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. 66 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 | Metroidvania + Platformer31 in 100 earned $100k+, from 68 launches | 31 in 10021 hits | $26,717 | $457,421 | 68 | 1-hit | Pin Metroidvania + Platformer |
| 2 | 2D Platformer + Metroidvania27 in 100 earned $100k+, from 52 launches | 27 in 10014 hits | $33,087 | $370,024 | 52 | none | Pin 2D Platformer + Metroidvania |
| 3 | Exploration + Platformer26 in 100 earned $100k+, from 93 launches | 26 in 10024 hits | $18,954 | $415,253 | 93 | 1-hit | Pin Exploration + Platformer |
| 4 | 2D Platformer + Female Protagonist26 in 100 earned $100k+, from 35 launches | 26 in 1009 hits | $12,018 | $346,811 | 35 | Small | Pin 2D Platformer + Female Protagonist |
| 5 | Female Protagonist + Platformer26 in 100 earned $100k+, from 39 launches | 26 in 10010 hits | $15,177 | $753,551 | 39 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Female Protagonist + Platformer |
| 6 | 2D + Platformer24 in 100 earned $100k+, from 112 launches | 24 in 10027 hits | $26,717 | $346,811 | 112 | 1-hit | Pin 2D + Platformer |
| 7 | Difficult + Platformer23 in 100 earned $100k+, from 48 launches | 23 in 10011 hits | $13,660 | $370,024 | 48 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Difficult + Platformer |
| 8 | Pixel Graphics + Platformer22 in 100 earned $100k+, from 69 launches | 22 in 10015 hits | $16,597 | $415,253 | 69 | none | Pin Pixel Graphics + Platformer |
| 9 | Platformer + Side Scroller20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 55 launches | 20 in 10011 hits | $12,749 | $218,251 | 55 | none | Pin Platformer + Side Scroller |
| 10 | 2D Platformer + Retro20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 30 launches | 20 in 1006 hits | $24,288 | $292,264 | 30 | Small | Pin 2D Platformer + Retro |
| 11 | Collectathon + Platformer20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 30 launches | 20 in 1006 hits | $10,928 | $261,499 | 30 | Small | Pin Collectathon + Platformer |
| 12 | Platformer + Retro20 in 100 earned $100k+, from 30 launches | 20 in 1006 hits | $22,337 | $292,316 | 30 | Small | Pinned Platformer + Retro |
| 13 | Difficult + Precision Platformer19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 36 launches | 19 in 1007 hits | $12,240 | $191,874 | 36 | Small | Pin Difficult + Precision Platformer |
| 14 | Funny + Platformer19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 31 launches | 19 in 1006 hits | $28,230 | $883,340 | 31 | Small | Pin Funny + Platformer |
| 15 | Colorful + Platformer19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 47 launches | 19 in 1009 hits | $6,882 | $218,251 | 47 | Small | Pin Colorful + Platformer |
| 16 | 3D Platformer + Collectathon19 in 100 earned $100k+, from 32 launches | 19 in 1006 hits | $6,882 | $251,337 | 32 | Small | Pin 3D Platformer + Collectathon |
| 17 | 3D Platformer + Colorful18 in 100 earned $100k+, from 33 launches | 18 in 1006 hits | $1,416 | $187,016 | 33 | Small | Pin 3D Platformer + Colorful |
| 18 | Adventure + Platformer17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 152 launches | 17 in 10026 hits | $6,882 | $261,499 | 152 | none | Pin Adventure + Platformer |
| 19 | 2D Platformer + Exploration17 in 100 earned $100k+, from 59 launches | 17 in 10010 hits | $14,208 | $382,129 | 59 | none | Pin 2D Platformer + Exploration |
| 20 | Platformer + Story Rich16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 31 launches | 16 in 1005 hits | $12,240 | $293,478 | 31 | 1-hitSmall | Pin Platformer + Story Rich |
| 21 | 2D Platformer + Pixel Graphics16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 106 launches | 16 in 10017 hits | $10,440 | $231,544 | 106 | Audience | Pin 2D Platformer + Pixel Graphics |
| 22 | 3D Platformer + Exploration16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 63 launches | 16 in 10010 hits | $6,537 | $225,169 | 63 | none | Pinned 3D Platformer + Exploration |
| 23 | 2D Platformer + Platformer16 in 100 earned $100k+, from 147 launches | 16 in 10023 hits | $9,714 | $268,381 | 147 | none | Pin 2D Platformer + Platformer |
| 24 | 2D Platformer + Action-Adventure15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 78 launches | 15 in 10012 hits | $12,749 | $172,444 | 78 | none | Pin 2D Platformer + Action-Adventure |
| 25 | Action-Adventure + Puzzle Platformer15 in 100 earned $100k+, from 33 launches | 15 in 1005 hits | $10,930 | $184,253 | 33 | SmallAudience | Pin Action-Adventure + Puzzle Platformer |
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.