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 3,337 niches with 10+ 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 3,337 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 5 to 8 in 100 launches overall.
Pairs with the best chance of $100k+, above the base rateFree until launch
3,337 of 4,635 niches have 10+ launches at $10 to $20. Sorted by chance of $100k+, highest 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 | Cozy + Pixel Graphics10 of 13 launches earned $100k+ | 10 of 1310 hits | $158,266 | $1,696,936 | 13 | SmallAudience | Pin Cozy + Pixel Graphics |
| 2 | Building + Cozy11 of 15 launches earned $100k+ | 11 of 1511 hits | $217,233 | $4,646,423 | 15 | Small | Pin Building + Cozy |
| 3 | Action Roguelike + Multiplayer11 of 16 launches earned $100k+ | 11 of 1611 hits | $474,622 | $2,609,666 | 16 | Small | Pin Action Roguelike + Multiplayer |
| 4 | Colorful + Cozy14 of 21 launches earned $100k+ | 14 of 2114 hits | $174,175 | $276,361 | 21 | Small | Pin Colorful + Cozy |
| 5 | FPS + Life Sim7 of 11 launches earned $100k+ | 7 of 117 hits | $134,764 | $752,158 | 11 | Small | Pin FPS + Life Sim |
| 6 | Building + Life Sim63 in 100 earned $100k+, from 30 launches | 63 in 10019 hits | $168,434 | $910,583 | 30 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Building + Life Sim |
| 7 | Cinematic + FMV10 of 16 launches earned $100k+ | 10 of 1610 hits | $220,268 | $421,961 | 16 | Small | Pin Cinematic + FMV |
| 8 | FMV + Multiple Endings10 of 16 launches earned $100k+ | 10 of 1610 hits | $220,268 | $397,393 | 16 | Small | Pin FMV + Multiple Endings |
| 9 | Online Co-Op + Roguelike10 of 16 launches earned $100k+ | 10 of 1610 hits | $219,561 | $2,179,960 | 16 | Small | Pin Online Co-Op + Roguelike |
| 10 | Cozy + Farming Sim13 of 21 launches earned $100k+ | 13 of 2113 hits | $127,557 | $1,078,873 | 21 | Small | Pin Cozy + Farming Sim |
| 11 | Casual + Cozy60 in 100 earned $100k+, from 50 launches | 60 in 10030 hits | $174,175 | $2,801,082 | 50 | Audience | Pin Casual + Cozy |
| 12 | Cooking + Management15 of 25 launches earned $100k+ | 15 of 2515 hits | $196,984 | $2,378,305 | 25 | SmallAudience | Pin Cooking + Management |
| 13 | Roguelike Deckbuilder + Turn-Based Combat12 of 20 launches earned $100k+ | 12 of 2012 hits | $147,064 | $958,772 | 20 | 1-hitSmallAudience | Pin Roguelike Deckbuilder + Turn-Based Combat |
| 14 | Cozy + Sandbox9 of 15 launches earned $100k+ | 9 of 159 hits | $158,266 | $1,351,183 | 15 | Small | Pin Cozy + Sandbox |
| 15 | Action Roguelike + Loot6 of 10 launches earned $100k+ | 6 of 106 hits | $136,211 | $1,778,726 | 10 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Action Roguelike + Loot |
| 16 | Action-Adventure + Gore6 of 10 launches earned $100k+ | 6 of 106 hits | $172,608 | $1,266,001 | 10 | Small | Pin Action-Adventure + Gore |
| 17 | Funny + Roguelike6 of 10 launches earned $100k+ | 6 of 106 hits | $720,790 | $2,386,163 | 10 | Small | Pin Funny + Roguelike |
| 18 | Cozy + Relaxing59 in 100 earned $100k+, from 54 launches | 59 in 10032 hits | $148,133 | $1,696,936 | 54 | Audience | Pin Cozy + Relaxing |
| 19 | Action Roguelike + Online Co-Op13 of 22 launches earned $100k+ | 13 of 2213 hits | $219,561 | $2,179,960 | 22 | SmallAudience | Pin Action Roguelike + Online Co-Op |
| 20 | Character Customization + Open World13 of 22 launches earned $100k+ | 13 of 2213 hits | $170,721 | $352,908 | 22 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Character Customization + Open World |
| 21 | Co-op + Roguelike10 of 17 launches earned $100k+ | 10 of 1710 hits | $182,038 | $2,609,666 | 17 | Small | Pin Co-op + Roguelike |
| 22 | Cooking + Immersive Sim7 of 12 launches earned $100k+ | 7 of 127 hits | $115,807 | $1,042,844 | 12 | Small | Pin Cooking + Immersive Sim |
| 23 | Crime + Simulation7 of 12 launches earned $100k+ | 7 of 127 hits | $425,002 | $2,104,311 | 12 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Crime + Simulation |
| 24 | Funny + Management7 of 12 launches earned $100k+ | 7 of 127 hits | $138,692 | $784,231 | 12 | Small | Pin Funny + Management |
| 25 | Survival + Tower Defense7 of 12 launches earned $100k+ | 7 of 127 hits | $125,442 | $737,282 | 12 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Survival + Tower Defense |
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.