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.
Genres 1 Oct
Of 232 genres with 10+ launches at $10 to $20, 89 beat the 19 in 100 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 192 under $5, 42 in 100 at $20 to $40.89 of 232 genres beat the 19 in 100 base rate.89 beat the base rate.
Cohort median $606
Every genre, 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 genre does.
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
232 of 266 genres have 10+ launches at $10 to $20. Sorted by chance of $100k+, lowest first.
| Rank# | Genre | 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 | Steampunknone of 22 launches earned $100k+ | 0 of 22no hits | $12,749 | $47,353 | 22 | Small | Pin Steampunk |
| 2 | 6DOFnone of 15 launches earned $100k+ | 0 of 15no hits | $3,238 | $35,622 | 15 | Small | Pin 6DOF |
| 3 | On-Rails Shooternone of 14 launches earned $100k+ | 0 of 14no hits | $8,096 | $36,147 | 14 | Small | Pin On-Rails Shooter |
| 4 | Superheronone of 11 launches earned $100k+ | 0 of 11no hits | $5,828 | $52,624 | 11 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Superhero |
| 5 | Aliens1 in 41 earned $100k+, from 41 launches | 1 in 411 hit | $3,886 | $50,242 | 41 | Small | Pin Aliens |
| 6 | Incremental1 in 22 earned $100k+, from 43 launches | 1 in 222 hits | $1,942 | $28,837 | 43 | Small | Pin Incremental |
| 7 | Solitaire1 of 21 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 211 hit | $2,833 | $17,098 | 21 | 1-hitSmallAudience | Pin Solitaire |
| 8 | 4 Player Local1 in 18 earned $100k+, from 55 launches | 1 in 183 hits | $5,767 | $65,499 | 55 | 1-hit | Pin 4 Player Local |
| 9 | Combat Racing1 in 18 earned $100k+, from 35 launches | 1 in 182 hits | $3,157 | $36,432 | 35 | Small | Pin Combat Racing |
| 10 | VR1 in 17 earned $100k+, from 186 launches | 1 in 1711 hits | $3,238 | $49,782 | 186 | none | Pin VR |
| 11 | Dialogue Heavy1 in 16 earned $100k+, from 49 launches | 1 in 163 hits | $6,071 | $71,625 | 49 | Small | Pin Dialogue Heavy |
| 12 | Archery1 of 15 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 151 hit | $1,619 | $63,613 | 15 | Small | Pin Archery |
| 13 | Text-Based1 in 15 earned $100k+, from 118 launches | 1 in 158 hits | $5,342 | $79,529 | 118 | Audience | Pin Text-Based |
| 14 | Mystery Dungeon1 in 15 earned $100k+, from 44 launches | 1 in 153 hits | $4,228 | $64,656 | 44 | SmallAudience | Pin Mystery Dungeon |
| 15 | Hidden Object1 in 15 earned $100k+, from 189 launches | 1 in 1513 hits | $1,619 | $50,242 | 189 | none | Pin Hidden Object |
| 16 | Diplomacy1 of 14 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 141 hit | $26,105 | $83,037 | 14 | 1-hitSmallAudience | Pin Diplomacy |
| 17 | Magic1 in 14 earned $100k+, from 123 launches | 1 in 149 hits | $6,071 | $67,084 | 123 | none | Pin Magic |
| 18 | Party-Based RPG1 in 13 earned $100k+, from 141 launches | 1 in 1311 hits | $5,584 | $86,922 | 141 | Audience | Pin Party-Based RPG |
| 19 | Puzzle Platformer1 in 12 earned $100k+, from 137 launches | 1 in 1211 hits | $7,222 | $71,244 | 137 | Audience | Pin Puzzle Platformer |
| 20 | Match 31 in 12 earned $100k+, from 35 launches | 1 in 123 hits | $607 | $97,151 | 35 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Match 3 |
| 21 | 3D Fighter1 in 12 earned $100k+, from 46 launches | 1 in 124 hits | $1,418 | $64,049 | 46 | Small | Pin 3D Fighter |
| 22 | Boxing1 of 11 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 111 hit | $2,834 | $64,049 | 11 | SmallAudience | Pin Boxing |
| 23 | Trivia1 of 11 launches earned $100k+ | 1 of 111 hit | $1,518 | $26,712 | 11 | Small | Pin Trivia |
| 24 | Board Game1 in 10 earned $100k+, from 115 launches | 1 in 1011 hits | $6,071 | $89,850 | 115 | none | Pin Board Game |
| 25 | Space Sim1 in 10 earned $100k+, from 51 launches | 1 in 105 hits | $2,429 | $97,151 | 51 | Audience | Pin Space 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.
Ticker: 30 upcoming games dated within 90 days, with wishlist rank, release date and followers. The same list is on the Upcoming page.