Best niches
All pricesPairs that hit $100k+ beyond the oddsFree until launch
Lens checkChanged recently. Standard: the yardstick. West-facing view: holds. Without the breakout: holds. Last 18 months: moves the answer.
Open free previewTicker: price and year-over-year change for 40 genres. Price is the median estimated first-year revenue of indie paid launches. The same figures are on the Genres page.
Niches 1 Oct
Of 5,145 niches with 30+ launches at any price, Without the breakout, 1,928 beat the 1 in 16 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 192 under $5, 42 in 100 at $20 to $40.1,928 of 5,145 niches beat the 1 in 16 base rate.1,928 beat the base rate.
Cohort median $606
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 6 to 30 months old, data 1 Oct 2026. A hit is an estimated first year of $100k+. The revenue estimate is soft: about 5 to 8 in 100 launches overall.
Pairs that hit $100k+ beyond the oddsFree until launch
Lens checkChanged recently. Standard: the yardstick. West-facing view: holds. Without the breakout: holds. Last 18 months: moves the answer.
Open free previewThe 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.
5,145 of 5,145 niches have 30+ launches at any price, Without the breakout. 455 match the search and chips. Sorted by chance of $100k+, highest first.
| Rank# | Niche | Chance of $100k+ | Typical year | Top 1 in 10 | Launches | Markers | Pin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All games at any price, Without the breakoutthe base rate: the row to beat | 1 in 161,804 of 29,637 | $606 | not computed | 29,637 | |||
| 1 | Action Roguelike + Online Co-Op26 in 100 earned $100k+, from 77 launches | 26 in 10020 hits | $8,901 | not computed | 77 | Audience | Pin Action Roguelike + Online Co-Op |
| 2 | Action RPG + Sandbox24 in 100 earned $100k+, from 45 launches | 24 in 10011 hits | $1,314 | not computed | 45 | SmallAudience | Pin Action RPG + Sandbox |
| 3 | Action Roguelike + Co-op24 in 100 earned $100k+, from 75 launches | 24 in 10018 hits | $8,901 | not computed | 75 | none | Pin Action Roguelike + Co-op |
| 4 | Action Roguelike + Multiplayer21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 63 launches | 21 in 10013 hits | $5,262 | not computed | 63 | none | Pin Action Roguelike + Multiplayer |
| 5 | Action + Mechs20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 59 launches | 20 in 10012 hits | $4,451 | not computed | 59 | none | Pin Action + Mechs |
| 6 | Action RPG + Isometric20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 66 launches | 20 in 10013 hits | $2,428 | not computed | 66 | 1-hit | Pin Action RPG + Isometric |
| 7 | Action Roguelike + Isometric20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 56 launches | 20 in 10011 hits | $2,428 | not computed | 56 | none | Pin Action Roguelike + Isometric |
| 8 | Action-Adventure + Gore19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 42 launches | 19 in 1008 hits | $666 | not computed | 42 | Small | Pin Action-Adventure + Gore |
| 9 | Action RPG + Loot19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 54 launches | 19 in 10010 hits | $4,048 | not computed | 54 | 1-hit | Pin Action RPG + Loot |
| 10 | Action + Co-op18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 302 launches | 18 in 10053 hits | $2,731 | not computed | 302 | none | Pin Action + Co-op |
| 11 | Action RPG + Character Customization17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 86 launches | 17 in 10015 hits | $1,011 | not computed | 86 | 1-hit | Pin Action RPG + Character Customization |
| 12 | Action-Adventure + Co-op17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 86 launches | 17 in 10015 hits | $2,549 | not computed | 86 | none | Pin Action-Adventure + Co-op |
| 13 | Action Roguelike + Loot17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 46 launches | 17 in 1008 hits | $2,123 | not computed | 46 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Action Roguelike + Loot |
| 14 | Action RPG + Dark Fantasy17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 99 launches | 17 in 10017 hits | $1,819 | not computed | 99 | 1-hit | Pin Action RPG + Dark Fantasy |
| 15 | Action + Music17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 47 launches | 17 in 1008 hits | $3,420 | not computed | 47 | Small | Pin Action + Music |
| 16 | Action Roguelike + Bullet Heaven17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 107 launches | 17 in 10018 hits | $5,344 | not computed | 107 | 1-hit | Pin Action Roguelike + Bullet Heaven |
| 17 | Action + Building16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 73 launches | 16 in 10012 hits | $1,214 | not computed | 73 | none | Pin Action + Building |
| 18 | Action + Crime16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 56 launches | 16 in 1009 hits | $1,214 | not computed | 56 | 1-hit | Pin Action + Crime |
| 19 | Action + Loot16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 75 launches | 16 in 10012 hits | $991 | not computed | 75 | 1-hit | Pin Action + Loot |
| 20 | Action Roguelike + Anime16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 51 launches | 16 in 1008 hits | $3,896 | not computed | 51 | 1-hit | Pin Action Roguelike + Anime |
| 21 | Action RPG + Open World15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 125 launches | 15 in 10019 hits | $1,801 | not computed | 125 | 1-hit | Pin Action RPG + Open World |
| 22 | Action + Crafting15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 107 launches | 15 in 10016 hits | $2,448 | not computed | 107 | Audience | Pin Action + Crafting |
| 23 | Action + Bullet Heaven15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 61 launches | 15 in 1009 hits | $3,638 | not computed | 61 | 1-hit | Pin Action + Bullet Heaven |
| 24 | Action + Fighting15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 68 launches | 15 in 10010 hits | $2,427 | not computed | 68 | 1-hitAudience | Pin Action + Fighting |
| 25 | Action-Adventure + Metroidvania15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 199 launches | 15 in 10029 hits | $2,023 | not computed | 199 | Audience | Pin Action-Adventure + Metroidvania |
Under 30 launches 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.