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.
Niches 3 Oct
Of 1,115 niches with 30+ launches at $10 to $20, 500 beat the 18 in 100 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 219 under $5, 40 in 100 at $20 to $40.500 of 1,115 niches beat the 18 in 100 base rate.500 beat the base rate.
Typical launch, all prices, first year $540
Every tag pair (two tags on the same game), 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 the tags do.
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
1,115 of 4,634 niches have 30+ launches at $10 to $20. 871 match the search and chips. Sorted by chance of $100k+, lowest first.
| Rank# | Niche | 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 | 2D + Hidden Objectnone of 72 launches earned $100k+ | 0 of 72no hits | $766 | $3,377 | 72 | none | Pin 2D + Hidden Object |
| 2 | Fantasy + Hidden Objectnone of 45 launches earned $100k+ | 0 of 45no hits | $766 | $3,065 | 45 | Small | Pin Fantasy + Hidden Object |
| 3 | Immersive Sim + VRnone of 37 launches earned $100k+ | 0 of 37no hits | $2,352 | $21,859 | 37 | Small | Pin Immersive Sim + VR |
| 4 | Sports + Strategynone of 36 launches earned $100k+ | 0 of 36no hits | $4,456 | $68,951 | 36 | Small | Pin Sports + Strategy |
| 5 | Arcade + VRnone of 35 launches earned $100k+ | 0 of 35no hits | $1,823 | $14,174 | 35 | Small | Pin Arcade + VR |
| 6 | Physics + Puzzlenone of 33 launches earned $100k+ | 0 of 33no hits | $8,862 | $54,969 | 33 | Small | Pin Physics + Puzzle |
| 7 | Puzzle + Time Managementnone of 32 launches earned $100k+ | 0 of 32no hits | $1,192 | $46,818 | 32 | Small | Pin Puzzle + Time Management |
| 8 | Casual + VR1 of 56 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 561 hit | $2,279 | $16,089 | 56 | none | Pin Casual + VR |
| 9 | Adventure + Hidden Object2 of 99 launches earned $100k+ | 2 of 992 hits | $1,380 | $27,933 | 99 | none | Pin Adventure + Hidden Object |
| 10 | Hidden Object + Story Rich1 of 49 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 491 hit | $1,255 | $11,668 | 49 | Small | Pin Hidden Object + Story Rich |
| 11 | Adventure + Text-Based1 of 43 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 431 hit | $4,825 | $61,284 | 43 | Small | Pin Adventure + Text-Based |
| 12 | Hidden Object + Point & Click2 of 80 launches earned $100k+ | 2 of 802 hits | $1,256 | $16,879 | 80 | none | Pin Hidden Object + Point & Click |
| 13 | 2D + Choose Your Own Adventure2 of 75 launches earned $100k+ | 2 of 752 hits | $2,785 | $38,419 | 75 | none | Pin 2D + Choose Your Own Adventure |
| 14 | 3D Platformer + Cute1 of 36 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 361 hit | $3,983 | $42,504 | 36 | Small | Pin 3D Platformer + Cute |
| 15 | Casual + Text-Based1 of 33 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 331 hit | $1,148 | $30,132 | 33 | Small | Pin Casual + Text-Based |
| 16 | Exploration + Party-Based RPG1 of 33 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 331 hit | $7,098 | $72,146 | 33 | Small | Pin Exploration + Party-Based RPG |
| 17 | Platformer + Puzzle Platformer2 of 65 launches earned $100k+ | 2 of 652 hits | $5,571 | $48,341 | 65 | Audience | Pin Platformer + Puzzle Platformer |
| 18 | 3D Platformer + Puzzle Platformer1 of 32 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 321 hit | $5,571 | $31,639 | 32 | Small | Pin 3D Platformer + Puzzle Platformer |
| 19 | Adventure + Linear1 of 32 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 321 hit | $1,882 | $23,373 | 32 | Small | Pin Adventure + Linear |
| 20 | Arcade + Casual4 of 124 launches earned $100k+ | 4 of 1244 hits | $862 | $14,174 | 124 | none | Pin Arcade + Casual |
| 21 | Adventure + Puzzle Platformer2 of 62 launches earned $100k+ | 2 of 622 hits | $3,764 | $35,402 | 62 | Audience | Pin Adventure + Puzzle Platformer |
| 22 | Casual + Romance2 of 62 launches earned $100k+ | 2 of 622 hits | $5,065 | $43,748 | 62 | none | Pin Casual + Romance |
| 23 | Text-Based + Visual Novel2 of 62 launches earned $100k+ | 2 of 622 hits | $4,825 | $40,772 | 62 | none | Pin Text-Based + Visual Novel |
| 24 | Action + Precision Platformer1 of 31 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 311 hit | $3,406 | $31,954 | 31 | SmallAudience | Pin Action + Precision Platformer |
| 25 | Adventure + Cartoony2 of 59 launches earned $100k+ | 2 of 592 hits | $3,241 | $34,918 | 59 | none | Pin Adventure + Cartoony |
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. A game counts in every pair its tags make.
Ticker: 30 upcoming games dated within 90 days, with wishlist rank, release date and followers. The same list is on the Upcoming page.