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 5,130 niches with 30+ launches at any price, West-facing view, 2,264 beat the 1 in 16 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 192 under $5, 42 in 100 at $20 to $40.2,264 of 5,130 niches beat the 1 in 16 base rate.2,264 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 West-facing view lens is computed across all prices only for now, so this list reads All prices. Pick Standard to read $10 to $20.
5,130 of 5,145 niches have 30+ launches at any price, West-facing view. 455 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, West-facing viewthe base rate: the row to beat | 1 in 161,804 of 29,637 | $606 | not computed | 29,637 | |||
| 1 | Action Roguelike + Co-op25 in 100 earned $100k+, from 76 launches | 25 in 10019 hits | $10,017 | not computed | 76 | none | Pin Action Roguelike + Co-op |
| 2 | Action Roguelike + Online Co-Op24 in 100 earned $100k+, from 75 launches | 24 in 10018 hits | $7,789 | not computed | 75 | Audience | Pin Action Roguelike + Online Co-Op |
| 3 | Action + Mechs22 in 100 earned $100k+, from 60 launches | 22 in 10013 hits | $4,671 | not computed | 60 | none | Pin Action + Mechs |
| 4 | Action RPG + Sandbox21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 42 launches | 21 in 1009 hits | $1,314 | not computed | 42 | SmallAudience | Pin Action RPG + Sandbox |
| 5 | Action-Adventure + Gore21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 43 launches | 21 in 1009 hits | $666 | not computed | 43 | Small | Pin Action-Adventure + Gore |
| 6 | Action Roguelike + Multiplayer21 in 100 earned $100k+, from 63 launches | 21 in 10013 hits | $5,262 | not computed | 63 | none | Pin Action Roguelike + Multiplayer |
| 7 | Action Roguelike + Isometric20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 56 launches | 20 in 10011 hits | $2,428 | not computed | 56 | none | Pin Action Roguelike + Isometric |
| 8 | Action + Music19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 47 launches | 19 in 1009 hits | $4,855 | not computed | 47 | Small | Pin Action + Music |
| 9 | Action + Loot19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 68 launches | 19 in 10013 hits | $1,718 | not computed | 68 | 1-hit | Pin Action + Loot |
| 10 | Action RPG + Isometric19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 64 launches | 19 in 10012 hits | $2,428 | not computed | 64 | 1-hit | Pin Action RPG + Isometric |
| 11 | Action-Adventure + Co-op19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 86 launches | 19 in 10016 hits | $2,732 | not computed | 86 | none | Pin Action-Adventure + Co-op |
| 12 | Action Roguelike + Loot19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 43 launches | 19 in 1008 hits | $2,265 | not computed | 43 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Action Roguelike + Loot |
| 13 | Action RPG + Dark Fantasy18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 98 launches | 18 in 10018 hits | $2,103 | not computed | 98 | 1-hit | Pin Action RPG + Dark Fantasy |
| 14 | Action + Co-op18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 299 launches | 18 in 10054 hits | $2,731 | not computed | 299 | none | Pin Action + Co-op |
| 15 | Action Roguelike + Bullet Heaven18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 106 launches | 18 in 10019 hits | $6,556 | not computed | 106 | 1-hit | Pin Action Roguelike + Bullet Heaven |
| 16 | Action RPG + Loot18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 45 launches | 18 in 1008 hits | $4,048 | not computed | 45 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Action RPG + Loot |
| 17 | Action + Crime18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 57 launches | 18 in 10010 hits | $1,214 | not computed | 57 | 1-hit | Pin Action + Crime |
| 18 | Action RPG + Character Customization17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 83 launches | 17 in 10014 hits | $1,011 | not computed | 83 | 1-hit | Pin Action RPG + Character Customization |
| 19 | Action RPG + Open World17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 114 launches | 17 in 10019 hits | $2,125 | not computed | 114 | 1-hit | Pin Action RPG + Open World |
| 20 | Action + Building17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 72 launches | 17 in 10012 hits | $1,699 | not computed | 72 | none | Pin Action + Building |
| 21 | Action + Bullet Heaven16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 61 launches | 16 in 10010 hits | $4,244 | not computed | 61 | 1-hit | Pin Action + Bullet Heaven |
| 22 | Action + Crafting16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 104 launches | 16 in 10017 hits | $3,034 | not computed | 104 | Audience | Pin Action + Crafting |
| 23 | Action + Fighting16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 68 launches | 16 in 10011 hits | $2,831 | not computed | 68 | 1-hitAudience | Pin Action + Fighting |
| 24 | Action RPG + Difficult16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 44 launches | 16 in 1007 hits | $2,664 | not computed | 44 | Small | Pin Action RPG + Difficult |
| 25 | Action-Adventure + Violent15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 39 launches | 15 in 1006 hits | $1,032 | not computed | 39 | Small | Pin Action-Adventure + Violent |
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.