Best niches
$10 to $20Pairs with the best chance of $100k+, above the base rateFree 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 change shows for genres with 100+ launches. The same figures are on the Genres page.
Niches 3 Oct
Of 1,116 niches with 30+ launches at $10 to $20, 511 beat the 20 in 100 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 238 under $5, 44 in 100 at $20 to $40.511 of 1,116 niches beat the 20 in 100 base rate.511 beat the base rate.
Typical launch, all prices, first year $552
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 12 to 36 months old, data 3 Oct 2026. A hit is an estimated first year of $100k+. Earnings are sales on Steam after discounts and regional prices, before Steam's 30% cut, refunds and sales tax. About 58% of it reaches the developer. The revenue estimate is soft: about 6 to 7.5 in 100 launches overall.
Pairs with the best chance of $100k+, above the base rateFree until launch
1,116 of 4,635 niches have 30+ launches at $10 to $20. 569 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 | 20 in 100878 of 4,304 | $10,978 | $287,297 | 4,304 | |||
| 1 | Casual + Cozy60 in 100 earned $100k+, from 50 launches | 60 in 10030 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 50 | Audience | Pin Casual + Cozy |
| 2 | Cozy + Relaxing59 in 100 earned $100k+, from 54 launches | 59 in 10032 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 54 | Audience | Pin Cozy + Relaxing |
| 3 | Base Building + City Builder49 in 100 earned $100k+, from 53 launches | 49 in 10026 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 53 | 1-hit | Pin Base Building + City Builder |
| 4 | Multiplayer + Online Co-Op47 in 100 earned $100k+, from 79 launches | 47 in 10037 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 79 | none | Pin Multiplayer + Online Co-Op |
| 5 | Economy + Immersive Sim46 in 100 earned $100k+, from 52 launches | 46 in 10024 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 52 | 1-hit | Pin Economy + Immersive Sim |
| 6 | First-Person + Management46 in 100 earned $100k+, from 52 launches | 46 in 10024 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 52 | 1-hitAudience | Pin First-Person + Management |
| 7 | Multiplayer + Simulation45 in 100 earned $100k+, from 58 launches | 45 in 10026 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 58 | none | Pinned Multiplayer + Simulation |
| 8 | Co-op + Multiplayer42 in 100 earned $100k+, from 81 launches | 42 in 10034 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 81 | none | Pin Co-op + Multiplayer |
| 9 | Immersive Sim + Management42 in 100 earned $100k+, from 81 launches | 42 in 10034 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 81 | none | Pin Immersive Sim + Management |
| 10 | Management + Sandbox42 in 100 earned $100k+, from 74 launches | 42 in 10031 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 74 | 1-hit | Pin Management + Sandbox |
| 11 | Immersive Sim + Life Sim41 in 100 earned $100k+, from 80 launches | 41 in 10033 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 80 | 1-hit | Pin Immersive Sim + Life Sim |
| 12 | Open World + Sandbox41 in 100 earned $100k+, from 81 launches | 41 in 10033 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 81 | none | Pin Open World + Sandbox |
| 13 | Building + Management41 in 100 earned $100k+, from 86 launches | 41 in 10035 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 86 | none | Pin Building + Management |
| 14 | Open World + Simulation41 in 100 earned $100k+, from 64 launches | 41 in 10026 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 64 | none | Pin Open World + Simulation |
| 15 | Base Building + Simulation40 in 100 earned $100k+, from 55 launches | 40 in 10022 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 55 | 1-hit | Pin Base Building + Simulation |
| 16 | Base Building + Sandbox39 in 100 earned $100k+, from 71 launches | 39 in 10028 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 71 | 1-hit | Pin Base Building + Sandbox |
| 17 | Life Sim + Management39 in 100 earned $100k+, from 84 launches | 39 in 10033 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 84 | 1-hit | Pin Life Sim + Management |
| 18 | Building + Sandbox38 in 100 earned $100k+, from 99 launches | 38 in 10038 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 99 | none | Pin Building + Sandbox |
| 19 | Capitalism + Economy38 in 100 earned $100k+, from 50 launches | 38 in 10019 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 50 | 1-hit | Pin Capitalism + Economy |
| 20 | First-Person + Life Sim38 in 100 earned $100k+, from 50 launches | 38 in 10019 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 50 | 1-hitAudience | Pin First-Person + Life Sim |
| 21 | Management + Simulation38 in 100 earned $100k+, from 203 launches | 38 in 10077 hits | $49,247 | $608,593 | 203 | none | Pin Management + Simulation |
| 22 | Sandbox + Strategy38 in 100 earned $100k+, from 87 launches | 38 in 10033 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 87 | 1-hit | Pin Sandbox + Strategy |
| 23 | Resource Management + Simulation38 in 100 earned $100k+, from 74 launches | 38 in 10028 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 74 | 1-hit | Pin Resource Management + Simulation |
| 24 | Building + Simulation38 in 100 earned $100k+, from 122 launches | 38 in 10046 hits | $35,458 | $546,840 | 122 | Audience | Pin Building + Simulation |
| 25 | Co-op + Online Co-Op38 in 100 earned $100k+, from 77 launches | 38 in 10029 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 77 | none | Pin Co-op + Online Co-Op |
Under 30 launches or 5 hits 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.