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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Game Market DataBuild what sells
Live games
192,217
on 3 Oct 2026

Niches 3 Oct

Of 1,116 niches with 30+ launches at $10 to $20, 511 beat the 20 in 100 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 238 under $5, 44 in 100 at $20 to $40.511 of 1,116 niches beat the 20 in 100 base rate.511 beat the base rate.

Typical launch, all prices, first year $552

Niches

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 6 to 7.5 in 100 launches overall.

The niche list

Best odds at my priceChance of $100k+, read within one price band.Now: Building + Life Sim, 63 in 100. 1,116 match.Steady marketsHolds in every lens and no single game owns it.Now: Cozy + Simulation, 56 in 100. 396 match.Biggest typical yearWhat the middle launch earned, highest first.Now: Economy + Management, $51,218 typical. 1,116 match.Biggest upsideWhat the top tenth earned at least.Now: First-Person + Immersive Sim, $903k top 1 in 10. 569 match.Proven at scale100+ launches and above the base rate.Now: Management + Simulation, 38 in 100. 53 match.Busiest marketsMost launches first: where the competition is.Now: Adventure + Exploration, 390 launches. 1,116 match.
Hide one-hit markets72 outHide small samples+254 if offBeats the base rate+312 if off

1,116 of 4,635 niches have 30+ launches at $10 to $20. 257 match the search and chips. Sorted by chance of $100k+, lowest first.

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Niches at $10 to $20, sorted by chance of $100k+. The first row is the base rate.
Rank#NicheChance of $100k+Typical yearTop 1 in 10LaunchesMarkersPin
All games at $10 to $20the base rate: the row to beat 20 in 100878 of 4,304 $10,978$287,297 4,304
1 20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 88 launches 20 in 10018 hits under 100 under 100 88 Audience Pin RPG + Strategy RPG
2 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 78 launches 21 in 10016 hits under 100 under 100 78 Audience Pin Action + Female Protagonist
3 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 73 launches 21 in 10015 hits under 100 under 100 73 none Pin Casual + Funny
4 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 68 launches 21 in 10014 hits under 100 under 100 68 Audience Pin 2D + Top-Down
5 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 97 launches 21 in 10020 hits under 100 under 100 97 Audience Pin Choices Matter + Visual Novel
6 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 63 launches 21 in 10013 hits under 100 under 100 63 none Pin Adventure + Dark
7 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 121 launches 21 in 10025 hits $3,764 $269,727 121 none Pin Mystery + Puzzle
8 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 58 launches 21 in 10012 hits under 100 under 100 58 none Pin Female Protagonist + Puzzle
9 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 58 launches 21 in 10012 hits under 100 under 100 58 Audience Pin Pixel Graphics + Platformer
10 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 53 launches 21 in 10011 hits under 100 under 100 53 Audience Pin 3D + Relaxing
11 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 53 launches 21 in 10011 hits under 100 under 100 53 1-hit Pin Adventure + Crafting
12 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 53 launches 21 in 10011 hits under 100 under 100 53 Audience Pin Interactive Fiction + Multiple Endings
13 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 53 launches 21 in 10011 hits under 100 under 100 53 none Pin Sci-fi + Space
14 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 77 launches 21 in 10016 hits under 100 under 100 77 none Pin 2D + Side Scroller
15 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 77 launches 21 in 10016 hits under 100 under 100 77 none Pin Adventure + Sci-fi
16 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 81 launches 21 in 10017 hits under 100 under 100 81 1-hit Pin Action RPG + Exploration
17 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 57 launches 21 in 10012 hits under 100 under 100 57 none Pin Casual + Realistic
18 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 104 launches 21 in 10022 hits $5,119 $561,226 104 none Pin First-Person + Shooter
19 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 85 launches 21 in 10018 hits under 100 under 100 85 none Pin Action + Story Rich
20 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 66 launches 21 in 10014 hits under 100 under 100 66 1-hit Pin 3D + Horror
21 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 122 launches 21 in 10026 hits $22,984 $352,908 122 1-hit Pin Adventure + Open World
22 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 192 launches 21 in 10041 hits $14,792 $293,138 192 none Pin Exploration + RPG
23 Exploration + Simulation21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 117 launches 21 in 10025 hits $14,934 $462,452 117 none Pin Exploration + Simulation

21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 117 launches at $10 to $20. That is level with the base rate.

Base rate at $10 to $20: 20 in 100 (878 of 4,304 launches earned $100k+).

Typical first year $14,934; the top 1 in 10 earned at least $462,452.

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

No warning markers: no single game holds half the money, the sample is 50+ launches and the West-facing view does not move the answer.

Chance of $100k+ at every price (Standard lens)
PriceChanceLaunchesTypical
All prices1 in 11681$928
Under $52 of 361 launches361$276
$5 to $101 in 32162$2,007
$10 to $2021 in 100117$14,934
$20 to $4076 in 10041under 100

Grey: under 30 launches or 5 hits at that price, written as a count. Typical needs 100 launches. Odds compare best within one price.

Its two tags alone, at $10 to $20

  • Explorationstyle tag21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 878 launches
  • Simulation24 in 100 earned $100k+, from 874 launches
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24 21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 163 launches 21 in 10035 hits $7,395 $283,575 163 none Pin Action + RPG
25 22 in 100 earned $100k+, from 65 launches 22 in 10014 hits under 100 under 100 65 none Pin Action + Metroidvania
Show 25 moreShowing 25 of 257 niches
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. A game counts in every pair its tags make.

Releases

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