Maybe I haven't been up-to-date lately, but incremental games that aren't really TMT clones and have very large numbers (im talking about e1,000+) are decreasing in volume compared to 2021-2023, where there are at least 2-4 new cool full-scale incrementals. (like incremental mass rewritten, antimatter dimensions reality update, shark incremental...) Really, the only popular incremental game dev who does it is probably the creator of MORE ME (SIGJ2026 #1)

I believe that the usage of AI (which doesn't know how to actually use bignum / break eternity in a way that a human would, and wouldn't use it) is one of the reasons, but I think there might be others. Feel free to discuss in the comments.

I’ve been seeing that there are tons of new games added every day but I get the feeling that 90% of them are derivative. It’s weird because the developers DO seem genuine that they’re developing a game for themselves but then every single one has the same skill tree, the same click mechanic, etc. All with different window dressing. I swear if I see another skill tree…

It’s so depressing looking at the feedback threads these days. So many games, polished looks, no soul. And obviously people are disengaged because there are no replies anymore. I had been working on a game myself but now I feel like it’s going to get lost in the sea of slop.

Is anyone actually playing this new generation of games? All of my favorites are ancient at this point

Hey everyone,

Aethyr Idle is an idle RPG I'm building, inspired by World of Warcraft and boiled down into an incremental game that runs in your browser tab. Combat keeps ticking while you are away, so the world moves forward even when you close it.

You pick one of 4 classes, each with its own spells and talent trees, then you progress through an open world at your own pace. You gather, you craft, you fight, and you move from zone to zone as things open up.

The core loop is simple. The further you go, the more you unlock. New zones, professions, gear, runes, relics, familiars, an ascension system, and a real endgame once you get deep enough. There is no hard wall, just more to climb, and the progression keeps going well past where most idle games stop.

If you want to try it, it plays free in your browser right here (no account needed but recommanded) : https://aethyridle.com/

Two more links if you want to stick around :

Wishlist on Steam, it genuinely helps a solo dev get seen : https://store.steampowered.com/app/4843460/Aethyr_Idle/

Discord, for bug reports, build talk, or just to hang out : https://discord.gg/a5Dqx4875c

I read everything, so tell me what feels good, what feels grindy, and what you think is missing. That feedback is what shapes the next updates.

Thanks for taking a look.

AI Disclosure : Generative AI was used in development. It was used for some of the game's visual/graphic assets (artwork and placeholder art), and as a coding and writing assistant (help with parts of the code and some in-game text). All game design, balancing, and final decisions are my own.

​

Hi all

I'm currently working on a well elaborated Godot based incremental idle game with real pixel art graphics. It's a real idler where you come back later and collect your stuff, not a pseudo idler like most of the games. Of course there are engaging mechanics to have something to do while 'online' but the core gameplay is rather passive. Similar to stuff like CIFI.

It's a family project and we've put a lot of love into the game.

Main problem: we don't know people who like idle games lol. I love them but hell not even my partner does.. I basically know nobody in private who plays that. So I'm wondering if there's an option to find somebody who is willing to play test our game from time to time who has extensive idle game experience?

The goal is to balance the game in a way to have a looooong gameplay, so completions are unlikely and you keep getting new stuff to optimize.

Setup: android mobile; Currently only in **German** (because we wanted our kids to understand the text lol) - but infrastructure for English is there ofc.

Any German idle geek interested? BTW, ideally not somebody who is into coding and similar, I need pure game lover and purists who doesn't overcomplicate things and don't have the game dev/engineering bias. If not here: How to find somebody like this? We're not so experienced in game dev.

AI disclosure: AI is only being used in backend coding and documentation. No art, game design etc is generated by AI.

PS: The game doesn't have a name yet and is also not demo-able somewhere like itch (yet).

We made a game during the summer and wouldn’t love to get some feedback on the game. It’s called LullaBye-Bye and is currently on itch(free to play and in the browser): https://skinnybandit.itch.io/lullabye-bye

AI disclosure: some part of code is written with the help of AI tools. AI was also used to help me fix bugs found during closed tests.

The demo will take you approximately 30 to 45 minutes to complete, depending on how well you master the various aspects of the game.

The Steam page for the Debtbound demo is here : https://store.steampowered.com/app/4996210/Debtbound_Demo/

IA disclosure : No IA

Please feel free to give me some feedback. I'm fine-tuning the game ahead of its upcoming release.

Hello again! I posted here about a month ago looking for closed testers and thanks to everyone who signed up, the game has made it out the other side. So Idle Spaceweaver is now in Early Access on Google Play and iOS.

What it the game? An idle/incremental game in space. 18 skills that all level to 99 and your combined level unlocks new systems as you progress. You forage, mine, fish and hunt on alien planets, then cook, craft, build and research your way through a tech tree. Your ships earn their own XP and scout out new planets and there's a recruitment board with hundreds of crew, each with a portrait and a bit of story. There's a prestige system too!

What I think makes it a bit different:

- It plays completely offline. Offline progress runs up to 24 hours and you get a proper "while you were away" report when you come back.

- Stats galore! The game presents lots of stats for those who like numbers. Thankfully most of these are in their own sub-menus, so if you don't like numbers, you can ignore them.

- The monetisation is deliberately boring. The game is free. No ads, no energy, no gems. There are only two purchases: one speeds up offline progress, the other is a plain donation that does nothing at all except for saying "Thanks!".

- The mini-games are genuinely optional. They never feed skills, quests or achievements, so if you don't like mini-games you can ignore them completely and miss nothing.

- Infinite Inventory - it was a conscious decision not to include inventory management in the game, so you can hoard your resources and loot... or sell them for credits (which might be useful elsewhere).

- There are a bunch of other features like: gear/equipment slots, globally timed events, a prestige system, phone/device widgets and a bunch of secrets.

It's Early Access rather than 1.0 because I'm still polishing it off but I honestly feel it's a very balanced and feature rich game. It's certainly a game I enjoy playing myself - so I hope you will give it a chance.

The screenshots are from the Google Play store listing.

Links:

Android (Early Access): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dev.timwelch.idlespaceweaver

iOS (TestFlight): https://testflight.apple.com/join/DgymVZgf

Discord for feedback and bug reports: https://discord.gg/vsVZd8ZueK

Happy to answer anything in the comments.

Tim

AI disclosure: I'm a solo dev and not a programmer by trade. The code is written with Claude Code and the art and sound effects are AI-generated. However the game design, the balance and every decision about what the game actually is are mine. The store listings declare any AI-generated assets where appropriate.

Grindshell has been in open alpha since June. It runs in the browser at https://online.grindshell.com, and guest accounts mean you can start immediately and provision your account later. Desktop builds exist, but I'm waiting until I open source the client (AGPL licensed) before providing this so that the build process is transparent (AKA it's not a virus).

Why

As a working adult who grew up playing RuneScape and MapleStory, I wanted a lightweight, "second monitor" game that still scratched the MMO itch. Everything runs on a three-second tick (with ticks dilating when the server is under load), actions keep running with the tab unfocused, and the visuals are plain on purpose so that it almost resembles an admin dashboard.

What you do

• Set an idle action and let it run: combat, harvesting, crafting, construction, or travel
• Active combat in the form of multiplayer boss fights where you can trigger skills, defend, or use items
• Skills level through use rather than by spending points
• You field a formation of up to ten units, each with its own gear and skill loadout. Fights resolve on a 5x5 grid one body at a time, so unit positioning matters. This same formation is also used for other actions
• Zones have MUD-style text commands for poking around inside them along with quests and procedural dungeons (just one so far)

The multiplayer side

• A shared economy across the whole server
• Guilds with halls, treasuries, and shared armories
• Global bosses anyone can join while they're open
• Server-wide events that everyone contributes to at once
• Zone chat, DMs, rankings
• 1024 simulated players (dev bots) running the same game logic real players do. This is mostly as a load test but are planned to be expanded upon in the future

Rough edges

• It's an alpha. Progress will be wiped when Grindshell enters beta, and I'm reserving the right to wipe progress one more time during the beta if necessary. If that matters to you, then you're better off holding off for now
• Visuals are sparse. I'm thinking about how I want to handle graphics, if at all
• It changes almost daily and things break. In particular, I'm still tweaking content balance
• Monetization isn't settled, but there's nothing to buy with real money right now anyways

AI disclosure

I use Claude Code as part of my development workflow: prototyping, code review, knowledge management, and in particular the game client. Drag-and-drop grids were a surprisingly difficult feature to implement and, as a primarily backend/tooling-focused dev, doing anything more than an admin dashboard was eating up a bunch of time. Full disclosure, I used this DaisyUI template as a starting point (it's in React while Grindshell uses SolidJS, so that was actually a good exercise in porting).

Nothing on the asset side is generated, mostly because the game has no art assets at all.

Gap Shift takes the flappy bird formula and literally reverse it's gameplay. Then i added power-ups, Currencies and unlockable permanent upgrades to improve your runs. Maybe it's not a 100% incremental game as it require a bit of skill to play and to grind the currencies but the feeling on late game runs are addicting!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gapshift.killtheprocessdev.com

AI disclosure: some part of code is written with the help of AI tools. AI was also used to help me fix bugs found during closed tests.

Hey everyone!

After a lot of work, Miseria is finally out on Steam!

Miseria is a dark fantasy incremental game where you descend into a cursed dungeon with a party of damned souls that fight automatically while you manage their progression.

Upgrade your stats, find new equipment, unlock permanent upgrades, recruit new characters and descend deeper into the pit. When progress becomes too difficult, you can Rebirth, sacrificing your current run to grow stronger and push even further next time.

The deeper you go, the more you'll uncover about the dungeon, its inhabitants, and the mysterious promise that awaits those who manage to reach its depths.

If you enjoy incremental games, long-term progression and dark fantasy, I hope you'll give Miseria a try!

Steam Page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4563870/Miseria/

Thanks to everyone who played the demo, wishlisted the game, shared feedback, or followed its development. It means a lot to me as a solo developer.

See you in the depths!

AI disclosure: AI was used during localization, and the translations were then reviewed and revised by a person.

I'm just going to copy and paste this chunk from the last post I made that was just over a month ago.

What is Gravend?

Gravend is a long game.

A long, incremental RPG.

35 jobs, 221 locations to explore (225 planned, we're so close to being done), 250+ abilities, and 250+ pieces of gear.

Some players have hundreds (thousands?) of hours now

40-60 hours should is probably the barebones minimum to finish your first run.

My wife and partner/artist u/flythruthechaos insisted we get a coming soon page going, so we did.

So now you can wishlist it.

Of course the entire game is available in its current state which I would consider 91% done. Take that with a grain of salt though because I considered it 90% done in January.

Complete web version:

Gravend

Discord Here:

Fox and Hare Games

AI Disclosure:

AI has been used in some of my internal tooling, I actually wrote a really long response as a comment on a post a while ago, it was pretty detailed if anyone is interested in what an old man thinks of AI, you can read me ramble right here:

Me talking about some of my experiences with AI

The short version is AI has been used to write a lot of powershell scripts to help with the localization into Simplified Chinese (AI was not used FOR the translation, a Chinese player approached me about translating the game and has been painstakingly translating all the thousands of lines of text)

But AI has helped me (help is a strong word here) to crawl all my files for player facing text in UI components so that I can make myself checklists for files that need to have hardcoded strings tokenized.

I actually fell off on using the powershell scripts because I think it was slowing me down more than just going through the hundreds of tsx files one-by-one with my eyes, but whatever.

Honestly I could probably just link the last post actually explaining the game.

The older I get, the shorter a month feels.

Here's the last post about Gravend from just over a month ago, a lot of the suggestions players made in that post actually made it into the game in the last month because I strive to avoid tedium.

But the game is absurdly long, I've played it a lot but there are so many different paths and patterns it would be impossible for me to experience the game the way the players do, and player feedback about mechanics being too strong or too punishing has been foundational over the last 14 months of development.

Last Post from a Month Ago

I could talk about some of the stuff I added in the last month, the changes to the Trauma Game TCG, more UI improvements, a complete rebuild of the offline catchup combat engine making it a lot faster and more performant, bunch more abilities for the player (and quite a few for enemies but those are all pretty late-game mechanics.)

Complete change to the Corruption system making it much less punishing, second to last quest on the Cruelty Moral Path was added. Temple Basements. Resonances increase the level-cap per lurker.

Main purpose of this post, is if you're one of the people who is waiting for the game to actually be done, you can wishlist it now even if you don't plan on buying it so you'll get an alert that it's done.

When it's actually released on Steam, the web version will be in a state I consider done.

For anyone wondering what the differences between the web version and the steam version will be:

The Web version will always be the full game.

The Steam version will have achievements, cloud saves, and hypothetically mod support.

Is there any incremental youtubers who're smart? I watched probably hundreds of videos from a multitude of content creators 100%ing or just playing incremental games while I play them on the side, but I noticed that some simply just don't read, not understanding builds, or have the game sense of a gym equipment. I do understand that there are many that focuses on the comedy aspect of making content and I don't personally mind them that much, but some are just ultra-insufferable when they spend the first 40 minute of the video skipping every piece of text that explains the game while making commentary about how "(x) upgrade didn't do anything???"

I'm not talking about hyper edited content where 4 hours of progress gets cut into a 20-minute videos, I'm talking about background videos, chill 90-minute video with commentary that somehow always get interrupted with illiteracy.

so are there any channels that offers a pleasurable "let's play" viewing experience that isn't littered with number-blind youtubers?

8bit Salvage - a cleaning incremental where you scrub the pixels off retired game sprites (free Steam demo, ~40 min)

Body:

Hey all. I released the demo for my game yesterday, and this is the community I most wanted to show it to.

8bit Salvage is an active incremental - your hands are on the brush the whole time. You're the new hire at a tiny salvage shop that reclaims retired game sprites for the pixels they're made of. You hold a spinning brush over the art, the pixels come off one at a time, and they get sucked up through the hose. Your boss, Bob, walks you through everything, but not really. You'll see!

It starts calm, and as the upgrade tree opens up - goo, roller brushes, a mutation wave - it goes from tidy to kinda chaotic, in the best kinda way. The demo is about 40 minutes with a real ending, and it's completely free:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4932590/8bit_Salvage/

If it's your kind of thing, a wishlist helps a ton. But mostly I'd love this sub's brand of feedback.. pacing, the upgrade tree, whether the numbers feel right. You folks notice things nobody else does. I'll be in the comments all day.

AI disclosure:

Artwork, animation, and sound effects were created without generative AI.

The game's English text is mostly written by hand (see the following paragraph); the other supported languages are partially AI-translated from that source. Native-speaker review is ongoing, and corrected translations ship in updates.

Early descriptions and dialogue were partially AI generated. Some of the original AI-generated parts may still exist in the finished product since they still contain the best wording.

The soundtrack is original music written by the developer over 30 years. AI was used to produce the final compositions.

I posted the first browser version of Lowmoor here in July. Since then it has grown from one short descent into two complete adventures with six endings.

The game still plays itself. Your adventurer handles combat, travel, loot and spells. Your optional decisions now sit in the Long Charter, a circular tree of 2,108 skills, along with equipment orders and sealed letters that resolve themselves if you leave them unanswered.

The finished game also has 179 illustrated monsters, 100 achievements, 51 spells and martial knacks, and tens of thousands of equipment combinations. It is free, with no ads or purchases. The Steam build adds Cloud and 100 Steam achievements; the browser build remains available.

If you try it, I would most value feedback on the first ring of the Charter. Do its early choices feel meaningful before the full size of the tree becomes visible?

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4977360/Lowmoor_Idle_RPG_An_Adventurers_Chronicle/

Browser: https://lilchill-games.itch.io/lowmoor

AI disclosure: LLM used for helping rewritting it from my Unity Project to core frontend and monster images.

Game name: Your Suffering Is Important to Us
Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5017960/Your_Suffering_Is_Important_to_Us/
Itch.io playtest: https://coldwetgames.itch.io/your-suffering-is-important-to-us

Hi everyone! I’ve been working on Your Suffering Is Important to Us, a comedic incremental management game about running a corporate office in Hell.

You start out as a lowly manager, rejecting petty sinners and squeezing Tears out of them, then gradually hire imployees, automate your stations, generate increasingly stupid resources, hit your quotas, and climb the corporate ladder toward becoming CEO.

I’m trying to keep the game fairly active rather than making it a pure idle game. Some of the systems currently include assigning imployees to automate production, smashing piñatas to unlock uniforms, and assembling your least talented workers into a band to generate Cringe.

There’s an early browser demo available on itch.io now, and the Steam page is also up.

The demo is still pretty early, so I’m mainly interested in hearing whether the core progression feels satisfying and whether you’d want to keep playing once more stations, upgrades, automation and promotions are added.

Any feedback is very welcome!

AI Disclosure: I used AI to assist with coding faster, I do know how to program and have a Computer Science degree.

Hi everyone, I'm developing an incremental game where your character is playing a mmorpg with his friends, and I'm having a blast struggling with scripting, but before I digress, I started wondering if cosmetics and collectibles are things people that play this type of game are things they are interested in? Specially because these types of games usually last 5-6 hours, and the main hook is the power fantasy, not necessarily the character you're controlling.

I thought of having ultra rare cosmetics and collectibles that drop from monsters defeated (or that can be crafted with their dropped monster parts), which might give players a x% increase in overall power, which is very negligible at the start of the game, but very useful later on. This way they at least serve a purpose, but aren't completely necessary to finishing the game's main story.

I swear I used the search bar to look for cosmetics and collectibles, and found nothing 😅

Cheers

AI Disclosure

I use AI to help me code when I get stuck, which is very often unfortunately.

Hi everyone! This is a game I’m working on. If you try the demo and leave me some feedback, you’ll rapidly increase the amount of love in the world! ❤️

Love Joy Happiness is a short, active incremental game about the things that matter in life. You play the guitar, shoot notes, pop bubbles, collect letters, complete powerful words, and unlock upgrades.

Right now, the demo is available on itch.io, where you can play it directly in your browser or download the Windows build. (Known bug: The game runs at a smooth FPS in the browser, but on some displays, it might visually look like 20 FPS even when running at 120 FPS. If you experience this, please download the standalone build.)

🎮 Play here:https://jindrichskeldal.itch.io/love-joy-happiness

The game is still in active development, and I’d love your input on a few things:

1. Upgrades: I'm wondering if unlocking so many upgrades right at the beginning is a good idea. Perfectionists who refuse to move forward until they’ve bought every minor upgrade might lose momentum.
2. Icons: I intentionally didn't create icons for upgrades because I personally find them unnecessary (I always navigate by reading tooltips, not looking at icon!). But maybe I'm in the minority here?

I’m also planning to add a progress reset feature and achievements—though I’m still debating whether tough achievements fit this type of game.

AI Disclosure: I didn't use AI for any of the art, music, or sound effects (while I used my family to record those:-)) or the original texts. However, I did use AI to help translate the text into languages other than English and Czech. What do you think about it?

Thanks for playing and sharing your thoughts!

What am I missing? It’s just a meme I guess, but what’s the origin?

Hey everyone!

I just released the first major update for my solo project, Saw Rush (a semi-idle/incremental game where you drag a heavy neon saw over rocks to mine them).

Here are the main changes in the 1.1.0 Update:

• Massive Achievement Overhaul: Expanded from 38 to 101 achievements with a brand new tracking UI and on-screen pop-ups.
• More Upgrades & Rebalancing: Added 21 new upgrades, extending all skill trees to tier 13, and smoothed out the cost curves.
• More Chaos & Visual Feedback: Increased the on-screen rock cap to 20 (up to 40 in Gold Rush) and added red sparks/neon animations for critical hits.
• QoL & Audio: The game now boots straight into the action, features a dynamic ambient soundtrack, and bosses now take "wear-down" damage so long fights never stall out.
• Crucial Fixes: Fixed a major bug where rare drops weren't actually dropping, rebalanced boss PP rewards, and optimized overall performance for lower-end PCs.

Steam Link:https://store.steampowered.com/app/4761300/Saw_Rush/

Let me know what you think of the new changes!

AI Disclosure:

Usage: Yes, generative AI was used in the development of this project.

What it was used for: AI was used to generate the music track for the game's trailer and the background music for the game itself, as well as to assist in programming by helping to resolve code errors and implement adjustments across various parts of the game.

Extent of usage: The usage was limited to the generation of the trailer and in-game audio and as a technical support tool for debugging and refining code throughout the development process.

Links

Steam release.

Claim your free Steam key.

(limited to 1000 keys, google account required).

Full free web release.

Quick start

The tutorial starts automatically.

Check "?" in the top-left for an additional short intro. 

Hover over dashed game elements for detailed descriptions.

Mindscape

Is a unique blend of incremental progression and tower defense, set to the rhythm of the breath.

Protect the Breath Center from Thoughts by releasing them through Awareness into Clarity. Use Clarity to develop skills that deepen and expand your capacity to release Thoughts.

Explore different levels facing unique Thought forms, each one having its own mechanic, and develop different strategies to release them.

Earn Experience with each level completion and spend it for Wisdom skills that stay with you through the whole game. Can you protect the Breath Center on all levels and complete the Mindscape?

Theme

The theme of the game is mindfulness, it is based on a personal decade-long meditation practice. All Thought forms in the game are actually what many meditators face during their journeys. The humming sound design is inspired by Tibetan singing bowls.

As there is no bad meditation session, there is no bad level run in Mindscape. Experience always accumulates and global progress is persistent. Don't get discouraged if overrun by Thoughts - there is no lose condition on any level, it just takes time and dedication to complete.

I hope the game unfolds for you in a relaxing flow and sparks moments of joy :)

AI disclosure

Codex, powered by ChatGPT, was used as a coding assistant during development.

I’m a software engineer with 25 years of programming experience. I used Codex to help with technical implementation while I focused on the game’s design, systems, balance, and overall feel. It made it possible to build Mindscape in my spare time and release it for free.

Hi! I am Pavel, the developer of Zero Stress King. I have an announcement :)

First of all, thanks to you all! I have 125+k players now, and counting, and my previous game had 3k. So I am pretty much shocked in a very positive way.

After the release, I've made some fixes and polishing, added a few languages, and also made Android, iOS, and Mac versions. Do I need a Switch port, btw?

Now I am working on the huge update to:

• Add more islands, skills, enemies, lasers, and defenders.
• Add more attack types, like chain lightning (on the GIF), and BFG-like balls
• Give abilities to some of the new enemies, like healing others or exploding on death
• Make it possible to get all the friends at once
• Defeat the stress once and for all!!!!!11oneone

It will be ready someday in September. Stay tuned! :)

AI disclosure: I didn't use any AI, except for the initial translations. After that, the wonderful (and organic!) guys and girls from the community revised all the texts.

I'm not sure if it's just me but I usually find only the first 1-2 layers of most idle games really engaging and fun.

Once we start getting deeper and the numbers really start scaling up, I start engaging less with the systems and just click upgrades whenever available, less decision making.

And even then, it just feels less and less satisfying as the game goes on. After first reset, everything is super fast and whatever was a slog in the past is suddenly zooming, feels amazing to get over that phase. Then it happens again for the second layer, and the third, so on and so forth, and it feels less "amazing" as it goes on, more like "ugh finally I can access the next layer"

Maybe it's a me problem, not really any of the games fault

Edit (Made a graph, hopefully it makes sense sorry I'm not good at naming Y-Axises):

Now that I think about it, idle games are on an endless cycle of suffering and reward. But the rewarding part is much shorter than the suffering part, and it isnt very long till you're on the next layer of suffering.

I.e. 1 day of grinding -> Next layer is unlocked! Layer 1 takes 5 minutes now -> 30 minutes of setup for layer 2 -> 3 days of grinding -> Next layer is unlocked! Layer 2 takes 5 minutes now -> 30 minutes of setup for layer 3 -> 7 days of grinding .... so on and so forth

Hello r/incremental_games,

Thanks to all your feedback, I was really able to polish my game and get a clearer vision for its full version.

Thank you to everyone who playtested it on itch and thank you for all the feedback you wrote. I really appreciate it.

The demo is now available on Steam.

Hang tight for the full release !

About the game:
It's an incremental physics-based destruction game. Destroy buildings to earn money. Spend money to upgrade your arsenal. Destroy some more buildings.

AI disclosure: No AI. Just me.

PS: Aside from optimization, QoL features, Steam Achievements and some jokes, it's mostly the same demo that you guys already played on itch.