Genres

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.

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on 30 Sep 2026

Genres 1 Oct

Of 194 genres with 100+ launches at any price, Without the breakout, 109 beat the 1 in 16 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 192 under $5, 42 in 100 at $20 to $40.109 of 194 genres beat the 1 in 16 base rate.109 beat the base rate.

Cohort median $606

Genres

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.

Best niches

All prices

Pairs that hit $100k+ beyond the oddsFree until launch

Incremental + Resource Managementabout 8.3 times expected at its prices14 in 100
1Incremental + Resource Management14 in 100114 launches2Idler + Resource Management13 in 100119 launches3Incremental + Management11 in 100157 launches4Incremental + Pixel Graphics1 in13214 launches5Idler + Pixel Graphics1 in12262 launches

Lens checkHolds in 3 of 3. Standard: the yardstick. West-facing view: holds. Without the breakout: holds. Last 18 months: holds.

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Best nichesFree until launchClick to unlockTag pairs that beat the odds

The genre list

The Without the breakout lens is computed across all prices only for now, so this list reads All prices. Pick Standard to read $10 to $20.

Best odds at my priceChance of $100k+, read within one price band.Opens $10 to $20, Standard lens.Steady marketsHolds in every lens and no single game owns it.Loads the 30+ launches view.Biggest typical yearWhat the middle launch earned, highest first.Loads the 30+ launches view.Biggest upsideWhat the top tenth earned at least.Loads the 30+ launches view.Proven at scale100+ launches and above the base rate.Now: Open World Survival Craft, 30 in 100. 109 match.Busiest marketsMost launches first: where the competition is.Loads the 30+ launches view.
Hide one-hit markets29 outHide small samples0 out

194 of 266 genres have 100+ launches at any price, Without the breakout. Sorted by chance of $100k+, highest first.

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Genres at any price, Without the breakout, sorted by chance of $100k+. The first row is the base rate.
Rank#GenreChance of $100k+Typical yearTop 1 in 10LaunchesMarkersPin
All games at any price, Without the breakoutthe base rate: the row to beat 1 in 161,804 of 29,637 $606not computed 29,637
1 30 in 100 earned $100k+, from 107 launches 30 in 10032 hits $20,964 not computed 107 none Pin Open World Survival Craft
2 22 in 100 earned $100k+, from 171 launches 22 in 10037 hits $10,043 not computed 171 Audience Pin FMV
3 20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 627 launches 20 in 100124 hits $3,683 not computed 627 none Pin Base Building
4 19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 794 launches 19 in 100152 hits $4,451 not computed 794 none Pin Online Co-Op
5 19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 787 launches 19 in 100147 hits $3,643 not computed 787 none Pin Co-op
6 17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 894 launches 17 in 100156 hits $2,732 not computed 894 none Pin Building
7 17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 250 launches 17 in 10043 hits $2,689 not computed 250 none Pin Colony Sim
8 16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 925 launches 16 in 100150 hits $2,062 not computed 925 none Pin Open World
9 16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 150 launches 16 in 10024 hits $1,699 not computed 150 none Pin Music
10 16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 114 launches 16 in 10018 hits $4,858 not computed 114 none Pin Mechs
11 16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 1,288 launches 16 in 100201 hits $3,638 not computed 1,288 none Pin Management
12 Crafting15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 735 launches 15 in 100113 hits $2,428 not computed 735 none Pin Crafting

15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 735 launches at any price, Without the breakout. That is about 2.5 times the base rate.

Base rate at any price, Without the breakout: 1 in 16 (1,804 of 29,637 launches earned $100k+).

Typical first year $2,428. Top 1 in 10 is not computed for lenses yet.

Lens check, all pricesHolds in 3 of 3. Standard: the yardstick. West-facing view: holds. Without the breakout: holds. Last 18 months: holds.

No warning markers: no single game holds half the money, the sample is 50+ launches and the audience split is small.

Chance of $100k+ at every price (Standard lens)
PriceChanceLaunchesTypical
All prices15 in 100736$2,428
Under $51 in 79238$242
$5 to $101 in 21206$1,942
$10 to $2029 in 100231$24,288
$20 to $4054 in 10061$150,802

Grey: under 30 launches at that price, written as a count. Odds compare best within one price.

Best tag pairs inside, at any price, Without the breakout

Open genre pageCheck this idea
13 15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 1,393 launches 15 in 100209 hits $1,841 not computed 1,393 none Pin Sandbox
14 15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 540 launches 15 in 10080 hits $1,982 not computed 540 Audience Pin City Builder
15 14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 641 launches 14 in 10092 hits $3,459 not computed 641 none Pin Economy
16 14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 419 launches 14 in 10060 hits $2,893 not computed 419 1-hit Pin Metroidvania
17 14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 140 launches 14 in 10020 hits $7,278 not computed 140 1-hit Pin Bullet Heaven
18 14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 232 launches 14 in 10033 hits $1,718 not computed 232 1-hit Pin Crime
19 14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 183 launches 14 in 10026 hits $3,683 not computed 183 none Pin Shop Keeper
20 14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 162 launches 14 in 10022 hits $5,461 not computed 162 1-hit Pin Trading
21 13 in 100 earned $100k+, from 126 launches 13 in 10017 hits $8,351 not computed 126 none Pin Job Simulator
22 13 in 100 earned $100k+, from 650 launches 13 in 10087 hits $2,119 not computed 650 none Pin Cozy
23 13 in 100 earned $100k+, from 180 launches 13 in 10024 hits $1,617 not computed 180 Audience Pin Fishing
24 13 in 100 earned $100k+, from 303 launches 13 in 10040 hits $8,092 not computed 303 1-hit Pin Roguelike Deckbuilder
25 13 in 100 earned $100k+, from 1,054 launches 13 in 100136 hits $2,122 not computed 1,054 none Pin Life Sim
Show 25 moreShowing 25 of 194 genres
green beats the base ratecoral below it bar: the chance; amber tick: the base rate1-hit one game holds over half the moneySmall under 50 launches in this viewAudience reads differently for Western players

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.

Releases

Ticker: 30 upcoming games dated within 90 days, with wishlist rank, release date and followers. The same list is on the Upcoming page.