Best niches
All pricesPairs that hit $100k+ beyond the oddsFree until launch
Lens checkChanged recently. Standard: the yardstick. West-facing view: holds. Without the breakout: holds. Last 18 months: moves the answer.
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.
Niches 1 Oct
Of 5,145 niches with 30+ launches at any price, Without the breakout, 1,928 beat the 1 in 16 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 192 under $5, 42 in 100 at $20 to $40.1,928 of 5,145 niches beat the 1 in 16 base rate.1,928 beat the base rate.
Cohort median $606
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 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 checkChanged recently. Standard: the yardstick. West-facing view: holds. Without the breakout: holds. Last 18 months: moves the answer.
Open free previewThe Without the breakout lens is computed across all prices only for now, so this list reads All prices. Pick Standard to read $10 to $20.
5,145 of 5,145 niches have 30+ launches at any price, Without the breakout. 4,170 match the search and chips. Sorted by chance of $100k+, highest first.
| Rank# | Niche | Chance of $100k+ | Typical year | Top 1 in 10 | Launches | Markers | Pin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All games at any price, Without the breakoutthe base rate: the row to beat | 1 in 161,804 of 29,637 | $606 | not computed | 29,637 | |||
| 1 | FMV + Immersive Sim39 in 100 earned $100k+, from 54 launches | 39 in 10021 hits | $47,398 | not computed | 54 | none | Pin FMV + Immersive Sim |
| 2 | Base Building + Open World Survival Craft35 in 100 earned $100k+, from 51 launches | 35 in 10018 hits | $40,281 | not computed | 51 | 1-hit | Pin Base Building + Open World Survival Craft |
| 3 | Character Customization + Open World35 in 100 earned $100k+, from 69 launches | 35 in 10024 hits | $12,947 | not computed | 69 | 1-hit | Pin Character Customization + Open World |
| 4 | Multiplayer + Sandbox33 in 100 earned $100k+, from 78 launches | 33 in 10026 hits | $24,891 | not computed | 78 | none | Pin Multiplayer + Sandbox |
| 5 | Base Building + Colony Sim33 in 100 earned $100k+, from 100 launches | 33 in 10033 hits | $27,623 | not computed | 100 | none | Pin Base Building + Colony Sim |
| 6 | Open World Survival Craft + Survival32 in 100 earned $100k+, from 75 launches | 32 in 10024 hits | $21,307 | not computed | 75 | none | Pin Open World Survival Craft + Survival |
| 7 | Dating Sim + FMV32 in 100 earned $100k+, from 66 launches | 32 in 10021 hits | $37,833 | not computed | 66 | Audience | Pin Dating Sim + FMV |
| 8 | Base Building + Management32 in 100 earned $100k+, from 142 launches | 32 in 10045 hits | $14,874 | not computed | 142 | none | Pin Base Building + Management |
| 9 | Multiplayer + Open World32 in 100 earned $100k+, from 79 launches | 32 in 10025 hits | $24,891 | not computed | 79 | 1-hit | Pin Multiplayer + Open World |
| 10 | Co-op + FPS31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 51 launches | 31 in 10016 hits | $3,436 | not computed | 51 | none | Pin Co-op + FPS |
| 11 | Colony Sim + Sandbox31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 67 launches | 31 in 10021 hits | $8,499 | not computed | 67 | Audience | Pin Colony Sim + Sandbox |
| 12 | Base Building + Sandbox31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 166 launches | 31 in 10052 hits | $8,568 | not computed | 166 | Audience | Pin Base Building + Sandbox |
| 13 | FMV + Visual Novel31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 71 launches | 31 in 10022 hits | $37,833 | not computed | 71 | Audience | Pin FMV + Visual Novel |
| 14 | Cozy + Farming Sim30 in 100 earned $100k+, from 50 launches | 30 in 10015 hits | $22,342 | not computed | 50 | none | Pin Cozy + Farming Sim |
| 15 | Colony Sim + Management30 in 100 earned $100k+, from 81 launches | 30 in 10024 hits | $16,148 | not computed | 81 | none | Pin Colony Sim + Management |
| 16 | Crafting + Open World Survival Craft30 in 100 earned $100k+, from 61 launches | 30 in 10018 hits | $29,142 | not computed | 61 | 1-hit | Pin Crafting + Open World Survival Craft |
| 17 | Co-op + Survival29 in 100 earned $100k+, from 82 launches | 29 in 10024 hits | $15,273 | not computed | 82 | 1-hit | Pin Co-op + Survival |
| 18 | Driving + Open World29 in 100 earned $100k+, from 65 launches | 29 in 10019 hits | $6,069 | not computed | 65 | none | Pin Driving + Open World |
| 19 | Driving + Exploration29 in 100 earned $100k+, from 62 launches | 29 in 10018 hits | $3,544 | not computed | 62 | none | Pin Driving + Exploration |
| 20 | Cozy + Life Sim29 in 100 earned $100k+, from 59 launches | 29 in 10017 hits | $15,561 | not computed | 59 | none | Pin Cozy + Life Sim |
| 21 | Crime + Simulation29 in 100 earned $100k+, from 59 launches | 29 in 10017 hits | $3,338 | not computed | 59 | 1-hit | Pin Crime + Simulation |
| 22 | Base Building + Crafting29 in 100 earned $100k+, from 146 launches | 29 in 10042 hits | $18,453 | not computed | 146 | 1-hit | Pin Base Building + Crafting |
| 23 | Co-op + PvE29 in 100 earned $100k+, from 98 launches | 29 in 10028 hits | $8,185 | not computed | 98 | none | Pin Co-op + PvE |
| 24 | Multiplayer + Realistic29 in 100 earned $100k+, from 91 launches | 29 in 10026 hits | $7,642 | not computed | 91 | none | Pin Multiplayer + Realistic |
| 25 | City Builder + Management28 in 100 earned $100k+, from 137 launches | 28 in 10039 hits | $9,097 | not computed | 137 | 1-hit | Pin City Builder + 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. 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.