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 161 niches with 100+ launches at $10 to $20, 53 beat the 20 in 100 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 238 under $5, 44 in 100 at $20 to $40.53 of 161 niches beat the 20 in 100 base rate.53 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
161 of 4,635 niches have 100+ 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 | Management + Simulation38 in 100 earned $100k+, from 203 launches | 38 in 10077 hits | $49,247 | $608,593 | 203 | none | Pin Management + Simulation |
| 2 | Building + Simulation38 in 100 earned $100k+, from 122 launches | 38 in 10046 hits | $35,458 | $546,840 | 122 | Audience | Pinned Building + Simulation |
| 3 | Economy + Simulation37 in 100 earned $100k+, from 117 launches | 37 in 10043 hits | $49,247 | $784,231 | 117 | none | Pin Economy + Simulation |
| 4 | Economy + Management35 in 100 earned $100k+, from 119 launches | 35 in 10042 hits | $51,218 | $582,205 | 119 | none | Pin Economy + Management |
| 5 | First-Person + Immersive Sim34 in 100 earned $100k+, from 101 launches | 34 in 10034 hits | $24,902 | $903,041 | 101 | none | Pin First-Person + Immersive Sim |
| 6 | Action Roguelike + Roguelite33 in 100 earned $100k+, from 136 launches | 33 in 10045 hits | $42,146 | $588,265 | 136 | Audience | Pin Action Roguelike + Roguelite |
| 7 | First-Person + Simulation32 in 100 earned $100k+, from 154 launches | 32 in 10050 hits | $36,094 | $865,984 | 154 | none | Pin First-Person + Simulation |
| 8 | Life Sim + Simulation32 in 100 earned $100k+, from 162 launches | 32 in 10052 hits | $38,636 | $516,035 | 162 | none | Pin Life Sim + Simulation |
| 9 | Deckbuilding + Roguelike31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 102 launches | 31 in 10032 hits | $29,950 | $740,124 | 102 | none | Pin Deckbuilding + Roguelike |
| 10 | Sandbox + Simulation31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 183 launches | 31 in 10057 hits | $32,140 | $469,576 | 183 | none | Pin Sandbox + Simulation |
| 11 | Action Roguelike + Roguelike31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 133 launches | 31 in 10041 hits | $25,903 | $720,790 | 133 | Audience | Pin Action Roguelike + Roguelike |
| 12 | Roguelike + Roguelite31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 236 launches | 31 in 10072 hits | $25,591 | $720,790 | 236 | none | Pin Roguelike + Roguelite |
| 13 | Management + Strategy29 in 100 earned $100k+, from 110 launches | 29 in 10032 hits | $26,622 | $348,092 | 110 | none | Pin Management + Strategy |
| 14 | Action + Action Roguelike29 in 100 earned $100k+, from 128 launches | 29 in 10037 hits | $17,627 | $588,265 | 128 | none | Pin Action + Action Roguelike |
| 15 | 2D + Platformer28 in 100 earned $100k+, from 109 launches | 28 in 10031 hits | $35,622 | $453,513 | 109 | 1-hitAudience | Pin 2D + Platformer |
| 16 | Exploration + Sandbox28 in 100 earned $100k+, from 102 launches | 28 in 10029 hits | $16,387 | $676,474 | 102 | none | Pin Exploration + Sandbox |
| 17 | FPS + First-Person27 in 100 earned $100k+, from 117 launches | 27 in 10032 hits | $9,709 | $811,677 | 117 | none | Pin FPS + First-Person |
| 18 | Action + FPS27 in 100 earned $100k+, from 147 launches | 27 in 10040 hits | $10,523 | $811,677 | 147 | none | Pin Action + FPS |
| 19 | Choices Matter + Story Rich27 in 100 earned $100k+, from 114 launches | 27 in 10031 hits | $21,468 | $730,648 | 114 | Audience | Pin Choices Matter + Story Rich |
| 20 | Roguelite + Strategy27 in 100 earned $100k+, from 152 launches | 27 in 10041 hits | $25,522 | $614,301 | 152 | Audience | Pin Roguelite + Strategy |
| 21 | RPG + Simulation27 in 100 earned $100k+, from 115 launches | 27 in 10031 hits | $15,973 | $361,641 | 115 | Audience | Pinned RPG + Simulation |
| 22 | Deckbuilding + Strategy27 in 100 earned $100k+, from 119 launches | 27 in 10032 hits | $25,522 | $599,192 | 119 | Audience | Pin Deckbuilding + Strategy |
| 23 | Mystery + Story Rich27 in 100 earned $100k+, from 135 launches | 27 in 10036 hits | $15,783 | $349,150 | 135 | Audience | Pin Mystery + Story Rich |
| 24 | Roguelike + Strategy27 in 100 earned $100k+, from 184 launches | 27 in 10049 hits | $23,317 | $724,652 | 184 | Audience | Pin Roguelike + Strategy |
| 25 | Immersive Sim + Simulation26 in 100 earned $100k+, from 205 launches | 26 in 10054 hits | $19,872 | $425,002 | 205 | none | Pin Immersive Sim + Simulation |
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.