Here's A Roundup Of All The Best Idle Games You Can Play in 2024 (2024)

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Here's A Roundup Of All The Best Idle Games You Can Play in 2024 (1)

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Here's A Roundup Of All The Best Idle Games You Can Play in 2024 (2)

Over the past decade or so, the idle clicker or incremental upgrade genre of video games has become increasingly popular. The general concept of idle games revolves around players either waiting for their resources to refill or repeatedly clicking a button to raise their resources, using those resources to buy upgrades and other general power-ups to gain faster and the cycle loops. The best part about idle games is that, while the beginning usually requires active play, they become games that can be checked up on every so often with minimal effort while still satisfying players with powerful upgrades.

Some of the best idle clicker games have been around for a decade, like well-known titles including Cookie Clicker and Clicker Heroes. Other more recent fan-created projects also deserve recognition for their unique concepts and engaging gameplay loop.

Updated on February 15, 2024 by Hannah Grimes: Idle clicker games are still incredibly popular as ways to relax and enjoy slow, constant progression. We've updated this list to include a few more, and to include extra information about the ten excellent idle clicker games already recommended.

15 Open Card Packs To Collect, Raise, And Sell Fish In Chillquarium

Chillquarium

Chillquarium is a cozy and relaxing idle game. Buy fish and raise them in real time, then sell them to turn a profit!

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Released

Developer

Publisher

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Steam Rating

93% Positive

Chillquarium is a relaxing idle game where players purchase packs of fish to feed, raise, and sell them before buying more packs. There are four rarities of fish — common, painted, golden, and rainbow — and every fish has all four variants. This means there's a ton for collectors to sink their teeth into with Chillquarium, and aside from the initial six-dollar purchase for the game, buying packs is completely free.

Rather than having to constantly click — or try to set up an auto-clicker — Chillquarim has a single-click feeding mode that continues dishing out XP to fish until players click again. In addition to the fish themselves, players can also buy extra tanks, lighting effects, pebble colors, decorations, and upgrades for their tanks.

14 Increlution Is A Time Management-Based Idle Game Inspired By Roguelites

Increlution

Survive the ever increasing pressure of time for as long as you can! A minimalistic incremental game about time management that takes inspiration from roguelite games, with a focus on meta-progression.

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Released

Developer

Publisher

Genre(s)

Mode

Steam Rating

88% Positive

2:00

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Inspired by rogue-lite games, Increlution is an incremental game focusing on time management. Players go through life, managing the various resources and tasks that come with being alive, and with each death, their chances of survival increase as they're reborn and have the knowledge of their past lives to help guide them.

Players can queue up any number of tasks to automatically complete in Increlution, and time pauses if the queue runs out, so players don't waste any time. There are currently eleven chapters that provide players with hundreds or even thousands of hours of content, with another fourteen chapters planned.

Here's A Roundup Of All The Best Idle Games You Can Play in 2024 (4)

13 Orb Of Creation Is A More Active Incremental Game Focused On Spellcasting

Orb of Creation

Orb of Creation is an active incremental-puzzle game in which you recreate the world with nothing but magic and ingenuity.

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Released

Developer

Publisher

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Steam Rating

93% Positive

Orb Of Creation is more active than other incremental games, so it's not an ideal choice for those who want a mostly hands-off experience, but it still deserves mentioning. Instead of waiting and letting time pass to gain resources and progress, players cast all sorts of spells that determine their progression.

There aren't any tutorials or hand-holding in Orb Of Creation, as players are instead left to discover spell combinations and outcomes on their own. Orb Of Creation goes at whatever speed players choose, from optimizing their playthrough to complete tasks more efficiently, to slowly taking the time to uncover everything Orb Of Creation has to offer.

Here's A Roundup Of All The Best Idle Games You Can Play in 2024 (5)

12 Click On Cute Kiwi Birds To Earn Upgrades In Kiwi Clicker - Juiced Up

Kiwi Clicker - Juiced Up

Deliver more and more kiwis to satiate the kings' hunger - sacrifice their pulp and transcend beyond your fruital form!

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Released

Developer

Publisher

Genre(s)

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Steam Rating

96% Positive

With its adorable art style and tasty premise, Kiwi Clicker - Juiced Up has players collect kiwis, juice them, and sacrifice that juice to their adorable king. By doing so, they'll earn coins that can then purchase upgrades to the auto-clicker gameplay, the semi-active potion station, or the Carpentry upgrade which makes the full-idle experience more satisfying.

Like most idle clicker games, Kiwi Clicker - Juiced Up also has a Transcendance feature, where players reset their progress in exchange for bonus multipliers and rewards to make subsequent runs easier. Kiwi Clicker - Juiced Up has a cute art style and relaxing atmosphere that hooks players, making it one of the best idle games.

Here's A Roundup Of All The Best Idle Games You Can Play in 2024 (6)

11 Evolve A Species From Ooze Into A Mighty Civilization In Evolve Idle

Evolve Idle

Evolveis a browser basedIdle Gamecreated by Demagorddon. Begin as primordial ooze and evolve into a sapient species, advancing in technology, spreading across your planet, the stars, and eventually the universe itself.

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Released

Developer

Publisher

Mode

GameForge Rating

3.5 out of 5

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Evolve Idle is an incremental idle game where players evolve a species from nothing but ooze into something sentient, before building a mighty civilization and eventually reaching and colonizing space. At first, players only have access to DNA and RNA, as well as constructions that raise how much players can hold at once.

There are several other phases players go through in Evolve Idle, including Civilization, Government, Morale, and Taxes, while players build up their resources and try to reach their ultimate goal. There are multiple universes and planets, each with its own buffs and drawbacks that affect gameplay.

Here's A Roundup Of All The Best Idle Games You Can Play in 2024 (8)

10 Realm Grinder Boasts Months Of Content With Tons Of Trophies

Realm Grinder

Grow your realm, build alliances, and explore one of the deepest idle RPGs ever!

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Released

Developer

Publisher

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Steam Rating

87% Positive

Realm Grinder is a surprisingly deep incremental idle RPG where players start with a mere farm, building it all the way up into a glorious kingdom. There are twelve alliances players can join, each with its own distinct benefits, like rewarding players for building towering structures or granting them extra bonuses for tapping.

Realm Grinder boasts "months and months" of content, as more systems unlock over time and grant players new ways to lead their realm. There are tons of trophies to unlock in Realm Grinder, many of which grant players extra upgrades or boosts that make playing easier.

Here's A Roundup Of All The Best Idle Games You Can Play in 2024 (9)

9 Guide The Gnorps And Gain Riches In (the) Gnorp Apologue

(the) Gnorp Apologue

(the) Gnorp Apologue is the journey of the gnorps as you guide them towards their goal of delightfully excessive wealth accumulation.

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Released

Developer

Publisher

Genre(s)

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Steam Rating

96% Positive

(the) Gnorp Apologue is a unique incremental clicker game that also incorporates roguelite elements. Simply, players hit a rock that produces shards, which can in turn buy new Gnorps that act as workers and structures that aid in progression. Even though all Gnorps collect shards, they do so in unique ways — some hit it with their heads while others use guns.

Each Gnorp also has its own strengths and weaknesses that players can take advantage of to maximize their earnings, and tons of upgrades that make each playthrough feel unique. By the end, (the) Gnorp Apologue explodes into a beautiful mess of pixelated color and rising numbers sure to keep fans of idle clicker games entertained.

Here's A Roundup Of All The Best Idle Games You Can Play in 2024 (10)

8 Tap Wizard 2 Is A Unique Incremental ARPG With Shooter Mechanics

Tap Wizard 2

Choose your Spells, Perks, and Traits, then let the Wizard do all of the work in this unique Idle RPG! Tap Wizard 2 is a fusion of the Idle, Incremental, ARPG, and Twin-Stick Shooter genres, resulting in a game like no other!

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Released

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Steam Rating

77% Positive

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Marketing itself as a mixture of an idle, incremental, ARPG, and twin-stick shooter game, Tap Wizard 2 is a unique idle experience that's also completely free. Players can play Tap Wizard 2 completely idle, as the wizard will simply control itself, casting spells and defeating enemies to gain resources.

Still in early access, reviews for Tap Wizard 2 cite it as one of the best idle games, even while still missing many of its core features. The combat of Tap Wizard 2 is similar to Vampire Survivors but gives players who only want to upgrade every once in a while a completely hands-off option.

Here's A Roundup Of All The Best Idle Games You Can Play in 2024 (12)

7 NGU Idle Is Incredibly In-Depth And Packed Full Of Early Internet Humor

NGU Idle

NGU Idle is a Free To Play Idle game that's full of weird humor, tons of upgrades and hundreds of hours of content! Try out NGU Idle today and experience the joy of Numbers Going Up!

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Released

Developer

Publisher

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Steam Rating

96% Positive

Metacritic Rating

7 out of 10

NGU Idle stands for Numbers Going Up Idle and is an incredibly in-depth idle game with its own RPG and inventory systems. Players slay monsters and collect powerful loot to slay bigger monsters while upgrading resources to make the entire process smoother.

The humor of NGU Idle is weird and quirky, full of awful puns, providing an experience that feels similar to the early days of internet flash games in the best way. Players on Steam have upwards of one thousand or even ten thousand hours of playtime, making NGU Idle an idle game that truly never ends.

Here's A Roundup Of All The Best Idle Games You Can Play in 2024 (13)

6 Make A Game Out Of Blowing Away Leaves In Leaf Blower Revolution

Leaf Blower Revolution

Leaf Blower Revolution is an idle or active game where players use a leaf blower to clear leaves, upgrade their equipment, and more.

Platform(s)
Android , PC

Released
December 4, 2020

Developer
Humble North

Publisher
Humble North

Genre(s)
Idle Games

Mode

Steam Rating

94% Positive

Leaf Blower Revolution proves that even a concept like blowing away leaves and getting cooler leaf blowers over time can be incredibly fun and make a good idle game. With its charming pixel art style, Leaf Blower Revolution starts out simple as players have a mere hand rake, and work their way up to huge fans, or use silly items like a rainbow fish.

While it seems simple, Leaf Blower Revolution doesn't just take place in a single backyard but has tons of creative environments and even grandiose boss fights against more than leaves. A creative and free-to-play idle game, Leaf Blower Revolution makes a seemingly boring concept relaxing and fun.

Here's A Roundup Of All The Best Idle Games You Can Play in 2024 (14)

5 Idle Champions Of The Forgotten Realms Is An Idle Game In The D&D Universe

Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms

Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms is a Dungeons & Dragons strategy management game uniting characters from throughout the D&D multiverse into a grand adventure.

Platform(s)
Android , iOS , PC , PS4 , Switch , Xbox One

Released
May 17, 2018

Developer
Codename Entertainment

Publisher
Codename Entertainment
Genre(s)
Strategy , Idle Games

Mode

Steam Rating

78% Positive

Related

When just starting out in Dungeons & Dragons 5e, new players have access to a number of excellent first-level spells to assist them on their journey.

Set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms is an idle strategy management game. While playing, players collect familiar champions from all sorts of Dungeons & Dragons properties, using them to build their preferred team.

Unlike many other idle games, Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms has an expansive story where players go through adventures based on books like Wild Beyond The Witchlight and Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus. Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms is also still supported with content updates every month.

4 Clicker Heroes Has A Charming Art Style And Tons Of Unlockables

Clicker Heroes

Ever wondered what one quadrillion damage per second feels like? Wonder no more! Embark on your quest to attain it today!

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Released

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ESRB

Steam Rating

89% Positive

Clicker Heroes is one of the most recognizable free-to-play idle games, and while a sequel was released, it was abandoned before making it out of early access and also has a hefty price tag. Players hire thirty-five heroes to fight for them as they repeatedly click on monsters to gain gold to buy more upgrades.

It's a simple loop, but Clicker Heroes' cartoony art style is charming, and each hero comes with a plethora of unlockable abilities that provide active or passive buffs to kill monsters even faster. Each section in Clicker Heroes is made up of ten lower-level enemies and then a timed, more challenging boss, making for a satisfying loop.

Here's A Roundup Of All The Best Idle Games You Can Play in 2024 (16)

3 Slay Monsters, Get Loot, And Upgrade Gear In Idle Slayer

Idle Slayer

Idle Slayer is an incremental game with idle and active playstyle mechanics, medieval pixel art visuals and retro 8-bit sounds and music.

Platform(s)
Android , iOS , PC

Released
July 27, 2020

Developer
Pablo Leban

Publisher
Pablo Leban

Genre(s)
Idle Games

Mode

Steam Rating

86% Positive

Idle Slayer takes inspiration from classic RPGs, starting the player out with a simple sword and a jump mechanic to kill monsters and collect coins, to get stronger weapons, and collect more coins faster. Along the way, bosses and special loot boxes appear that drop extra rewards, speeding up progress further. Idle Slayer's art style uses charming pixel art, and its 8-bit sound is a nice touch.

For those who don't have a lot of time, Idle Slayer is a great idle game, as players actually get more benefits while it's completely closed. When players return, they not only get all the coins collected while they were away, but they get to double their offline earnings as well.

Here's A Roundup Of All The Best Idle Games You Can Play in 2024 (17)

2 Cookie Clicker Is A Simple, Beloved Classic That's Been Around For Over A Decade

Here's A Roundup Of All The Best Idle Games You Can Play in 2024 (18)
Cookie Clicker

An idle game about making cookies! Originally released in 2013 on the web, and actively developed since then. This is the official version for Steam.

Platform(s)
Android , PC

Released
August 8, 2013

Developer
DashNet, Playsaurus

Publisher
DashNet, Playsaurus

Genre(s)
Idle Games

Mode

Steam Rating

97% Positive

Metacritic Rating

7.5 out of 10

Having originally launched back in 2013, Cookie Clicker made its way to Steam in Fall 2021 and is still being updated over a decade later. The core loop is simple: players click a cookie to gain resources to buy buildings and mouse pointers that provide upgrades and click the cookie for them. Out of these, the one most often made into memes by the community is the grandmas, which is the first upgrade players unlock after the basic mouse pointer.

Cookie Clicker also has various mini-games to keep players engaged, and with its release on Steam, the addition of community-made mods in the Steam Workshop to help keep the community thriving. It's a simple-looking idle game that actually provides hundreds or thousands of hours of content.

Here's A Roundup Of All The Best Idle Games You Can Play in 2024 (19)

1 Pickcrafter Is An Incremental Clicker That Takes Inspiration From Minecraft

PickCrafter

Conquer PickCrafter, the hit indie idle game! Break blocks, forge equipment, and collect powerful Pickaxes.

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Released

Developer

Publisher

Genre(s)

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Steam Rating

86% Positive

PickCrafter is the perfect free-to-play idle game for Minecraft fans. Players use their pickaxe to mine blocks, explode Creepers, and upgrade their arsenal in order to mine faster and get more resources. Everything in PickCrafter revolves around crafting, and each block is a different resource type that lets players either upgrade one of their gear pieces or weapons or exchange resources for other materials.

There's an in-depth skill tree that lets players customize various aspects of their experience, from idle benefits to player abilities. This tree can be reset at any time, so there's no worry of accidentally wasting points on the wrong upgrade.

Here's A Roundup Of All The Best Idle Games You Can Play in 2024 (20)
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Here's A Roundup Of All The Best Idle Games You Can Play in 2024 (2024)

FAQs

Here's A Roundup Of All The Best Idle Games You Can Play in 2024? ›

Idle games require users to perform basic actions—such as repeatedly clicking, hence the term 'clicker games'—to incrementally generate in-game currency and manage automated actions.

How do you make a successful idle game? ›

If you're considering designing your own idle game, here are five of our most important tips to get you started:
  1. Always invest in some strong theming. ...
  2. Soft launch your game. ...
  3. Respond to feedback. ...
  4. Create a complex meta loop. ...
  5. Don't prioritize monetization over retention.

How to play idle games? ›

Idle games require users to perform basic actions—such as repeatedly clicking, hence the term 'clicker games'—to incrementally generate in-game currency and manage automated actions.

What was the first idle game? ›

Idle games have surprisingly been around for a decent time, with the first game to be considered an "idle" game is progress quest. Progress quest is a game created by Eric Fredricksen as a parody game to EverQuest.

Do Autoclickers break idle? ›

An Auto Clicker assigned to attack will remove idle bonuses, just like ordinary clicking.

Are clicker games still popular? ›

Idle games have become increasingly popular in recent years, with many developers creating their own variations on the genre. Some popular examples include Cookie Clicker, Adventure Capitalist, and Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms.

How much money do idle games make? ›

By 2022, cumulative monthly net iAP revenue of idle tycoons spiked and exceeded $21M, and their cumulative revenue (including ad revenue) could have hit the $30M mark. Note: here and further on, we only consider casual tycoons, not hypercasual ones, which are a different story (a different genre, per se).

How to code a clicker game on Scratch? ›

How to Make a Clicker Game in Scratch
  1. Step 1: Setup. ...
  2. Step 2: Choose the Cursor Sprite. ...
  3. Step 3: Write Code for the Cursor Sprite. ...
  4. Step 4: Setup the Cake Sprite. ...
  5. Step 5: Create a Variable Called Points. ...
  6. Step 6: Trigger an Event When the Cake Is Clicked. ...
  7. Step 7: Modify the Cake When It Is Clicked.

What is the difference between idle games and clicker games? ›

Idle games, also known as incremental games and clicker games have players perform simple actions like tapping or swiping to earn currency. Often times, idle games don't even require any action from the player to generate in-game currency, hence the name “idle games.”

Why are games called idle? ›

Abstract: An idle game, also known as an incremental game, is a genre of games defined by the primary feature of its strategy: leaving the game running by itself with minimum or zero player interaction. Interaction with the game, while often useful for progression, is optional for extended periods of gameplay.

What does RPG mean? ›

A role-playing game (RPG) is a game in which each participant assumes the role of a character that can interact within the game's imaginary world. Many RPGs are set in fantasy or science fiction environments. Among the earliest and most popular RPGs are Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), BattleTech, and Star Wars Galaxies.

What is the first scariest game? ›

The earliest rudimentary attempt at a horror video game dates back to as early as 1972, when a Haunted House overlay was included with the first video game console, the Magnavox Odyssey, inspired by haunted house fiction.

What is the oldest game in the universe? ›

Some historians believe that mancala is the oldest game in the world based on the archaeological evidence found in Jordan that dates around 6000 BC. The game might have been played by ancient Nabataeans and could have been an ancient version of the modern mancala game.

What is the oldest God game? ›

Although there are many influences on the god game genre, the first god game is widely considered to be Populous from 1989. Developed by Peter Molyneux of Bullfrog Productions, the game established the gameplay template where the player's godlike powers would grow in proportion to the population of their worshippers.

What's the best clicker game in Roblox? ›

What Is the Most Popular Clicker Game on Roblox?
  • Clicker Frenzy. A fast-paced clicker game where players compete to get the most clicks in a limited time. ...
  • Clicker Simulator. ...
  • Clicker Story. ...
  • Clicker Realms. ...
  • Tapping Gods. ...
  • Rage Clicker. ...
  • Mining Clicker Simulator. ...
  • Tapping Legends.

Is active better than idle clicker heroes? ›

Active utilizes more ancients than idle and has a faster kill-speed (hence zone per hour rate) meaning it is the best build to use once you have met the criteria for it. Skills are all effective in this build. Idle – This build is recommended for players without Auto Clickers who don't have time to click frequently.

What is the game where you destroy your computer? ›

Smash Your Computer game offers a hilarious way to vent frustration by breaking a virtual PC! Start clicking and watch the comical destruction unfold.

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