Best genres for an indie game
We compared 92 genres using only small-studio games on five stores: where there is demand, few competitors and development a small team can handle. Data as of October 12, 2026.
Top 15 indie niches
| Genre | Niche | Demand (0–100) | Competition | Dev cost | Hit rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooking | 73 | 76 | 25 | 32 | 16% |
| Word games | 71 | 73 | 28 | 24 | 11% |
| Rhythm & music | 69 | 80 | 33 | 32 | 14% |
| Hunting | 67 | 65 | 23 | 40 | 15% |
| Card games | 67 | 86 | 44 | 31 | 15% |
| Dating sims | 65 | 78 | 44 | 29 | 28% |
| Board games | 65 | 80 | 44 | 25 | 12% |
| Flight sims | 64 | 68 | 36 | 51 | 12% |
| Hidden object | 64 | 70 | 39 | 23 | 8% |
| Mining | 63 | 71 | 38 | 35 | 17% |
| Mahjong | 62 | 61 | 5 | 19 | 0% |
| Fishing | 61 | 72 | 43 | 34 | 21% |
| Merge games | 61 | 70 | 42 | 27 | — |
| Escape rooms | 61 | 59 | 30 | 26 | 24% |
| Gambling / casino | 60 | 66 | 34 | 25 | 11% |
Affordable to make, with demand
Genres with a development index below the median (35/100), sorted by niche score.
| Genre | Niche | Demand (0–100) | Competition | Dev cost | Hit rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooking | 73 | 76 | 25 | 32 | 16% |
| Word games | 71 | 73 | 28 | 24 | 11% |
| Rhythm & music | 69 | 80 | 33 | 32 | 14% |
| Card games | 67 | 86 | 44 | 31 | 15% |
| Dating sims | 65 | 78 | 44 | 29 | 28% |
| Board games | 65 | 80 | 44 | 25 | 12% |
| Hidden object | 64 | 70 | 39 | 23 | 8% |
| Mining | 63 | 71 | 38 | 35 | 17% |
| Mahjong | 62 | 61 | 5 | 19 | 0% |
| Fishing | 61 | 72 | 43 | 34 | 21% |
Overheated genres
High competition and a weak niche: only go here with a very strong idea or an existing audience.
| Genre | Niche | Demand (0–100) | Competition | Dev cost | Hit rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Action | 25 | 77 | 85 | 48 | 13% |
| Casual | 32 | 80 | 81 | 23 | 10% |
| Arcade | 34 | 70 | 79 | 26 | 9% |
| Runners | 30 | 56 | 69 | 22 | 5% |
| Stealth | 36 | 67 | 70 | 44 | 17% |
| Platformers | 40 | 68 | 70 | 33 | 12% |
| Bullet hell | 39 | 53 | 67 | 30 | 11% |
| Puzzle | 45 | 84 | 71 | 26 | 13% |
How it is calculated and what the numbers do not show
Niche is a 0–100 score: it is high only when there is both demand and little competition. Only small-studio games are counted, and genres out of reach for a small team (MMOs, AAA shooters, etc.) are hidden. Demand and competition are calculated within each store and averaged across the stores where the genre exists. These are estimates from public store data, not a sales forecast: use the ranking to narrow your choice, then check the genre on the map and look at actual games.
Data updated October 12, 2026 Methodology
More research: Steam vs itch.io · Genre popularity by platform