Learn · Incremental games
An incremental game can ask for a click every second, or a visit twice a day. Most mix the two. Here is the same coin tree earning six ways, from all active to all idle.
Income comes from what you do, so stepping away pauses it, or part of it.
Also called tapping, clicker
The player makes the income, one click or tap at a time. It's immediate and tactile, and usually where an incremental game starts, before anything is automated.
Also called buffs, golden cookies, power-ups
Production ticks along, and every few minutes a bonus appears for anyone looking. Here it's ×7 income for 77 seconds about every 10 minutes, so a watcher earns nearly twice as much.
It earns by itself as long as the game runs, like a browser tab left open.
Also called automation, managers, auto-clickers
Automation earns at full speed whether you watch or not, but only while the game runs. Common in browser games, where leaving a tab open is easy.
When you come back, the game works out what you would have earned. How much it pays sets how often players return.
Also called offline earnings, reduced offline
When you return, the game pays a share of what it would have made while closed, here a quarter. Keeping it running still pays more, without punishing anyone for sleeping.
Also called storage, silos, check-ins
Offline income piles up at the full rate, but only for so long, here 4 hours; after that it stops until you check in. The cap sets the rhythm of visits.
Also called true idle, offline progress
The game earns as much closed as open, so being away costs nothing. What brings players back is spending what piled up: new things to buy, and the next reset.
Four kinds of player, one day each. The bars show how much of a full day's income each design pays them, counting playing as 100%. Pick a player.
Checks the phone every two hours. 40 min playing, 23 h 20 min with it closed.
Keeps a tab open all workday. 24 min playing, 7 h 36 min away with the game open, 16 h with it closed.
Plays an hour every evening. 1 h playing, 23 h with it closed.
Looks in twice a day. 20 min playing, 23 h 40 min with it closed.
Clicking pays only for time spent playing, which few players give for long; timed bonuses add the hours the game is left open. Full offline progress pays everyone the same, so being there has to matter some other way. In between, a cap rewards regular visits, and a part rate rewards leaving the game running.
Income isn't the whole story: in most idle games, buying upgrades and choosing when to reset still need the player. Coming back to spend what piled up is a big part of the fun; see Prestige and resets.
The share of a full day's income each player collects.
| Design | Asks for | Every 2 hours | Workday tab | Evening hour | Twice a day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clicking | A click every second | 2.8% | 1.7% | 4.2% | 1.4% |
| Timed bonuses | A look every few minutes | 2.8% | 20% | 4.2% | 1.4% |
| Idle while open | The game left running | 2.8% | 33% | 4.2% | 1.4% |
| Part-rate offline | The game left running, ideally | 27% | 50% | 28% | 26% |
| Capped offline | A visit before the store fills | 75% | 50% | 21% | 35% |
| Full offline | Nothing; visit whenever you like | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |