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 1,115 niches with 30+ launches at $10 to $20, 500 beat the 18 in 100 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 219 under $5, 40 in 100 at $20 to $40.500 of 1,115 niches beat the 18 in 100 base rate.500 beat the base rate.
Typical launch, all prices, first year $540
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
1,115 of 4,634 niches have 30+ launches at $10 to $20. 563 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 $10 to $20the base rate: the row to beat | 18 in 100758 of 4,301 | $8,234 | $217,858 | 4,301 | |||
| 1 | Cozy + Relaxing51 in 100 earned $100k+, from 55 launches | 51 in 10028 hits | $111,100 | $1,272,702 | 55 | Audience | Pin Cozy + Relaxing |
| 2 | Casual + Cozy50 in 100 earned $100k+, from 50 launches | 50 in 10025 hits | $130,631 | $2,100,811 | 50 | Audience | Pin Casual + Cozy |
| 3 | Base Building + City Builder45 in 100 earned $100k+, from 53 launches | 45 in 10024 hits | $73,018 | $694,394 | 53 | 1-hit | Pin Base Building + City Builder |
| 4 | Economy + Immersive Sim44 in 100 earned $100k+, from 52 launches | 44 in 10023 hits | $67,836 | $456,339 | 52 | 1-hit | Pin Economy + Immersive Sim |
| 5 | First-Person + Management42 in 100 earned $100k+, from 52 launches | 42 in 10022 hits | $58,190 | $1,383,355 | 52 | 1-hitAudience | Pin First-Person + Management |
| 6 | Multiplayer + Online Co-Op42 in 100 earned $100k+, from 79 launches | 42 in 10033 hits | $67,200 | $784,585 | 79 | none | Pin Multiplayer + Online Co-Op |
| 7 | Multiplayer + Simulation41 in 100 earned $100k+, from 58 launches | 41 in 10024 hits | $49,207 | $1,783,729 | 58 | none | Pin Multiplayer + Simulation |
| 8 | Open World + Sandbox41 in 100 earned $100k+, from 81 launches | 41 in 10033 hits | $38,186 | $641,210 | 81 | none | Pin Open World + Sandbox |
| 9 | Open World + Simulation39 in 100 earned $100k+, from 64 launches | 39 in 10025 hits | $41,029 | $809,154 | 64 | none | Pin Open World + Simulation |
| 10 | Immersive Sim + Life Sim39 in 100 earned $100k+, from 80 launches | 39 in 10031 hits | $49,793 | $682,937 | 80 | none | Pin Immersive Sim + Life Sim |
| 11 | Building + Management37 in 100 earned $100k+, from 86 launches | 37 in 10032 hits | $37,224 | $466,495 | 86 | Audience | Pin Building + Management |
| 12 | Life Sim + Management37 in 100 earned $100k+, from 84 launches | 37 in 10031 hits | $46,752 | $456,339 | 84 | 1-hit | Pin Life Sim + Management |
| 13 | Base Building + Sandbox37 in 100 earned $100k+, from 71 launches | 37 in 10026 hits | $33,396 | $641,210 | 71 | 1-hitAudience | Pin Base Building + Sandbox |
| 14 | Building + Sandbox36 in 100 earned $100k+, from 99 launches | 36 in 10036 hits | $26,760 | $668,606 | 99 | none | Pin Building + Sandbox |
| 15 | First-Person + Life Sim36 in 100 earned $100k+, from 50 launches | 36 in 10018 hits | $38,186 | $893,571 | 50 | 1-hitAudience | Pin First-Person + Life Sim |
| 16 | Economy + Simulation36 in 100 earned $100k+, from 117 launches | 36 in 10042 hits | $36,935 | $588,173 | 117 | none | Pin Economy + Simulation |
| 17 | Co-op + Multiplayer36 in 100 earned $100k+, from 81 launches | 36 in 10029 hits | $42,360 | $778,975 | 81 | none | Pin Co-op + Multiplayer |
| 18 | Immersive Sim + Management36 in 100 earned $100k+, from 81 launches | 36 in 10029 hits | $50,860 | $466,495 | 81 | none | Pin Immersive Sim + Management |
| 19 | Management + Sandbox35 in 100 earned $100k+, from 74 launches | 35 in 10026 hits | $52,130 | $694,394 | 74 | 1-hit | Pin Management + Sandbox |
| 20 | Base Building + Simulation35 in 100 earned $100k+, from 55 launches | 35 in 10019 hits | $35,422 | $641,210 | 55 | 1-hit | Pin Base Building + Simulation |
| 21 | Sandbox + Strategy34 in 100 earned $100k+, from 87 launches | 34 in 10030 hits | $32,397 | $310,018 | 87 | 1-hit | Pin Sandbox + Strategy |
| 22 | Building + Simulation34 in 100 earned $100k+, from 122 launches | 34 in 10042 hits | $26,594 | $410,130 | 122 | Audience | Pin Building + Simulation |
| 23 | Building + Crafting34 in 100 earned $100k+, from 62 launches | 34 in 10021 hits | $31,186 | $352,182 | 62 | none | Pin Building + Crafting |
| 24 | Management + Simulation34 in 100 earned $100k+, from 204 launches | 34 in 10069 hits | $37,224 | $456,445 | 204 | none | Pin Management + Simulation |
| 25 | Co-op + Online Co-Op34 in 100 earned $100k+, from 77 launches | 34 in 10026 hits | $34,532 | $778,975 | 77 | none | Pin Co-op + Online Co-Op |
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.