Although they may have had their moment in the sun in the mid-2010s, the best idle games are still just as relevant and enjoyable now thanks to their satisfying, low-commitment gameplay style.
Brought into the mainstream by the success of Cookie Clicker in 2013, idle games are characterized by incredibly simple gameplay, and they're often also called "clickers" due to the mechanic of clicking to earn currency. With upgrades that add the ability to passively earn currency, many of these games will effectively play themselves, hence the genre's name.
Idle games are usually designed to be played in the background, with players checking in occasionally to purchase upgrades and make strategic decisions. As such, many were initially designed as browser games, though several of the most-popular idle games have since made the jump to platforms like Steam, iOS, and Android.
Due to the simplicity of their mechanics, idle games can feature a huge variety of themes and settings, as well as cross over with various game genres including RPGs and strategy games. There is substantial crossover with simulation games, including a recent trend of farming and management-themed idlers inspired by the cozy-gaming trend, as well as strategy games.
While idle games are relatively easy to develop, they're hard to perfect, and it can be difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. We've picked 20 of the best idle games you can play right now, in no particular order, including everything from classic idle games to more innovative takes on the genre. For more, check out our picks for some of the best casual games like Animal Crossing, Wordle, and Stardew Valley.
Cookie Clicker
- Platforms: Web, PC, Android
- Developer: Orteil
- Release Date: August 8, 2013
Cookie Clicker skyrocketed idle games to popularity for a reason, and it still holds up after more than a decade. The core concept is simple--click a giant cookie to generate as many cookies as you can--but after years of updates and added content, this clicker game gets more complex the longer you keep playing. You can buy buildings, auto-cursors, and grandmas, which all auto-generate cookies, and can unlock various upgrades ranging from multiplicative boosts to self-contained minigames. Cookie Clicker also allows players to ascend after a certain time, forfeiting all current progress and currency in exchange for permanent buffs, a feature that makes Cookie Clicker's gameplay loop potentially infinite for long-term play.
Melvor Idle
- Platforms: Web, PC, iOS, Android
- Developer: Malcs
- Release Date: November 23, 2018
One of the most-enduring idle RPGs, Melvor Idle is a feature-rich but graphics-light idler inspired by OG Runescape. This idle game reduces the feeling of the classic RPG into a game that can be played in the background with just a few clicks. Melvor is played through a number of menus, allowing players to max over 20 different skills, take on dungeons, and collect an inventory full of loot and resources. Having had its full public release in 2021, Melvor Idle has since gotten three major expansions: Throne of the Herald, Atlas of Discovery, and Into the Abyss.
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10 Billion Wives
- Platforms: iOS, Android
- Developer: Masukachi Inc.
- Release Date: May 29, 2015
A mobile idler from the golden era of idle games, 10 Billion Wives is a simple and sweet idle clicker game with a hint of humor, as you generate love to marry as many wives as possible. Tap to generate love, then use love to marry wives who will auto-generate even more love. As the game progresses, you can unlock different types of wives, which start mundane and slowly become more fantastical. Each wife has secret artwork that can be unlocked, but for those who want a short and sweet idle game, 10 Billion Wives can easily be maxed out within a few days of play.
The Farmer Was Replaced
- Platforms: PC
- Developer: Timon Herzog
- Release date: February 11, 2023 (Early Access)
One of the highest-rated idle games on Steam despite still being in early access, The Farmer Was Replaced is a farming simulator that tasks you with automating a farm, but with one major twist: You have to write the programs for the drones yourself. The Farmer Was Replaced uses a simple Python-like programming language, and teaches players basic programming concepts at the beginning of the game, making it a surprisingly educational idle game. The game slowly progresses to more-complex tasks and has a much shorter end point than some idle games, but with no limitations on time, players can be as active or idle as they want in their approach to The Farmer Was Replaced.
AdVenture Capitalist
- Platforms: Web, PC, iOS, Android, PS4
- Developer: Hyper Hippo Productions
- Release Date: May 30, 2014
Another classic idle game, AdVenture Capitalist is an economics-based idle game that tasks players with building a business empire from a single lemonade stand. Hire managers to automate your income, buy more businesses, and eventually expand beyond the Earth to open businesses on the Moon and even Mars. Like other idle games designed to be played for an extended time, AdVenture Capitalist includes the option to sacrifice all your progress to unlock permanent buffs, and then sacrifice those buffs for even better ones.
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms
- Platforms: Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch.
- Developer: Codename Entertainment
- Release Date: September 7, 2017
As the name might suggest, Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms is the official idle game of Dungeons and Dragons, and as such, it features a number of familiar characters and settings from official D&D adventures, novels, and even popular actual-play shows like Critical Role. The auto-battler sees you managing a formation of iconic Forgotten Realms heroes as they battle through waves of enemies and collect loot that can be used for upgrades. Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms is a long-form idler, with plenty of champions to be unlocked, and more being regularly added to the game.
Rusty's Retirement
- Platforms: PC
- Developer: Mister Morris Games
- Release date: April 26, 2024
A new take on the idle farming simulator, Rusty's Retirement is an idle cozy game designed to sit at the bottom or side of your screen, allowing you to keep an eye on the state of your farm while you work on other tasks. The mechanics are similar to other idle farming games--plant out plots, unlock new types of crops, sell your produce, and use the return to invest in automating or upgrading your farm--but the form is novel, resulting in a low-stress, cozy game that's perfect for multitasking.
- Platforms: iOS, Android
- Developer: Auxbrain Inc
- Release date: July 14, 2016
While there are a lot of farming-themed clicker games on mobile, Egg Inc is one of the best-executed of the lot. Tasking you with managing a booming farm full of laying hens, Egg Inc features cheerful graphics and satisfying audio as you fill your hen house full of chickens, and even allows for customizing your farm with a huge range of visual themes. The game has a faster gameplay loop than other idle clickers, having you sell your farm and start over semi-regularly in order to unlock new, more-valuable types of eggs. With many layers to its gameplay, Egg Inc is a mobile idler that will keep you busy for a long time.
DodecaDragons
- Platforms: Web
- Developer: Demonin
- Release date: August 25, 2022
Despite being light on graphics, this browser-based idle game is easy to get sucked into, with a fantasy theme that sees you building incredible wealth as you nurture your partnership with your dragon. Even partway into the game, you'll encounter some truly huge numbers, with DodecaDragons making use of mathematical notation as your wealth increases by orders of magnitude. DodecaDragons is an incredibly layered incremental idle game that was slowly updated over its first year of release, and now finally has an endgame state that can be reached by dedicated players. Along the way, you'll unlock upgrades and new alchemical materials, take on challenges, and reset your progress many times in the pursuit of further wealth.
Unnamed Space Idle
- Platforms: PC, Mobile
- Developer: Sylv
- Release date: July 28, 2023
An idle game for players who are serious about the genre, Unnamed Space Idle is an in-depth sci-fi war game that requires strategy and perseverance to progress through its levels. Players have the option to play more actively or more idly, but Unnamed Space Idle will encourage you to think strategically and experiment with builds as you progress through the game. Unnamed Space Idle is currently in early access, with developer Sylv still regularly adding new content to the game, making it ideal for those who want to get stuck into a long-form, unfolding idle strategy game.
Microcivilization
- Platforms: PC
- Developer: Ondrej Homola
- Release date: November 13, 2023
An idle game in the 4X strategy genre, Microcivilization is a pixel-art clicker game that tasks you with building a civilization to greatness. Unlike other idle games, there's no one path to success in Microcivilization; instead, it tasks you to experiment with different builds and strategies to find the one that works best for you. Progress isn't strictly upwards in this genre mash-up, and sometimes your budding civilization will have to deal with war and disaster, but as a game with no fail state, things will always get better eventually. Microcivilization also includes the option to ascend multiple times, extending its play time and allowing you to try a new approach on your next run.
Cell to Singularity
- Platforms: Web, PC, iOS, Android
- Developer: Computer Lunch
- Release date: September 10, 2018
Cell to Singularity is a science-inspired idle game that puts you in charge of life on Earth, and eventually the solar system beyond. You'll generate "entropy" to fuel evolution, unlock important geological developments, and even oversee humankind's development of civilization through the ages. Cell to Singularity is broad in scope, with plenty of content to delight science nerds and teach a thing or two to the curious. The subject matter meshes perfectly with the idle-clicker genre, and results in a progression tree that is fascinating to explore, and holds a few surprises of its own.
Pokemon Sleep
- Platforms: iOS, Android
- Developer: Select Button
- Release date: July 17, 2023
As the Pokemon franchise's answer to a sleep tracker, Pokemon Sleep has more going on than just sleep stats. The game sees you earn rewards while you're offline--or rather, asleep--which can then be used to invest in upgrades as you try to study as many sleeping Pokemon as possible. While most progress happens when you sleep, the game still has plenty to do once you wake up, allowing you to cook new meals, befriend visiting Pokemon, invest in upgrades, and move around to different Pokemon habitats. The game is regularly updated, with many, many Pokemon still yet to be added to the game.
Leaf Blower Revolution
- Platforms: PC, iOS, Android
- Developer: Humble North
- Release date: December 4, 2020
A popular idle game with a unique take on the concept, Leaf Blower Revolution tasks you with cleaning up as many leaves as possible with a succession of increasingly powerful tools. Instead of clicking to progress through the game, Leaf Blower Revolution lets you control the main character with your cursor, swiping around the screen to clear away leaves. The game has been expanded and updated multiple times since it was released in 2020, and continues to receive regular updates, meaning you'll find far more than just leaves if you choose to explore the depths of Leaf Blower Revolution.
Clicker Heroes
- Platforms: Web, PC, iOS, Android, Xbox One, PS4
- Developer: Playsaurus
- Release date: 2014
Once one of the most popular clicker games on Steam, Clicker Heroes still holds up as an idle RPG that’s easy to get lost in. The game has you face off against increasingly difficult enemies, first manually clicking to deal damage, and later hiring heroes to automatically battle your foes. Clicker Heroes' gameplay goes deep, with the game's Steam description challenging players to reach 1 quadrillion damage per second--though doing so will require playing through multiple ascensions and new gameplay loops.
Fallout Shelter
- Platforms: Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One
- Developer: Bethesda Game Studios, Behavior Interactive
- Release date: June 14, 2015
This Fallout spin-off tasks players with managing their own Vault as its Overseer, recruiting new dwellers who can then be assigned to the tasks necessary for keeping a Vault running happily. As Overseer, you can build new rooms for your Vault, manage important resources, and equip dwellers with items and weapons to help with their tasks. While Fallout Shelter isn't designed to be left to idle for long periods unsupervised--in fact, do so at your own risk--it still can be played relatively passively if players check in every so often to manage their population of dwellers. Despite the casual gameplay style, Fallout Shelter was one of our top ranked games in the Fallout franchise.
Antimatter Dimensions
- Platforms: Web, PC, Android
- Developer: Hevipelle, Omsi, Razenpok, Spectralflame, WaitingIdly
- Release date: 2016
One of the more complex in the genre, Antimatter Dimensions has players manipulating antimatter to ascend through higher dimensions until they eventually reach infinity. This mind-bending idler boasts multiple layers of unlocks, prestige, and achievements to be attained, with a number of challenges also fundamentally changing the way the game is played along the way. Antimatter Dimensions does have an end point that can be reached, but be prepared to sink in many, many hours if you want to get there.
Clickpocalypse 2
- Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
- Developer: Minmaxia
- Release date: 2017
Despite its name, there's not as much clicking in Clickpocalypse 2 as you might expect. Create a party from a number of classic fantasy-RPG classes and watch them go to work exploring the map, clearing dungeons, and collecting and selling loot. Help out your heroes by using spell scrolls, directing the characters to loot, and leveling them and their equipment up. While the cute retro-style RPG may seem simple at first, there are levels to Clickpocalypse 2 that are sure to draw you in.
Exponential Idle
- Platforms: iOS, Android
- Developer: Conic Games
- Release date: April 28, 2020
While most idle games are math-based in some way, Exponential Idle is entirely themed around mathematics. The game tasks you with stacking up money through exponential growth--initially tapping on an algorithm to earn currency--and later allowing you to change variables in order to optimize your progress, while you earn and purchase upgrades. Exponential Idle will give your brain a workout, while still allowing for low-commitment idle play if that's more your speed.
Dungeon, Inc.
- Platforms: iOS
- Developer: PikPok
- Release date: May 10, 2017
While there are many idle games that challenge you to crawl dungeons, Dungeon, Inc. instead places you as the manager of a dungeon, with your goal being to maximize the dungeon's gold output. Expand your dungeon deeper and hire new monsters to fill out its ranks, but make sure profit is always going up. Dungeon, Inc. also includes PvP elements, with the potential to raid other players' dungeons, and protect your own from incoming attacks. Dungeon, Inc. is designed for long-term play, with competitive elements keeping things fresh--and the option to burn it all down to commit insurance fraud when your dungeon gets too valuable.
