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.
Genres 3 Oct
Of 156 genres with 30+ launches at $10 to $20, 83 beat the 20 in 100 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 238 under $5, 44 in 100 at $20 to $40.83 of 156 genres beat the 20 in 100 base rate.83 beat the base rate.
Typical launch, all prices, first year $552
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 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
156 of 256 genres have 30+ 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 | 20 in 100878 of 4,304 | $10,978 | $287,297 | 4,304 | |||
| 1 | Shop Keeper57 in 100 earned $100k+, from 37 launches | 57 in 10021 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 37 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Shop Keeper |
| 2 | Cozy51 in 100 earned $100k+, from 112 launches | 51 in 10057 hits | $117,666 | $968,158 | 112 | Audience | Pin Cozy |
| 3 | FMV48 in 100 earned $100k+, from 40 launches | 48 in 10019 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 40 | SmallAudience | Pin FMV |
| 4 | Cooking44 in 100 earned $100k+, from 57 launches | 44 in 10025 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 57 | Audience | Pin Cooking |
| 5 | Online Co-Op39 in 100 earned $100k+, from 142 launches | 39 in 10056 hits | $46,042 | $865,984 | 142 | none | Pin Online Co-Op |
| 6 | Automation39 in 100 earned $100k+, from 83 launches | 39 in 10032 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 83 | 1-hit | Pin Automation |
| 7 | Music37 in 100 earned $100k+, from 35 launches | 37 in 10013 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 35 | Small | Pin Music |
| 8 | Inventory Management35 in 100 earned $100k+, from 51 launches | 35 in 10018 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 51 | none | Pin Inventory Management |
| 9 | Roguelike Deckbuilder35 in 100 earned $100k+, from 94 launches | 35 in 10033 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 94 | none | Pin Roguelike Deckbuilder |
| 10 | Building35 in 100 earned $100k+, from 245 launches | 35 in 10085 hits | $30,025 | $621,994 | 245 | none | Pinned Building |
| 11 | Co-op34 in 100 earned $100k+, from 157 launches | 34 in 10054 hits | $25,693 | $1,032,241 | 157 | none | Pin Co-op |
| 12 | Life Sim34 in 100 earned $100k+, from 232 launches | 34 in 10079 hits | $37,945 | $485,241 | 232 | none | Pin Life Sim |
| 13 | Management34 in 100 earned $100k+, from 297 launches | 34 in 100100 hits | $41,499 | $488,953 | 297 | none | Pin Management |
| 14 | Economy34 in 100 earned $100k+, from 161 launches | 34 in 10054 hits | $43,540 | $538,397 | 161 | none | Pin Economy |
| 15 | Base Building33 in 100 earned $100k+, from 213 launches | 33 in 10071 hits | $35,118 | $614,301 | 213 | none | Pin Base Building |
| 16 | Cinematic33 in 100 earned $100k+, from 87 launches | 33 in 10029 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 87 | Audience | Pin Cinematic |
| 17 | Sandbox33 in 100 earned $100k+, from 360 launches | 33 in 100118 hits | $30,251 | $582,205 | 360 | none | Pin Sandbox |
| 18 | Resource Management32 in 100 earned $100k+, from 152 launches | 32 in 10049 hits | $31,149 | $423,187 | 152 | none | Pinned Resource Management |
| 19 | Lovecraftian32 in 100 earned $100k+, from 41 launches | 32 in 10013 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 41 | Small | Pin Lovecraftian |
| 20 | Driving31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 87 launches | 31 in 10027 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 87 | none | Pin Driving |
| 21 | Boomer Shooter31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 39 launches | 31 in 10012 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 39 | Small | Pin Boomer Shooter |
| 22 | Tower Defense31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 124 launches | 31 in 10038 hits | $10,626 | $569,556 | 124 | none | Pin Tower Defense |
| 23 | Open World Survival Craft31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 59 launches | 31 in 10018 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 59 | 1-hit | Pin Open World Survival Craft |
| 24 | Dark Humor30 in 100 earned $100k+, from 70 launches | 30 in 10021 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 70 | none | Pin Dark Humor |
| 25 | Wholesome30 in 100 earned $100k+, from 60 launches | 30 in 10018 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 60 | none | Pin Wholesome |
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.
Ticker: 30 upcoming games dated within 90 days, with wishlist rank, release date and followers. The same list is on the Upcoming page.