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 1,116 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
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.
Pairs with the best chance of $100k+, above the base rateFree until launch
1,116 of 4,635 niches have 30+ launches at $10 to $20. 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 | 20 in 100878 of 4,304 | $10,978 | $287,297 | 4,304 | |||
| 1 | 2D + Hidden Objectnone of 71 launches earned $100k+ | 0 of 71no hits | under 100 | under 100 | 71 | none | Pin 2D + Hidden Object |
| 2 | 3D Platformer + Casualnone of 50 launches earned $100k+ | 0 of 50no hits | under 100 | under 100 | 50 | 1-hit | Pin 3D Platformer + Casual |
| 3 | Fantasy + Hidden Objectnone of 45 launches earned $100k+ | 0 of 45no hits | under 100 | under 100 | 45 | Small | Pin Fantasy + Hidden Object |
| 4 | Immersive Sim + VRnone of 37 launches earned $100k+ | 0 of 37no hits | under 100 | under 100 | 37 | Small | Pin Immersive Sim + VR |
| 5 | Arcade + VRnone of 35 launches earned $100k+ | 0 of 35no hits | under 100 | under 100 | 35 | Small | Pin Arcade + VR |
| 6 | 2D + Magicnone of 31 launches earned $100k+ | 0 of 31no hits | under 100 | under 100 | 31 | 1-hitSmall | Pin 2D + Magic |
| 7 | Casual + VR1 of 56 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 561 hit | under 100 | under 100 | 56 | none | Pin Casual + VR |
| 8 | Adventure + Text-Based1 of 43 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 431 hit | under 100 | under 100 | 43 | Small | Pin Adventure + Text-Based |
| 9 | Fantasy + Mystery1 of 41 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 411 hit | under 100 | under 100 | 41 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Fantasy + Mystery |
| 10 | Hidden Object + Point & Click2 of 80 launches earned $100k+ | 2 of 802 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 80 | none | Pin Hidden Object + Point & Click |
| 11 | Choose Your Own Adventure + Text-Based1 of 39 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 391 hit | under 100 | under 100 | 39 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Choose Your Own Adventure + Text-Based |
| 12 | Puzzle + VR1 of 39 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 391 hit | under 100 | under 100 | 39 | 1-hitSmall | Pinned Puzzle + VR |
| 13 | 2D + Choose Your Own Adventure2 of 75 launches earned $100k+ | 2 of 752 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 75 | none | Pin 2D + Choose Your Own Adventure |
| 14 | 3D Platformer + Cute1 of 36 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 361 hit | under 100 | under 100 | 36 | Small | Pin 3D Platformer + Cute |
| 15 | Sports + Strategy1 of 36 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 361 hit | under 100 | under 100 | 36 | Small | Pin Sports + Strategy |
| 16 | Casual + Text-Based1 of 33 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 331 hit | under 100 | under 100 | 33 | Small | Pinned Casual + Text-Based |
| 17 | 3D Platformer + Puzzle Platformer1 of 32 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 321 hit | under 100 | under 100 | 32 | Small | Pin 3D Platformer + Puzzle Platformer |
| 18 | Arcade + Casual4 of 124 launches earned $100k+ | 4 of 1244 hits | $1,150 | $18,907 | 124 | none | Pin Arcade + Casual |
| 19 | Adventure + Puzzle Platformer2 of 62 launches earned $100k+ | 2 of 622 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 62 | none | Pin Adventure + Puzzle Platformer |
| 20 | Adventure + VR2 of 58 launches earned $100k+ | 2 of 582 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 58 | 1-hit | Pin Adventure + VR |
| 21 | Simulation + VR2 of 56 launches earned $100k+ | 2 of 562 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 56 | 1-hit | Pin Simulation + VR |
| 22 | Anime + Choose Your Own Adventure2 of 54 launches earned $100k+ | 2 of 542 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 54 | Audience | Pin Anime + Choose Your Own Adventure |
| 23 | 3D + PvE2 of 53 launches earned $100k+ | 2 of 532 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 53 | 1-hit | Pin 3D + PvE |
| 24 | First-Person + VR2 of 53 launches earned $100k+ | 2 of 532 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 53 | none | Pin First-Person + VR |
| 25 | Action-Adventure + Strategy2 of 52 launches earned $100k+ | 2 of 522 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 52 | 1-hit | Pin Action-Adventure + Strategy |
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.