30 13 in 100 earned $100k+, from 894 launches 13 in 100115 hits $1,834 not computed 894 none Pin Life Sim
31 13 in 100 earned $100k+, from 189 launches 13 in 10024 hits $1,391 not computed 189 none Pin Inventory Management
32 13 in 100 earned $100k+, from 142 launches 13 in 10018 hits $1,349 not computed 142 Audience Pin Fishing
33 13 in 100 earned $100k+, from 349 launches 13 in 10044 hits $1,417 not computed 349 none Pin Farming Sim
34 13 in 100 earned $100k+, from 152 launches 13 in 10019 hits $3,122 not computed 152 none Pin Lovecraftian
35 13 in 100 earned $100k+, from 80 launches 13 in 10010 hits $2,297 not computed 80 none Pin Fighting
36 12 in 100 earned $100k+, from 81 launches 12 in 10010 hits $1,704 not computed 81 none Pin 4X
37 12 in 100 earned $100k+, from 394 launches 12 in 10048 hits $941 not computed 394 none Pin Driving
38 12 in 100 earned $100k+, from 42 launches 12 in 1005 hits $4,051 not computed 42 Small Pin Naval
39 12 in 100 earned $100k+, from 93 launches 12 in 10011 hits $1,530 not computed 93 Audience Pin Gun Customization
40 12 in 100 earned $100k+, from 144 launches 12 in 10017 hits $993 not computed 144 none Pin Music
41 4 of 34 launches earned $100k+ 4 of 344 hits $3,203 not computed 34 1-hitSmall Pin Social Deduction
42 12 in 100 earned $100k+, from 60 launches 12 in 1007 hits $506 not computed 60 none Pin Tanks
43 12 in 100 earned $100k+, from 482 launches 12 in 10056 hits $1,272 not computed 482 Audience Pin Cinematic
44 4 of 35 launches earned $100k+ 4 of 354 hits $1,854 not computed 35 1-hitSmall Pin MMORPG
45 11 in 100 earned $100k+, from 247 launches 11 in 10028 hits $2,359 not computed 247 1-hit Pin Capitalism
46 11 in 100 earned $100k+, from 45 launches 11 in 1005 hits $3,405 not computed 45 Small Pin Animals
47 11 in 100 earned $100k+, from 255 launches 11 in 10028 hits $1,146 not computed 255 Audience Pin Cooking
48 11 in 100 earned $100k+, from 64 launches 11 in 1007 hits $306 not computed 64 none Pin Massively Multiplayer
49 11 in 100 earned $100k+, from 202 launches 11 in 10022 hits $2,042 not computed 202 1-hit Pin Grand Strategy
50 11 in 100 earned $100k+, from 386 launches 11 in 10042 hits $940 not computed 386 none Pin Souls-like
Show 25 moreShowing 50 of 255 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.

Releases

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