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 4,039 niches with 30+ launches at any price, Last 18 months, 1,630 beat the 1 in 16 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 192 under $5, 42 in 100 at $20 to $40.1,630 of 4,039 niches beat the 1 in 16 base rate.1,630 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 Last 18 months lens is computed across all prices only for now, so this list reads All prices. Pick Standard to read $10 to $20.
4,039 of 5,145 niches have 30+ launches at any price, Last 18 months. 247 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, Last 18 monthsthe base rate: the row to beat | 1 in 161,804 of 29,637 | $606 | not computed | 29,637 | |||
| 1 | FMV + RPG31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 49 launches | 31 in 10015 hits | $28,961 | not computed | 49 | SmallAudience | Pin FMV + RPG |
| 2 | Base Building + RPG29 in 100 earned $100k+, from 35 launches | 29 in 10010 hits | $9,111 | not computed | 35 | Small | Pin Base Building + RPG |
| 3 | Action RPG + Isometric26 in 100 earned $100k+, from 35 launches | 26 in 1009 hits | $3,641 | not computed | 35 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Action RPG + Isometric |
| 4 | Story Rich + Strategy RPG23 in 100 earned $100k+, from 31 launches | 23 in 1007 hits | $2,590 | not computed | 31 | SmallAudience | Pin Story Rich + Strategy RPG |
| 5 | Cinematic + RPG22 in 100 earned $100k+, from 32 launches | 22 in 1007 hits | $607 | not computed | 32 | SmallAudience | Pin Cinematic + RPG |
| 6 | RPG + Turn-Based21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 33 launches | 21 in 1007 hits | $18,216 | not computed | 33 | 1-hitSmall | Pin RPG + Turn-Based |
| 7 | Building + RPG20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 35 launches | 20 in 1007 hits | $4,046 | not computed | 35 | Small | Pin Building + RPG |
| 8 | Co-op + RPG20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 30 launches | 20 in 1006 hits | $7,789 | not computed | 30 | Small | Pin Co-op + RPG |
| 9 | Online Co-Op + RPG20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 30 launches | 20 in 1006 hits | $6,545 | not computed | 30 | 1-hitSmallAudience | Pin Online Co-Op + RPG |
| 10 | Isometric + RPG19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 47 launches | 19 in 1009 hits | $4,046 | not computed | 47 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Isometric + RPG |
| 11 | RPG + Sandbox19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 89 launches | 19 in 10017 hits | $2,186 | not computed | 89 | none | Pin RPG + Sandbox |
| 12 | Action RPG + Character Customization19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 37 launches | 19 in 1007 hits | $1,314 | not computed | 37 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Action RPG + Character Customization |
| 13 | Action RPG + Anime18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 39 launches | 18 in 1007 hits | $2,185 | not computed | 39 | 1-hitSmallAudience | Pin Action RPG + Anime |
| 14 | Immersive Sim + RPG18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 85 launches | 18 in 10015 hits | $1,010 | not computed | 85 | Audience | Pin Immersive Sim + RPG |
| 15 | Loot + RPG18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 57 launches | 18 in 10010 hits | $4,045 | not computed | 57 | 1-hitAudience | Pin Loot + RPG |
| 16 | Action RPG + Female Protagonist17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 52 launches | 17 in 1009 hits | $2,630 | not computed | 52 | 1-hitAudience | Pin Action RPG + Female Protagonist |
| 17 | Action RPG + Dark Fantasy16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 55 launches | 16 in 1009 hits | $1,214 | not computed | 55 | 1-hit | Pin Action RPG + Dark Fantasy |
| 18 | RPG + Resource Management16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 38 launches | 16 in 1006 hits | $8,493 | not computed | 38 | SmallAudience | Pin RPG + Resource Management |
| 19 | Crafting + RPG16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 70 launches | 16 in 10011 hits | $2,550 | not computed | 70 | none | Pin Crafting + RPG |
| 20 | Character Customization + RPG16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 115 launches | 16 in 10018 hits | $2,324 | not computed | 115 | 1-hit | Pin Character Customization + RPG |
| 21 | Metroidvania + RPG16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 45 launches | 16 in 1007 hits | $3,277 | not computed | 45 | Small | Pin Metroidvania + RPG |
| 22 | Multiplayer + RPG15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 33 launches | 15 in 1005 hits | $1,821 | not computed | 33 | Small | Pin Multiplayer + RPG |
| 23 | Difficult + RPG15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 34 launches | 15 in 1005 hits | $6,310 | not computed | 34 | Small | Pin Difficult + RPG |
| 24 | Action RPG + Story Rich15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 48 launches | 15 in 1007 hits | $3,398 | not computed | 48 | 1-hitSmallAudience | Pin Action RPG + Story Rich |
| 25 | RPG + Relaxing15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 55 launches | 15 in 1008 hits | $962 | not computed | 55 | none | Pin RPG + Relaxing |
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.