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 3 Oct
Of 162 niches with 100+ launches at $10 to $20, 57 beat the 18 in 100 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 219 under $5, 40 in 100 at $20 to $40.57 of 162 niches beat the 18 in 100 base rate.57 beat the base rate.
Typical launch, all prices, first year $540
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 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 5 to 8 in 100 launches overall.
Pairs with the best chance of $100k+, above the base rateFree until launch
162 of 4,634 niches have 100+ launches at $10 to $20. Sorted by chance of $100k+, lowest 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 | 18 in 100758 of 4,301 | $8,234 | $217,858 | 4,301 | |||
| 1 | Arcade + Casual4 of 124 launches earned $100k+ | 4 of 1244 hits | $862 | $14,174 | 124 | none | Pin Arcade + Casual |
| 2 | Casual + Visual Novel1 in 29 earned $100k+, from 145 launches | 1 in 295 hits | $3,122 | $45,862 | 145 | Audience | Pin Casual + Visual Novel |
| 3 | Hidden Object + Puzzle1 in 25 earned $100k+, from 127 launches | 1 in 255 hits | $1,149 | $27,933 | 127 | none | Pin Hidden Object + Puzzle |
| 4 | Casual + Point & Click1 in 25 earned $100k+, from 126 launches | 1 in 255 hits | $1,532 | $32,794 | 126 | none | Pin Casual + Point & Click |
| 5 | Casual + Hidden Object1 in 22 earned $100k+, from 108 launches | 1 in 225 hits | $1,022 | $15,533 | 108 | none | Pin Casual + Hidden Object |
| 6 | Casual + Fantasy1 in 21 earned $100k+, from 105 launches | 1 in 215 hits | $1,351 | $39,286 | 105 | none | Pin Casual + Fantasy |
| 7 | Adventure + Choose Your Own Adventure1 in 18 earned $100k+, from 129 launches | 1 in 187 hits | $3,451 | $55,774 | 129 | none | Pin Adventure + Choose Your Own Adventure |
| 8 | Puzzle + Strategy1 in 17 earned $100k+, from 103 launches | 1 in 176 hits | $2,129 | $52,569 | 103 | none | Pin Puzzle + Strategy |
| 9 | 2D + Casual1 in 16 earned $100k+, from 297 launches | 1 in 1619 hits | $1,266 | $42,193 | 297 | none | Pin 2D + Casual |
| 10 | Anime + Casual1 in 15 earned $100k+, from 108 launches | 1 in 157 hits | $4,371 | $54,167 | 108 | none | Pin Anime + Casual |
| 11 | 2D + Fantasy1 in 14 earned $100k+, from 140 launches | 1 in 1410 hits | $2,509 | $66,777 | 140 | none | Pin 2D + Fantasy |
| 12 | Adventure + Casual1 in 14 earned $100k+, from 347 launches | 1 in 1425 hits | $2,026 | $45,892 | 347 | none | Pin Adventure + Casual |
| 13 | Anime + Visual Novel1 in 14 earned $100k+, from 179 launches | 1 in 1413 hits | $6,868 | $70,614 | 179 | Audience | Pin Anime + Visual Novel |
| 14 | Action + Casual1 in 14 earned $100k+, from 163 launches | 1 in 1412 hits | $1,724 | $52,840 | 163 | none | Pin Action + Casual |
| 15 | Casual + Strategy1 in 13 earned $100k+, from 188 launches | 1 in 1314 hits | $2,279 | $58,622 | 188 | none | Pin Casual + Strategy |
| 16 | Casual + Family Friendly1 in 13 earned $100k+, from 143 launches | 1 in 1311 hits | $1,772 | $74,110 | 143 | none | Pin Casual + Family Friendly |
| 17 | Adventure + Strategy1 in 13 earned $100k+, from 140 launches | 1 in 1311 hits | $2,129 | $51,492 | 140 | Audience | Pin Adventure + Strategy |
| 18 | JRPG + RPG1 in 13 earned $100k+, from 150 launches | 1 in 1312 hits | $3,643 | $78,857 | 150 | 1-hit | Pin JRPG + RPG |
| 19 | 2D + Visual Novel1 in 12 earned $100k+, from 149 launches | 1 in 1212 hits | $6,166 | $68,068 | 149 | none | Pin 2D + Visual Novel |
| 20 | Adventure + Anime1 in 12 earned $100k+, from 161 launches | 1 in 1213 hits | $5,363 | $86,884 | 161 | none | Pin Adventure + Anime |
| 21 | 2D + Puzzle1 in 12 earned $100k+, from 204 launches | 1 in 1217 hits | $1,533 | $74,110 | 204 | Audience | Pin 2D + Puzzle |
| 22 | Cute + Visual Novel1 in 12 earned $100k+, from 144 launches | 1 in 1212 hits | $6,971 | $89,059 | 144 | Audience | Pin Cute + Visual Novel |
| 23 | Casual + Colorful1 in 12 earned $100k+, from 167 launches | 1 in 1214 hits | $2,527 | $88,250 | 167 | none | Pin Casual + Colorful |
| 24 | Adventure + Fantasy1 in 12 earned $100k+, from 166 launches | 1 in 1214 hits | $2,509 | $77,606 | 166 | none | Pin Adventure + Fantasy |
| 25 | 2D Platformer + Adventure1 in 12 earned $100k+, from 118 launches | 1 in 1210 hits | $4,281 | $61,819 | 118 | none | Pin 2D Platformer + Adventure |
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.