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+, highest 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 | FMV47 in 100 earned $100k+, from 51 launches | 47 in 10024 hits | $81,191 | $304,089 | 51 | Audience | Pin FMV |
| 2 | Cozy45 in 100 earned $100k+, from 131 launches | 45 in 10059 hits | $62,342 | $971,575 | 131 | none | Pin Cozy |
| 3 | Typing9 of 21 launches earned $100k+ | 9 of 219 hits | $43,313 | $515,310 | 21 | Small | Pinned Typing |
| 4 | Bullet Heaven9 of 22 launches earned $100k+ | 9 of 229 hits | $19,731 | $1,440,409 | 22 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Bullet Heaven |
| 5 | Extraction Shooter6 of 15 launches earned $100k+ | 6 of 156 hits | $68,810 | $990,944 | 15 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Extraction Shooter |
| 6 | Music37 in 100 earned $100k+, from 38 launches | 37 in 10014 hits | $40,062 | $691,394 | 38 | Small | Pin Music |
| 7 | Shop Keeper36 in 100 earned $100k+, from 64 launches | 36 in 10023 hits | $36,662 | $862,682 | 64 | none | Pin Shop Keeper |
| 8 | Open World Survival Craft35 in 100 earned $100k+, from 62 launches | 35 in 10022 hits | $47,961 | $819,275 | 62 | none | Pin Open World Survival Craft |
| 9 | Online Co-Op35 in 100 earned $100k+, from 177 launches | 35 in 10062 hits | $38,456 | $901,536 | 177 | none | Pin Online Co-Op |
| 10 | Co-op34 in 100 earned $100k+, from 198 launches | 34 in 10067 hits | $27,523 | $901,536 | 198 | none | Pin Co-op |
| 11 | Bullet Time5 of 15 launches earned $100k+ | 5 of 155 hits | $14,267 | $371,199 | 15 | Small | Pin Bullet Time |
| 12 | Heist4 of 12 launches earned $100k+ | 4 of 124 hits | $47,551 | $1,793,374 | 12 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Heist |
| 13 | Lovecraftian33 in 100 earned $100k+, from 52 launches | 33 in 10017 hits | $26,042 | $281,334 | 52 | Audience | Pin Lovecraftian |
| 14 | Building32 in 100 earned $100k+, from 258 launches | 32 in 10083 hits | $26,551 | $565,502 | 258 | none | Pin Building |
| 15 | Swordplay7 of 22 launches earned $100k+ | 7 of 227 hits | $17,001 | $411,547 | 22 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Swordplay |
| 16 | Automation32 in 100 earned $100k+, from 85 launches | 32 in 10027 hits | $31,406 | $1,021,709 | 85 | 1-hit | Pin Automation |
| 17 | Life Sim31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 267 launches | 31 in 10084 hits | $31,406 | $395,032 | 267 | none | Pin Life Sim |
| 18 | Wholesome31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 55 launches | 31 in 10017 hits | $42,987 | $267,122 | 55 | none | Pin Wholesome |
| 19 | Gambling4 of 13 launches earned $100k+ | 4 of 134 hits | $4,735 | $1,095,533 | 13 | Small | Pin Gambling |
| 20 | Sandbox31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 388 launches | 31 in 100119 hits | $26,551 | $520,165 | 388 | none | Pin Sandbox |
| 21 | Dark Humor30 in 100 earned $100k+, from 83 launches | 30 in 10025 hits | $13,923 | $515,310 | 83 | none | Pin Dark Humor |
| 22 | Inventory Management30 in 100 earned $100k+, from 70 launches | 30 in 10021 hits | $24,284 | $766,093 | 70 | none | Pin Inventory Management |
| 23 | Time Travel6 of 20 launches earned $100k+ | 6 of 206 hits | $13,111 | $399,402 | 20 | 1-hitSmallAudience | Pin Time Travel |
| 24 | Crime30 in 100 earned $100k+, from 57 launches | 30 in 10017 hits | $13,762 | $1,455,227 | 57 | 1-hit | Pin Crime |
| 25 | Management30 in 100 earned $100k+, from 360 launches | 30 in 100107 hits | $26,717 | $409,789 | 360 | none | Pin Management |
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.