How does the genre overlap explorer work?

It builds a catalog profile for each of the 400 genres and tags indielist tracks, then compares the two selected terms by shared games, shared tags, and a Jaccard-style overlap score.

What does genre overlap mean for an indie game?

Genre overlap shows how often two genres or Steam tags appear on the same tracked games. A high overlap usually means players, store positioning, and publisher portfolios may cross over; a low overlap means the combination is rarer and needs clearer positioning.

Where does the genre overlap data come from?

The tool reads indielist game data: Steam Store genres, SteamSpy tags when available, and each game primary genre. It does not call Steam or any external API when you use it.

Is the genre overlap tool free?

Yes. It needs no account and uses the same catalog data behind every game page on indielist.

Indie game genre overlap explorer

Compare two genres or Steam tags by how often they appear together in the indielist catalog. Use it to test positioning, find hybrid niches, and spot representative games before you write a store page or publisher pitch.

First genre/tag Second genre/tag

Overlap games

2,121

Indie

4,112

Adventure

2,124

Jaccard similarity

51.5%

Representative games

Game	Reviews	Shared context
Rust 2018	1,383,303	Action, Action, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Survival
Terraria 2011	1,227,439	Action, Action, RPG, Open World Survival Craft, Sandbox
Euro Truck Simulator 2 2012	775,884	Simulation, Driving, Transportation, Simulation, Open World
ARK: Survival Evolved 2017	583,081	Action, Action, Massively Multiplayer, RPG, Open World Survival Craft
The Forest 2018	577,971	Action, Action, Simulation, Open World Survival Craft, Survival
Hollow Knight 2017	495,505	Action, Action, Metroidvania, Souls-like, Platformer
Valheim 2021	455,972	Action, Action, RPG, Early Access, Open World Survival Craft
Lethal Company 2023	410,693	Action, Action, Early Access, Online Co-Op, Horror
Hollow Knight: Silksong 2025	380,613	Action, Action
Palworld 2026	379,930	Action, Action, RPG, Open World, Survival
Don't Starve Together 2016	373,459	Action, Action, RPG, Simulation, Strategy
Project Zomboid 2013	350,081	RPG, Simulation, Early Access, Survival, Zombies

How the overlap score is built

For each term we collect the games that carry that genre or tag. The overlap score is the share of games in both selected groups out of all games in either group, a Jaccard index. Shared tags are then counted across the overlapping games, so the result is traceable back to visible catalog entries rather than a black-box similarity model.

Estimate a game's sales with the sales calculator, find a fit on the publisher finder, or browse genre indexes.

Frequently asked questions

How does the genre overlap explorer work?: It builds a catalog profile for each of the 400 genres and tags indielist tracks, then compares the two selected terms by shared games, shared tags, and a Jaccard-style overlap score.
What does genre overlap mean for an indie game?: Genre overlap shows how often two genres or Steam tags appear on the same tracked games. A high overlap usually means players, store positioning, and publisher portfolios may cross over; a low overlap means the combination is rarer and needs clearer positioning.
Where does the genre overlap data come from?: The tool reads indielist game data: Steam Store genres, SteamSpy tags when available, and each game primary genre. It does not call Steam or any external API when you use it.
Is the genre overlap tool free?: Yes. It needs no account and uses the same catalog data behind every game page on indielist.