Best niches
All pricesPairs that hit $100k+ beyond the oddsFree until launch
Lens checkHolds in 3 of 3. Standard: the yardstick. West-facing view: holds. Without the breakout: holds. Last 18 months: holds.
Open free previewTicker: 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 193 genres with 100+ launches at any price, West-facing view, 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 193 genres beat the 1 in 16 base rate.109 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
Lens checkHolds in 3 of 3. Standard: the yardstick. West-facing view: holds. Without the breakout: holds. Last 18 months: holds.
Open free previewThe West-facing view lens is computed across all prices only for now, so this list reads All prices. Pick Standard to read $10 to $20.
193 of 266 genres have 100+ launches at any price, West-facing view. 109 match the search and chips. Sorted by chance of $100k+, highest first.
| Rank# | Genre | Chance of $100k+ | Typical year | Top 1 in 10 | Launches | Markers | Pin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All games at any price, West-facing viewthe base rate: the row to beat | 1 in 161,804 of 29,637 | $606 | not computed | 29,637 | |||
| 1 | Open World Survival Craft31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 107 launches | 31 in 10033 hits | $21,248 | not computed | 107 | none | Pin Open World Survival Craft |
| 2 | Base Building20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 599 launches | 20 in 100120 hits | $3,683 | not computed | 599 | none | Pin Base Building |
| 3 | Online Co-Op19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 777 launches | 19 in 100148 hits | $4,451 | not computed | 777 | none | Pin Online Co-Op |
| 4 | Co-op19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 772 launches | 19 in 100146 hits | $3,936 | not computed | 772 | none | Pin Co-op |
| 5 | Building18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 870 launches | 18 in 100154 hits | $2,831 | not computed | 870 | none | Pin Building |
| 6 | Colony Sim17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 246 launches | 17 in 10043 hits | $2,630 | not computed | 246 | none | Pin Colony Sim |
| 7 | FMV17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 121 launches | 17 in 10021 hits | $4,855 | not computed | 121 | Audience | Pin FMV |
| 8 | Mechs17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 112 launches | 17 in 10019 hits | $5,153 | not computed | 112 | none | Pin Mechs |
| 9 | Music17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 149 launches | 17 in 10025 hits | $1,778 | not computed | 149 | none | Pin Music |
| 10 | Open World16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 877 launches | 16 in 100142 hits | $2,185 | not computed | 877 | none | Pin Open World |
| 11 | Crafting16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 710 launches | 16 in 100114 hits | $2,448 | not computed | 710 | none | Pin Crafting |
| 12 | Management15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 1,251 launches | 15 in 100192 hits | $3,638 | not computed | 1,251 | none | Pin Management |
| 13 | City Builder15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 512 launches | 15 in 10078 hits | $2,225 | not computed | 512 | Audience | Pin City Builder |
| 14 | Bullet Heaven15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 138 launches | 15 in 10021 hits | $7,376 | not computed | 138 | 1-hit | Pin Bullet Heaven |
| 15 | Trading15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 152 launches | 15 in 10023 hits | $5,631 | not computed | 152 | 1-hit | Pin Trading |
| 16 | Sandbox15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 1,352 launches | 15 in 100198 hits | $1,840 | not computed | 1,352 | none | Pin Sandbox |
| 17 | Economy15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 631 launches | 15 in 10092 hits | $3,641 | not computed | 631 | none | Pin Economy |
| 18 | Shop Keeper15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 179 launches | 15 in 10026 hits | $3,683 | not computed | 179 | none | Pin Shop Keeper |
| 19 | Metroidvania14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 406 launches | 14 in 10058 hits | $3,031 | not computed | 406 | 1-hit | Pin Metroidvania |
| 20 | Job Simulator14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 126 launches | 14 in 10018 hits | $8,351 | not computed | 126 | none | Pin Job Simulator |
| 21 | Crime14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 220 launches | 14 in 10031 hits | $1,816 | not computed | 220 | 1-hit | Pin Crime |
| 22 | Fishing14 in 100 earned $100k+, from 172 launches | 14 in 10024 hits | $2,223 | not computed | 172 | Audience | Pin Fishing |
| 23 | Cozy13 in 100 earned $100k+, from 646 launches | 13 in 10084 hits | $2,101 | not computed | 646 | none | Pin Cozy |
| 24 | Lovecraftian13 in 100 earned $100k+, from 170 launches | 13 in 10022 hits | $4,048 | not computed | 170 | Audience | Pin Lovecraftian |
| 25 | Life Sim13 in 100 earned $100k+, from 990 launches | 13 in 100128 hits | $2,225 | not computed | 990 | none | Pin Life 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.