The 24 Best Idle Games To Sink Your Time Into In 2025

Although they may have had their big moment in the sun in the mid-2010s, the best idle games are still as enjoyable as ever 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 strategy games, as well as simulation games, including a recent trend of farming and management-themed idlers inspired by the cozy-gaming trend.A recent trend in the idle genre has seen a proliferation of bottom-of-your-screen gameplay, where games are designed to sit along your taskbar, allowing you to monitor what's happening while you complete other tasks. This style of game is especially suited to management sims, with farming, fishing, and cat cafes among the partial-screen options on offer.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 24 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. Milky Way Idle Platforms: Web, PCDeveloper: ChezeRelease date: March 7, 2025 (Early Access)A new idle RPG with a bovine twist, Milky Way Idle distinguishes itself by offering multiplayer features, with in-game chat, trading, guilds, and the possibility to party up to take on harder dungeons. Milky Way Idle, like other idle RPGs, automates the grinding process, letting you queue up tasks so you can easily grind levels, craft equipment, and take on dungeons even while offline. The game's title doesn't just refer to its space setting--you'll also unlock a barn full of magical cows, and your first and most important skill is milking, which then enables the ancient art of cheesesmithing. Milky Way Idle is a newer game in the genre, launching in early access in March 2025. The game's first major content update arrived in April, and the developer has promised regular updates every 1-2 months. See on Steam CornerpondPlatforms: PCDeveloper: FoolsroomRelease date: April 22, 2025Cornerpond is a tiny fishing game designed to sit in the corner of your screen, enabling multitasking with important work--or just other games. Click into the game when you get a bite and reel in a fish, with many different varieties of fish to be caught. Fish can then be sold to buy upgrades that will help you catch more and better fish, or you can invest your in-game currency to customize your avatar. The game currently features five different biomes, each with different fish to be caught and a journal to be completed. See on Steam What Lurks Below Platforms: PCDeveloper: JamesKellyRelease date: April 7, 2025Short and sweet, What Lurks Below is an eerie, semi-active incremental game that asks players to discover what lurks below. Collect the mysterious substance that rises from the dark depths, make poor mortal souls toil to collect it, and delve ever deeper into the chasm that used to be the town of Gloomhaven. Relatively short for an incremental game, What Lurks Below sets up its premise with an interestingly eldritch mystery to be solved, with simple but effective pixel graphics adding to the creepy aura. See on Itch.io Bongo Cat Platforms: PCDeveloper: Marcel ZurawkaRelease date: March 5, 2025Simple and sweet, Bongo Cat is an adorable take on the idle game that will see you flying through your day's work. The free Steam game puts a miniature cartoon cat on your desktop taskbar, who will tap his little paws like a bongo every time you press a key or click the mouse--in any application. The game counts up points like any clicker game, and periodically awards items with various rarities based on RNG. It may be light on gameplay, but Bongo Cat is the perfect companion to inspire you to get through your workday--or double up with another clicker game. Bongo Cat is a free Steam game, but various items and cosmetics can be bought through microtransactions. See on Steam The Farmer Was ReplacedPlatforms: PCDev

May 1, 2025 - 08:49

The 24 Best Idle Games To Sink Your Time Into In 2025

Although they may have had their big moment in the sun in the mid-2010s, the best idle games are still as enjoyable as ever 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 strategy games, as well as simulation games, including a recent trend of farming and management-themed idlers inspired by the cozy-gaming trend.

A recent trend in the idle genre has seen a proliferation of bottom-of-your-screen gameplay, where games are designed to sit along your taskbar, allowing you to monitor what's happening while you complete other tasks. This style of game is especially suited to management sims, with farming, fishing, and cat cafes among the partial-screen options on offer.

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 24 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.

Milky Way Idle

Platforms: Web, PC
Developer: Cheze
Release date: March 7, 2025 (Early Access)

A new idle RPG with a bovine twist, Milky Way Idle distinguishes itself by offering multiplayer features, with in-game chat, trading, guilds, and the possibility to party up to take on harder dungeons. Milky Way Idle, like other idle RPGs, automates the grinding process, letting you queue up tasks so you can easily grind levels, craft equipment, and take on dungeons even while offline. The game's title doesn't just refer to its space setting--you'll also unlock a barn full of magical cows, and your first and most important skill is milking, which then enables the ancient art of cheesesmithing. Milky Way Idle is a newer game in the genre, launching in early access in March 2025. The game's first major content update arrived in April, and the developer has promised regular updates every 1-2 months.

See on Steam

Cornerpond

Platforms: PC
Developer: Foolsroom
Release date: April 22, 2025

Cornerpond is a tiny fishing game designed to sit in the corner of your screen, enabling multitasking with important work--or just other games. Click into the game when you get a bite and reel in a fish, with many different varieties of fish to be caught. Fish can then be sold to buy upgrades that will help you catch more and better fish, or you can invest your in-game currency to customize your avatar. The game currently features five different biomes, each with different fish to be caught and a journal to be completed.

See on Steam

What Lurks Below

Platforms: PC
Developer: JamesKelly
Release date: April 7, 2025

Short and sweet, What Lurks Below is an eerie, semi-active incremental game that asks players to discover what lurks below. Collect the mysterious substance that rises from the dark depths, make poor mortal souls toil to collect it, and delve ever deeper into the chasm that used to be the town of Gloomhaven. Relatively short for an incremental game, What Lurks Below sets up its premise with an interestingly eldritch mystery to be solved, with simple but effective pixel graphics adding to the creepy aura.

See on Itch.io

Bongo Cat

Platforms: PC
Developer: Marcel Zurawka
Release date: March 5, 2025

Simple and sweet, Bongo Cat is an adorable take on the idle game that will see you flying through your day's work. The free Steam game puts a miniature cartoon cat on your desktop taskbar, who will tap his little paws like a bongo every time you press a key or click the mouse--in any application. The game counts up points like any clicker game, and periodically awards items with various rarities based on RNG. It may be light on gameplay, but Bongo Cat is the perfect companion to inspire you to get through your workday--or double up with another clicker game. Bongo Cat is a free Steam game, but various items and cosmetics can be bought through microtransactions.

See on Steam

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.

See on Steam

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.

See on Steam

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.

See on the App Store

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.

See on Steam

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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See on Fanatical

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.

See on the App Store

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.

See on Steam

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.

See on Steam

Egg, Inc.

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.

See on the App Store

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.

See the official site

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.

See on Steam

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.

See on Steam

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.

See on Steam

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.

See on Steam

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.

See on Steam

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.

See on Steam

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.

See on the App Store

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.

See on the App Store

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.

See on the App Store

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.

See on Steam