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. 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 | Casual + Cozy55 in 100 earned $100k+, from 58 launches | 55 in 10032 hits | $120,225 | $1,360,500 | 58 | none | Pin Casual + Cozy |
| 2 | Building + Life Sim53 in 100 earned $100k+, from 32 launches | 53 in 10017 hits | $111,098 | $594,898 | 32 | Small | Pin Building + Life Sim |
| 3 | FMV + Interactive Fiction53 in 100 earned $100k+, from 32 launches | 53 in 10017 hits | $118,000 | $302,965 | 32 | SmallAudience | Pin FMV + Interactive Fiction |
| 4 | Adventure + Cozy52 in 100 earned $100k+, from 31 launches | 52 in 10016 hits | $118,606 | $615,202 | 31 | SmallAudience | Pin Adventure + Cozy |
| 5 | Cozy + Relaxing49 in 100 earned $100k+, from 63 launches | 49 in 10031 hits | $98,956 | $1,224,420 | 63 | none | Pin Cozy + Relaxing |
| 6 | Cinematic + Story Rich49 in 100 earned $100k+, from 37 launches | 49 in 10018 hits | $97,978 | $498,306 | 37 | SmallAudience | Pinned Cinematic + Story Rich |
| 7 | Co-op + First-Person47 in 100 earned $100k+, from 34 launches | 47 in 10016 hits | $99,034 | $2,588,987 | 34 | SmallAudience | Pin Co-op + First-Person |
| 8 | Building + Crafting46 in 100 earned $100k+, from 65 launches | 46 in 10030 hits | $79,340 | $929,505 | 65 | none | Pin Building + Crafting |
| 9 | Life Sim + Open World46 in 100 earned $100k+, from 37 launches | 46 in 10017 hits | $53,028 | $1,039,347 | 37 | SmallAudience | Pin Life Sim + Open World |
| 10 | Card Battler + Turn-Based Combat45 in 100 earned $100k+, from 33 launches | 45 in 10015 hits | $59,799 | $844,435 | 33 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Card Battler + Turn-Based Combat |
| 11 | Multiplayer + Sandbox45 in 100 earned $100k+, from 33 launches | 45 in 10015 hits | $60,406 | $973,582 | 33 | Small | Pin Multiplayer + Sandbox |
| 12 | Base Building + Tower Defense45 in 100 earned $100k+, from 40 launches | 45 in 10018 hits | $66,780 | $1,167,436 | 40 | Small | Pin Base Building + Tower Defense |
| 13 | Economy + First-Person44 in 100 earned $100k+, from 34 launches | 44 in 10015 hits | $68,602 | $1,052,474 | 34 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Economy + First-Person |
| 14 | Base Building + Sandbox43 in 100 earned $100k+, from 65 launches | 43 in 10028 hits | $58,585 | $855,782 | 65 | Audience | Pin Base Building + Sandbox |
| 15 | Cozy + Exploration43 in 100 earned $100k+, from 42 launches | 43 in 10018 hits | $43,313 | $971,575 | 42 | Small | Pinned Cozy + Exploration |
| 16 | Co-op + Simulation43 in 100 earned $100k+, from 35 launches | 43 in 10015 hits | $34,477 | $2,588,987 | 35 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Co-op + Simulation |
| 17 | Exploration + Roguelite43 in 100 earned $100k+, from 35 launches | 43 in 10015 hits | $45,836 | $430,966 | 35 | Small | Pin Exploration + Roguelite |
| 18 | Cozy + Simulation42 in 100 earned $100k+, from 52 launches | 42 in 10022 hits | $71,286 | $862,682 | 52 | none | Pin Cozy + Simulation |
| 19 | Automation + Crafting42 in 100 earned $100k+, from 31 launches | 42 in 10013 hits | $58,291 | $1,216,416 | 31 | 1-hitSmallAudience | Pin Automation + Crafting |
| 20 | Automation + Building41 in 100 earned $100k+, from 32 launches | 41 in 10013 hits | $58,291 | $1,021,709 | 32 | Small | Pinned Automation + Building |
| 21 | Exploration + Farming Sim41 in 100 earned $100k+, from 32 launches | 41 in 10013 hits | $55,862 | $862,682 | 32 | Small | Pin Exploration + Farming Sim |
| 22 | Immersive Sim + RPG40 in 100 earned $100k+, from 42 launches | 40 in 10017 hits | $53,552 | $1,014,240 | 42 | SmallAudience | Pin Immersive Sim + RPG |
| 23 | Online Co-Op + Simulation40 in 100 earned $100k+, from 42 launches | 40 in 10017 hits | $57,674 | $1,621,854 | 42 | Small | Pin Online Co-Op + Simulation |
| 24 | First-Person + Management40 in 100 earned $100k+, from 62 launches | 40 in 10025 hits | $47,594 | $1,052,474 | 62 | 1-hit | Pin First-Person + Management |
| 25 | Cozy + Cute40 in 100 earned $100k+, from 55 launches | 40 in 10022 hits | $43,628 | $584,162 | 55 | none | Pin Cozy + Cute |
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.