Best niches
$10 to $20Pairs that hit $100k+ beyond the oddsFree 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 same figures are on the Genres page.
Niches 1 Oct
Of 1,269 niches with 30+ launches at $10 to $20, 581 beat the 19 in 100 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 192 under $5, 42 in 100 at $20 to $40.581 of 1,269 niches beat the 19 in 100 base rate.581 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
1,269 of 5,145 niches have 30+ launches at $10 to $20. 35 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 | 19 in 100893 of 4,810 | $9,226 | $248,075 | 4,810 | |||
| 1 | Realistic + Shooter38 in 100 earned $100k+, from 32 launches | 38 in 10012 hits | $22,264 | $1,507,099 | 32 | Small | Pin Realistic + Shooter |
| 2 | Multiplayer + Shooter33 in 100 earned $100k+, from 30 launches | 33 in 10010 hits | $29,444 | $1,304,177 | 30 | 1-hitSmallAudience | Pin Multiplayer + Shooter |
| 3 | Boomer Shooter + FPS32 in 100 earned $100k+, from 31 launches | 32 in 10010 hits | $47,241 | $1,282,078 | 31 | Small | Pin Boomer Shooter + FPS |
| 4 | FPS + Shooter25 in 100 earned $100k+, from 150 launches | 25 in 10037 hits | $13,358 | $990,944 | 150 | none | Pin FPS + Shooter |
| 5 | Action + Third-Person Shooter23 in 100 earned $100k+, from 66 launches | 23 in 10015 hits | $2,894 | $610,130 | 66 | 1-hit | Pin Action + Third-Person Shooter |
| 6 | Shooter + Third-Person Shooter23 in 100 earned $100k+, from 62 launches | 23 in 10014 hits | $3,035 | $471,994 | 62 | none | Pin Shooter + Third-Person Shooter |
| 7 | 3D + Third-Person Shooter23 in 100 earned $100k+, from 40 launches | 23 in 1009 hits | $3,157 | $1,133,143 | 40 | SmallAudience | Pin 3D + Third-Person Shooter |
| 8 | Exploration + Shooter22 in 100 earned $100k+, from 65 launches | 22 in 10014 hits | $8,944 | $678,441 | 65 | none | Pin Exploration + Shooter |
| 9 | First-Person + Shooter21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 105 launches | 21 in 10022 hits | $5,160 | $606,387 | 105 | none | Pin First-Person + Shooter |
| 10 | Shooter + Survival21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 34 launches | 21 in 1007 hits | $18,516 | $208,876 | 34 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Shooter + Survival |
| 11 | Shooter + Top-Down Shooter20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 44 launches | 20 in 1009 hits | $13,763 | $243,056 | 44 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Shooter + Top-Down Shooter |
| 12 | Horror + Shooter20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 45 launches | 20 in 1009 hits | $5,464 | $219,805 | 45 | Small | Pin Horror + Shooter |
| 13 | Action + Shooter20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 276 launches | 20 in 10055 hits | $7,770 | $344,726 | 276 | none | Pin Action + Shooter |
| 14 | RPG + Shooter19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 37 launches | 19 in 1007 hits | $11,572 | $368,366 | 37 | 1-hitSmallAudience | Pinned RPG + Shooter |
| 15 | Adventure + Shooter19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 80 launches | 19 in 10015 hits | $7,286 | $237,211 | 80 | Audience | Pin Adventure + Shooter |
| 16 | Roguelite + Shooter19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 48 launches | 19 in 1009 hits | $19,835 | $172,629 | 48 | Small | Pinned Roguelite + Shooter |
| 17 | Shooter + Third Person18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 38 launches | 18 in 1007 hits | $3,035 | $226,282 | 38 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Shooter + Third Person |
| 18 | Action Roguelike + Shooter18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 57 launches | 18 in 10010 hits | $10,930 | $186,378 | 57 | none | Pin Action Roguelike + Shooter |
| 19 | Sci-fi + Shooter17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 48 launches | 17 in 1008 hits | $9,410 | $371,199 | 48 | Small | Pin Sci-fi + Shooter |
| 20 | Bullet Hell + Top-Down Shooter17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 30 launches | 17 in 1005 hits | $7,892 | $551,242 | 30 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Bullet Hell + Top-Down Shooter |
| 21 | Action + Top-Down Shooter16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 55 launches | 16 in 1009 hits | $4,250 | $189,382 | 55 | 1-hit | Pin Action + Top-Down Shooter |
| 22 | Third Person + Third-Person Shooter16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 38 launches | 16 in 1006 hits | $3,035 | $318,980 | 38 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Third Person + Third-Person Shooter |
| 23 | Pixel Graphics + Shooter16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 32 launches | 16 in 1005 hits | $11,535 | $195,922 | 32 | Small | Pin Pixel Graphics + Shooter |
| 24 | Action-Adventure + Shooter15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 78 launches | 15 in 10012 hits | $3,946 | $471,994 | 78 | none | Pin Action-Adventure + Shooter |
| 25 | Arcade + Shooter15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 67 launches | 15 in 10010 hits | $4,735 | $274,407 | 67 | none | Pin Arcade + Shooter |
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.