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. 97 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 | 2D + Metroidvania37 in 100 earned $100k+, from 54 launches | 37 in 10020 hits | $42,800 | $575,622 | 54 | 1-hit | Pin 2D + Metroidvania |
| 2 | 2D + Difficult32 in 100 earned $100k+, from 50 launches | 32 in 10016 hits | $52,295 | $558,583 | 50 | 1-hit | Pin 2D + Difficult |
| 3 | 2D Platformer + Metroidvania27 in 100 earned $100k+, from 52 launches | 27 in 10014 hits | $33,087 | $370,024 | 52 | none | Pin 2D Platformer + Metroidvania |
| 4 | 2D + Dark Fantasy26 in 100 earned $100k+, from 31 launches | 26 in 1008 hits | $19,139 | $187,162 | 31 | Small | Pin 2D + Dark Fantasy |
| 5 | 2D Platformer + Female Protagonist26 in 100 earned $100k+, from 35 launches | 26 in 1009 hits | $12,018 | $346,811 | 35 | Small | Pin 2D Platformer + Female Protagonist |
| 6 | 2D + Cartoon26 in 100 earned $100k+, from 39 launches | 26 in 10010 hits | $5,099 | $570,144 | 39 | Small | Pin 2D + Cartoon |
| 7 | 2D + Exploration24 in 100 earned $100k+, from 140 launches | 24 in 10034 hits | $15,783 | $382,129 | 140 | 1-hit | Pinned 2D + Exploration |
| 8 | 2D + Platformer24 in 100 earned $100k+, from 112 launches | 24 in 10027 hits | $26,717 | $346,811 | 112 | 1-hit | Pin 2D + Platformer |
| 9 | 2D + Hand-drawn24 in 100 earned $100k+, from 67 launches | 24 in 10016 hits | $16,440 | $293,478 | 67 | 1-hit | Pin 2D + Hand-drawn |
| 10 | 2D + Horror23 in 100 earned $100k+, from 39 launches | 23 in 1009 hits | $12,750 | $314,079 | 39 | Small | Pin 2D + Horror |
| 11 | 2D + Roguelite22 in 100 earned $100k+, from 98 launches | 22 in 10022 hits | $19,139 | $336,387 | 98 | 1-hit | Pin 2D + Roguelite |
| 12 | 2D + Action RPG22 in 100 earned $100k+, from 54 launches | 22 in 10012 hits | $15,177 | $183,373 | 54 | none | Pin 2D + Action RPG |
| 13 | 2D + Deckbuilding22 in 100 earned $100k+, from 50 launches | 22 in 10011 hits | $19,139 | $374,668 | 50 | none | Pin 2D + Deckbuilding |
| 14 | 2D + Detective22 in 100 earned $100k+, from 32 launches | 22 in 1007 hits | $8,012 | $287,795 | 32 | Small | Pin 2D + Detective |
| 15 | 2D + Hack and Slash22 in 100 earned $100k+, from 32 launches | 22 in 1007 hits | $19,181 | $268,381 | 32 | Small | Pin 2D + Hack and Slash |
| 16 | 2D + Sandbox22 in 100 earned $100k+, from 32 launches | 22 in 1007 hits | $23,411 | $314,475 | 32 | Small | Pin 2D + Sandbox |
| 17 | 2D + Pixel Graphics21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 253 launches | 21 in 10052 hits | $12,142 | $220,405 | 253 | none | Pin 2D + Pixel Graphics |
| 18 | 2D Platformer + Retro20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 30 launches | 20 in 1006 hits | $24,288 | $292,264 | 30 | Small | Pin 2D Platformer + Retro |
| 19 | 2D + Comedy19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 36 launches | 19 in 1007 hits | $9,977 | $187,249 | 36 | 1-hitSmall | Pin 2D + Comedy |
| 20 | 2D + Mystery19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 83 launches | 19 in 10016 hits | $2,428 | $188,636 | 83 | none | Pin 2D + Mystery |
| 21 | 2D + Turn-Based Combat19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 42 launches | 19 in 1008 hits | $19,139 | $196,732 | 42 | 1-hitSmallAudience | Pin 2D + Turn-Based Combat |
| 22 | 2D + Card Battler19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 43 launches | 19 in 1008 hits | $10,928 | $279,264 | 43 | Small | Pinned 2D + Card Battler |
| 23 | 2D + Cartoony19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 43 launches | 19 in 1008 hits | $3,794 | $399,940 | 43 | Small | Pin 2D + Cartoony |
| 24 | 2D + Action18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 243 launches | 18 in 10043 hits | $10,321 | $187,162 | 243 | none | Pin 2D + Action |
| 25 | 2D + Action-Adventure18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 102 launches | 18 in 10018 hits | $7,082 | $155,423 | 102 | none | Pin 2D + Action-Adventure |
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.