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.
Niches 2 Nov
Of 1,114 niches with 30+ launches at $10 to $20, 504 beat the 21 in 100 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 230 under $5, 44 in 100 at $20 to $40.504 of 1,114 niches beat the 21 in 100 base rate.504 beat the base rate.
Typical launch, all prices, first year $562
Every tag pair (two tags on the same game), 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 the tags do.
Indie paid Steam launches 12 to 36 months old, data 2 Nov 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
1,114 of 4,709 niches have 30+ launches at $10 to $20. Sorted by chance of $100k+, highest first.
| Rank# | Niche | Chance of $100k+ | Typical year | Top 1 in 10 | Launches | Markers | Pin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All games at $10 to $20the base rate: the row to beat | 21 in 100891 of 4,337 | $11,233 | $290,970 | 4,337 | |||
| 1 | Cozy + Relaxing60 in 100 earned $100k+, from 53 launches | 60 in 10032 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 53 | Audience | Pin Cozy + Relaxing |
| 2 | Casual + Cozy58 in 100 earned $100k+, from 53 launches | 58 in 10031 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 53 | Audience | Pin Casual + Cozy |
| 3 | Co-op + First-Person55 in 100 earned $100k+, from 31 launches | 55 in 10017 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 31 | Small | Pin Co-op + First-Person |
| 4 | Base Building + Tower Defense53 in 100 earned $100k+, from 34 launches | 53 in 10018 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 34 | Small | Pin Base Building + Tower Defense |
| 5 | Online Co-Op + Simulation52 in 100 earned $100k+, from 33 launches | 52 in 10017 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 33 | Small | Pin Online Co-Op + Simulation |
| 6 | Cozy + Simulation51 in 100 earned $100k+, from 37 launches | 51 in 10019 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 37 | Small | Pin Cozy + Simulation |
| 7 | Automation + Crafting50 in 100 earned $100k+, from 32 launches | 50 in 10016 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 32 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Automation + Crafting |
| 8 | Shop Keeper + Simulation50 in 100 earned $100k+, from 32 launches | 50 in 10016 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 32 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Shop Keeper + Simulation |
| 9 | Economy + Immersive Sim49 in 100 earned $100k+, from 55 launches | 49 in 10027 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 55 | 1-hit | Pin Economy + Immersive Sim |
| 10 | Base Building + City Builder49 in 100 earned $100k+, from 51 launches | 49 in 10025 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 51 | 1-hit | Pin Base Building + City Builder |
| 11 | Life Sim + Open World47 in 100 earned $100k+, from 36 launches | 47 in 10017 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 36 | Small | Pin Life Sim + Open World |
| 12 | Economy + Sandbox47 in 100 earned $100k+, from 53 launches | 47 in 10025 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 53 | none | Pin Economy + Sandbox |
| 13 | Automation + Sandbox47 in 100 earned $100k+, from 34 launches | 47 in 10016 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 34 | Small | Pin Automation + Sandbox |
| 14 | Cinematic + Story Rich47 in 100 earned $100k+, from 34 launches | 47 in 10016 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 34 | Small | Pin Cinematic + Story Rich |
| 15 | Cooking + Simulation47 in 100 earned $100k+, from 34 launches | 47 in 10016 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 34 | SmallAudience | Pin Cooking + Simulation |
| 16 | First-Person + Multiplayer47 in 100 earned $100k+, from 34 launches | 47 in 10016 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 34 | Small | Pin First-Person + Multiplayer |
| 17 | Economy + Resource Management46 in 100 earned $100k+, from 41 launches | 46 in 10019 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 41 | Small | Pin Economy + Resource Management |
| 18 | First-Person + Management46 in 100 earned $100k+, from 54 launches | 46 in 10025 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 54 | 1-hitAudience | Pin First-Person + Management |
| 19 | City Builder + Resource Management45 in 100 earned $100k+, from 31 launches | 45 in 10014 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 31 | 1-hitSmall | Pin City Builder + Resource Management |
| 20 | Multiplayer + Online Co-Op45 in 100 earned $100k+, from 78 launches | 45 in 10035 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 78 | none | Pin Multiplayer + Online Co-Op |
| 21 | Cozy + Cute45 in 100 earned $100k+, from 47 launches | 45 in 10021 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 47 | Small | Pin Cozy + Cute |
| 22 | Automation + Simulation44 in 100 earned $100k+, from 36 launches | 44 in 10016 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 36 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Automation + Simulation |
| 23 | Deckbuilding + Turn-Based Combat44 in 100 earned $100k+, from 32 launches | 44 in 10014 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 32 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Deckbuilding + Turn-Based Combat |
| 24 | City Builder + Sandbox44 in 100 earned $100k+, from 39 launches | 44 in 10017 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 39 | 1-hitSmall | Pin City Builder + Sandbox |
| 25 | Building + Economy43 in 100 earned $100k+, from 51 launches | 43 in 10022 hits | under 100 | under 100 | 51 | none | Pin Building + Economy |
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. A game counts in every pair its tags make.
Ticker: 30 upcoming games dated within 90 days, with wishlist rank, release date and followers. The same list is on the Upcoming page.