Best Idler Games on Steam
Steam currently has 1,629 Idler games available to download and play. Explore our list of the best picks ranked by Player Score. Our Player Score rankings are calculated directly from reviews left on the Steam store and will be updated in real-time as more players leave their feedback. Idler game rankings were last updated on 4/30/2024.
Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:
- Free idler games on Steam
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- Best idler Steam games for Mac OS
- Free Steam games
- Most played Steam games
- Best rated Steam games
1. 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.
Cookie Clicker holds the #1 spot for "best Idler game on Steam" with a Player Score of 95. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 63,265 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 61,311 positive reviews and 1,954 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $4.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Cookie Clicker on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $4.99 |
| Release Date | 9/1/2021 |
| Developers | |
| Publisher | Playsaurus |
| Steam App Id | 1454400 |
2. LIZARDS MUST DIE
The great exploits of the Ancient Rus in the war with the lizards. Immerse yourself in the world of Hyperborea and defeat hordes of Lizards and other unholy who encroached on holy places Ancestors. Choose a blessed hero and go save the world from the green plague.
LIZARDS MUST DIE has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #2 spot for the best Idler games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 24,129 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 23,434 positive reviews and 695 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $0.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. At the moment, it is possible to play LIZARDS MUST DIE on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $0.99 |
| Release Date | 9/27/2023 |
| Franchise | Agafonoff Official Group |
| Developers | |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 2532550 |
3. Virtual Cottage
Virtual Cottage gives you a comfy place to rest and be productive without any distractions. Open the game, set yourself a goal and enjoy the atmosphere.
Virtual Cottage has achieved a Player Score of 95, placing it in the #3 spot for the best Idler games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 9,208 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 9,007 positive reviews and 201 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is completely free to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Virtual Cottage on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
4. Outpath: First Journey
Outpath: First Journey is a prologue chapter of the main game, Outpath. An experimental clicker base building game. Craft, gather & manage resources, build your base and buy more islands to exploit and expand!
Outpath: First Journey has achieved a Player Score of 94, placing it in the #4 spot for the best Idler games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 4,705 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 4,591 positive reviews and 114 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is completely free to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Outpath: First Journey on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Release Date | 12/17/2022 |
| Franchise | Davii Projects |
| Developer | David Moralejo Sánchez |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 2237980 |
5. shapez
shapez is a game about building factories to automate the creation and processing of increasingly complex shapes across an infinitely expanding map.
shapez has achieved a Player Score of 94, placing it in the #5 spot for the best Idler games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 11,208 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 10,813 positive reviews and 395 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $3.49 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play shapez on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $3.49 |
| Release Date | 6/7/2020 |
| Franchise | Doyoyo Games |
| Developer | Tobias Springer |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 1318690 |
6. 英雄黄昏-文字三国志&曹贼模拟器
这是三国玩家的童话世界，新奇而独特，虽然其貌不扬，但内在很丰富。在游戏里扮演着类似穿越者的角色，在三国世界可以自由地实现各种幻想，甚至可以体验当曹贼的乐趣，另外还可以挂机摸鱼。它的缺点除了没有画面和上手较难，还没有团队，只有业余的作者一人，因热爱而坚持，若有反馈可以联系作者。
英雄黄昏-文字三国志&曹贼模拟器 has achieved a Player Score of 93, placing it in the #6 spot for the best Idler games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 2,778 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 2,719 positive reviews and 59 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is completely free to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, there is no confirmed information regarding Steam Deck support for this game.
7. Rusty's Retirement
A relaxing idle-farming simulator that sits at the bottom of your screen while you do other things.
Rusty's Retirement has achieved a Player Score of 93, placing it in the #7 spot for the best Idler games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 5,509 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 5,335 positive reviews and 174 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $6.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Rusty's Retirement on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $6.99 |
| Release Date | 4/26/2024 |
| Developer | Mister Morris Games |
| Publisher | Mister Morris Games |
| Steam App Id | 2666510 |
8. 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!
NGU IDLE has achieved a Player Score of 93, placing it in the #8 spot for the best Idler games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 11,062 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 10,630 positive reviews and 432 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is completely free to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play NGU IDLE on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
9. Spirit City: Lofi Sessions
Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is a gamified focus tool, set to a soothing lofi soundtrack. Discover and collect Spirits, customize your cozy virtual space, and facilitate your real-life tasks with a collection of handy features designed to improve concentration and ease stress.
Spirit City: Lofi Sessions has achieved a Player Score of 93, placing it in the #9 spot for the best Idler games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 3,477 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 3,382 positive reviews and 95 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $11.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Spirit City: Lofi Sessions on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $11.99 |
| Release Date | 4/8/2024 |
| Developer | Mooncube Games |
| Publisher | Mooncube Games |
| Steam App Id | 2113850 |
10. Garden Galaxy
Discover, collect and organise to create your own unique garden in this relaxing idle / creative sandbox!
Garden Galaxy has achieved a Player Score of 93, placing it in the #10 spot for the best Idler games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 1,699 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 1,671 positive reviews and 28 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $9.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Garden Galaxy on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $9.99 |
| Release Date | 12/14/2022 |
| Developer | Anneka Tran |
| Publisher | Anneka Tran |
| Steam App Id | 1970460 |
More Idler Games
Explore even more rankings for the 100 best Idler games available on Steam.
| Image | Name | Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 8,682 | 9/1/2021 | 95 | $4.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 5 | 9/27/2023 | 95 | $0.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 341 | 10/7/2020 | 95 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 3 | 12/17/2022 | 94 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 314 | 6/7/2020 | 94 | $3.49 | Steam Charts | |
 | 91 | 9/29/2021 | 93 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 5,019 | 4/26/2024 | 93 | $6.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 3,116 | 10/1/2019 | 93 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1,210 | 4/8/2024 | 93 | $11.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 46 | 12/14/2022 | 93 | $9.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 230 | 12/14/2023 | 93 | $6.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 939 | 12/2/2021 | 93 | $19.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 2,040 | 8/25/2022 | 93 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1,487 | 12/4/2020 | 92 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 1 | 4/10/2023 | 92 | $6.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 175 | 2/17/2023 | 92 | $6.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 446 | 12/10/2021 | 92 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 31 | 2/2/2024 | 92 | $5.99 | Steam Charts | |
 | 235 | 7/9/2020 | 91 | Free | Steam Charts | |
 | 6 | 8/31/2023 | 91 | Free | Steam Charts |
Soures & References
Steambase has best-in-class data powered directly by Steam, our data partners, and in-house experts. Reviews and rankings are enriched, analyzed, and updated in real-time to ensure we surface the most up-to-date insights. Learn more about the Steambase approach to data collection and our review methodology.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, April 30). Steam Store. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, April 30). Cookie Clicker on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 5). LIZARDS MUST DIE on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 14). Virtual Cottage on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, April 22). Outpath: First Journey on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 14). shapez on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 15). 英雄黄昏-文字三国志&曹贼模拟器 on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 15). Rusty's Retirement on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, April 11). NGU IDLE on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 13). Spirit City: Lofi Sessions on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2024, May 5). Garden Galaxy on Steam. Steam Store.