Best niches
$10 to $20Pairs that hit $100k+ beyond the oddsFree 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 same figures are on the Genres page.
Niches 1 Oct
Of 1,269 niches with 30+ launches at $10 to $20, 581 beat the 19 in 100 base rate. Price moves the odds most: 1 in 192 under $5, 42 in 100 at $20 to $40.581 of 1,269 niches beat the 19 in 100 base rate.581 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
1,269 of 5,145 niches have 30+ launches at $10 to $20. 532 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 $10 to $20the base rate: the row to beat | 19 in 100893 of 4,810 | $9,226 | $248,075 | 4,810 | |||
| 1 | Casual + Cozy55 in 100 earned $100k+, from 58 launches | 55 in 10032 hits | $120,225 | $1,360,500 | 58 | none | Pin Casual + Cozy |
| 2 | Cozy + Relaxing49 in 100 earned $100k+, from 63 launches | 49 in 10031 hits | $98,956 | $1,224,420 | 63 | none | Pin Cozy + Relaxing |
| 3 | Building + Crafting46 in 100 earned $100k+, from 65 launches | 46 in 10030 hits | $79,340 | $929,505 | 65 | none | Pin Building + Crafting |
| 4 | Base Building + Sandbox43 in 100 earned $100k+, from 65 launches | 43 in 10028 hits | $58,585 | $855,782 | 65 | Audience | Pin Base Building + Sandbox |
| 5 | Cozy + Simulation42 in 100 earned $100k+, from 52 launches | 42 in 10022 hits | $71,286 | $862,682 | 52 | none | Pin Cozy + Simulation |
| 6 | Cozy + Cute40 in 100 earned $100k+, from 55 launches | 40 in 10022 hits | $43,628 | $584,162 | 55 | none | Pin Cozy + Cute |
| 7 | Economy + Immersive Sim40 in 100 earned $100k+, from 63 launches | 40 in 10025 hits | $49,782 | $894,937 | 63 | none | Pin Economy + Immersive Sim |
| 8 | Investigation + Mystery39 in 100 earned $100k+, from 71 launches | 39 in 10028 hits | $21,814 | $507,211 | 71 | none | Pin Investigation + Mystery |
| 9 | First-Person + Life Sim38 in 100 earned $100k+, from 71 launches | 38 in 10027 hits | $47,594 | $894,937 | 71 | none | Pin First-Person + Life Sim |
| 10 | Building + Sandbox38 in 100 earned $100k+, from 100 launches | 38 in 10038 hits | $33,694 | $929,505 | 100 | none | Pin Building + Sandbox |
| 11 | Management + Sandbox38 in 100 earned $100k+, from 85 launches | 38 in 10032 hits | $47,594 | $680,076 | 85 | none | Pin Management + Sandbox |
| 12 | Economy + Sandbox38 in 100 earned $100k+, from 56 launches | 38 in 10021 hits | $48,171 | $565,502 | 56 | none | Pinned Economy + Sandbox |
| 13 | Multiplayer + Online Co-Op37 in 100 earned $100k+, from 102 launches | 37 in 10038 hits | $60,406 | $901,536 | 102 | none | Pin Multiplayer + Online Co-Op |
| 14 | Crafting + Exploration37 in 100 earned $100k+, from 81 launches | 37 in 10030 hits | $40,281 | $829,025 | 81 | none | Pin Crafting + Exploration |
| 15 | Co-op + Online Co-Op36 in 100 earned $100k+, from 94 launches | 36 in 10034 hits | $47,961 | $1,214,676 | 94 | none | Pin Co-op + Online Co-Op |
| 16 | 3D + Multiplayer36 in 100 earned $100k+, from 53 launches | 36 in 10019 hits | $22,032 | $1,133,143 | 53 | none | Pin 3D + Multiplayer |
| 17 | Investigation + Story Rich36 in 100 earned $100k+, from 53 launches | 36 in 10019 hits | $14,994 | $448,086 | 53 | none | Pin Investigation + Story Rich |
| 18 | Building + Management36 in 100 earned $100k+, from 98 launches | 36 in 10035 hits | $32,384 | $569,428 | 98 | none | Pin Building + Management |
| 19 | Immersive Sim + Management35 in 100 earned $100k+, from 93 launches | 35 in 10033 hits | $43,461 | $680,076 | 93 | none | Pin Immersive Sim + Management |
| 20 | Building + Exploration35 in 100 earned $100k+, from 51 launches | 35 in 10018 hits | $33,694 | $594,898 | 51 | none | Pin Building + Exploration |
| 21 | Multiplayer + Simulation35 in 100 earned $100k+, from 71 launches | 35 in 10025 hits | $42,800 | $1,039,347 | 71 | none | Pin Multiplayer + Simulation |
| 22 | Base Building + Survival35 in 100 earned $100k+, from 77 launches | 35 in 10027 hits | $40,281 | $819,275 | 77 | none | Pin Base Building + Survival |
| 23 | Detective + Mystery35 in 100 earned $100k+, from 80 launches | 35 in 10028 hits | $33,598 | $507,211 | 80 | Audience | Pin Detective + Mystery |
| 24 | Building + Economy35 in 100 earned $100k+, from 63 launches | 35 in 10022 hits | $32,384 | $569,428 | 63 | none | Pin Building + Economy |
| 25 | Open World + Sandbox34 in 100 earned $100k+, from 87 launches | 34 in 10030 hits | $27,526 | $750,081 | 87 | none | Pin Open World + Sandbox |
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.