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. 156 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 | Adventure + Cozy52 in 100 earned $100k+, from 31 launches | 52 in 10016 hits | $118,606 | $615,202 | 31 | SmallAudience | Pin Adventure + Cozy |
| 2 | Adventure + Online Co-Op36 in 100 earned $100k+, from 33 launches | 36 in 10012 hits | $22,264 | $877,000 | 33 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Adventure + Online Co-Op |
| 3 | Adventure + Building33 in 100 earned $100k+, from 30 launches | 33 in 10010 hits | $47,657 | $1,224,511 | 30 | SmallAudience | Pin Adventure + Building |
| 4 | Action Roguelike + Action-Adventure31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 35 launches | 31 in 10011 hits | $8,247 | $336,387 | 35 | SmallAudience | Pin Action Roguelike + Action-Adventure |
| 5 | Adventure + Difficult31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 32 launches | 31 in 10010 hits | $24,693 | $457,421 | 32 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Adventure + Difficult |
| 6 | Adventure + Sandbox28 in 100 earned $100k+, from 64 launches | 28 in 10018 hits | $20,964 | $358,651 | 64 | none | Pin Adventure + Sandbox |
| 7 | Action-Adventure + Dungeon Crawler28 in 100 earned $100k+, from 32 launches | 28 in 1009 hits | $6,556 | $336,387 | 32 | SmallAudience | Pin Action-Adventure + Dungeon Crawler |
| 8 | Adventure + Co-op28 in 100 earned $100k+, from 43 launches | 28 in 10012 hits | $25,765 | $336,387 | 43 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Adventure + Co-op |
| 9 | Adventure + Base Building27 in 100 earned $100k+, from 37 launches | 27 in 10010 hits | $26,551 | $1,021,709 | 37 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Adventure + Base Building |
| 10 | Action-Adventure + Pixel Graphics26 in 100 earned $100k+, from 68 launches | 26 in 10018 hits | $22,688 | $327,224 | 68 | Audience | Pin Action-Adventure + Pixel Graphics |
| 11 | Adventure + Investigation25 in 100 earned $100k+, from 60 launches | 25 in 10015 hits | $12,142 | $246,994 | 60 | Audience | Pin Adventure + Investigation |
| 12 | Adventure + Emotional25 in 100 earned $100k+, from 69 launches | 25 in 10017 hits | $9,472 | $431,661 | 69 | none | Pin Adventure + Emotional |
| 13 | Action-Adventure + Metroidvania24 in 100 earned $100k+, from 74 launches | 24 in 10018 hits | $18,954 | $237,211 | 74 | Audience | Pin Action-Adventure + Metroidvania |
| 14 | Adventure + Pixel Graphics24 in 100 earned $100k+, from 187 launches | 24 in 10045 hits | $16,088 | $393,463 | 187 | none | Pin Adventure + Pixel Graphics |
| 15 | Adventure + Roguelite24 in 100 earned $100k+, from 46 launches | 24 in 10011 hits | $14,243 | $547,099 | 46 | Small | Pinned Adventure + Roguelite |
| 16 | Adventure + FPS23 in 100 earned $100k+, from 56 launches | 23 in 10013 hits | $10,765 | $691,394 | 56 | none | Pin Adventure + FPS |
| 17 | Action-Adventure + First-Person23 in 100 earned $100k+, from 78 launches | 23 in 10018 hits | $14,168 | $574,312 | 78 | none | Pinned Action-Adventure + First-Person |
| 18 | Adventure + Cinematic23 in 100 earned $100k+, from 39 launches | 23 in 1009 hits | $12,749 | $421,394 | 39 | Small | Pin Adventure + Cinematic |
| 19 | Adventure + Multiplayer23 in 100 earned $100k+, from 39 launches | 23 in 1009 hits | $24,463 | $416,920 | 39 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Adventure + Multiplayer |
| 20 | Adventure + Detective23 in 100 earned $100k+, from 79 launches | 23 in 10018 hits | $5,767 | $246,994 | 79 | Audience | Pin Adventure + Detective |
| 21 | Choose Your Own Adventure + Story Rich23 in 100 earned $100k+, from 66 launches | 23 in 10015 hits | $12,110 | $279,567 | 66 | none | Pin Choose Your Own Adventure + Story Rich |
| 22 | Choose Your Own Adventure + Multiple Endings23 in 100 earned $100k+, from 53 launches | 23 in 10012 hits | $6,374 | $341,606 | 53 | none | Pin Choose Your Own Adventure + Multiple Endings |
| 23 | Adventure + Metroidvania22 in 100 earned $100k+, from 72 launches | 22 in 10016 hits | $15,784 | $262,309 | 72 | none | Pin Adventure + Metroidvania |
| 24 | Adventure + Crafting22 in 100 earned $100k+, from 59 launches | 22 in 10013 hits | $23,677 | $663,058 | 59 | none | Pin Adventure + Crafting |
| 25 | Adventure + Life Sim22 in 100 earned $100k+, from 41 launches | 22 in 1009 hits | $14,794 | $182,968 | 41 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Adventure + Life Sim |
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.