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. 50 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 | 3D + Multiplayer36 in 100 earned $100k+, from 53 launches | 36 in 10019 hits | $22,032 | $1,133,143 | 53 | none | Pin 3D + Multiplayer |
| 2 | 3D + Sandbox27 in 100 earned $100k+, from 99 launches | 27 in 10027 hits | $19,729 | $306,583 | 99 | none | Pin 3D + Sandbox |
| 3 | 3D + Building25 in 100 earned $100k+, from 55 launches | 25 in 10014 hits | $12,952 | $256,801 | 55 | 1-hit | Pin 3D + Building |
| 4 | 3D + Psychological Horror23 in 100 earned $100k+, from 35 launches | 23 in 1008 hits | $7,286 | $337,407 | 35 | Small | Pin 3D + Psychological Horror |
| 5 | 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 |
| 6 | 3D + Horror21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 76 launches | 21 in 10016 hits | $4,128 | $315,082 | 76 | 1-hit | Pin 3D + Horror |
| 7 | 3D + FPS21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 78 launches | 21 in 10016 hits | $8,255 | $337,407 | 78 | none | Pin 3D + FPS |
| 8 | 3D + Physics19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 52 launches | 19 in 10010 hits | $7,932 | $329,505 | 52 | none | Pin 3D + Physics |
| 9 | 3D + Relaxing19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 69 launches | 19 in 10013 hits | $6,537 | $529,689 | 69 | none | Pin 3D + Relaxing |
| 10 | 3D + Racing18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 60 launches | 18 in 10011 hits | $5,099 | $303,193 | 60 | Audience | Pin 3D + Racing |
| 11 | 3D + Realistic18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 131 launches | 18 in 10024 hits | $6,678 | $188,126 | 131 | none | Pin 3D + Realistic |
| 12 | 3D Platformer + Colorful18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 33 launches | 18 in 1006 hits | $1,416 | $187,016 | 33 | Small | Pin 3D Platformer + Colorful |
| 13 | 3D + First-Person18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 239 launches | 18 in 10043 hits | $5,261 | $203,613 | 239 | none | Pin 3D + First-Person |
| 14 | 3D + Immersive Sim17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 108 launches | 17 in 10018 hits | $12,386 | $175,354 | 108 | none | Pin 3D + Immersive Sim |
| 15 | 3D + Roguelike17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 66 launches | 17 in 10011 hits | $7,628 | $209,685 | 66 | none | Pin 3D + Roguelike |
| 16 | 3D + Stylized16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 67 launches | 16 in 10011 hits | $3,643 | $303,193 | 67 | none | Pin 3D + Stylized |
| 17 | 3D + Character Customization16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 43 launches | 16 in 1007 hits | $4,006 | $209,280 | 43 | SmallAudience | Pin 3D + Character Customization |
| 18 | 3D + Top-Down16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 56 launches | 16 in 1009 hits | $6,556 | $109,744 | 56 | 1-hit | Pin 3D + Top-Down |
| 19 | 3D Platformer + Exploration16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 63 launches | 16 in 10010 hits | $6,537 | $225,169 | 63 | none | Pin 3D Platformer + Exploration |
| 20 | 3D + Roguelite16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 57 launches | 16 in 1009 hits | $7,286 | $178,920 | 57 | none | Pin 3D + Roguelite |
| 21 | 3D + Cartoony16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 32 launches | 16 in 1005 hits | $5,584 | $173,658 | 32 | SmallAudience | Pin 3D + Cartoony |
| 22 | 3D + Simulation15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 252 launches | 15 in 10039 hits | $6,678 | $169,403 | 252 | none | Pin 3D + Simulation |
| 23 | 3D + PvP15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 52 launches | 15 in 1008 hits | $4,553 | $369,985 | 52 | Audience | Pin 3D + PvP |
| 24 | 3D Platformer + Platformer15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 95 launches | 15 in 10014 hits | $3,643 | $237,678 | 95 | none | Pin 3D Platformer + Platformer |
| 25 | 3D Platformer + Adventure14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 86 launches | 14 in 10012 hits | $3,562 | $209,280 | 86 | none | Pin 3D Platformer + 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.