Video games can be complicated. Some titles have players judging a dozen buttons while facing hordes of rushing enemies. Others have you racing down fantasy courses at breakneck speeds. Then there are those, like clicker games, which take the opposite route. These clicker games are some of the simplest around, yet theyâre somehow still among the most engaging.
In a world that's big enough for everyone, clicker games scratch the itch we have for casual and hyper-casual play. Based on the core concept of seeing numbers go up, clicker games have exploded in popularity in the last few years. In this article, we want to explore 10 of the best, to help you find the best titles in which you can click to your heart's content.
Before we begin, we need to ask ourselves what is a click game? The idea is that as complicated as these game systems become, the central gameplay loop revolves around repeatedly clicking something. There's also a significant crossover between idle games with clickers, owing to how upgrades automate the clicking process.
Cookie Clicker
When we start talking about clicker games, Cookie Clicker canât be overlooked. Launching in 2013, this title popularized the idea of clickers. While technically termed an incremental game, the success of Cookie Clicker meant its name would endure far into the future.
In fact, if you're wondering what clicker games are called, a big part of the answer comes from Cookie Clicker. This game went on to inspire the incremental genre to become what it is today under the banner of 'clickers'. It's kind of like how early FPS games were called Doom-clones, only this time, the name has stuck.
The game itself is based on, well, clicking a cookie. The more cookies you have, the more you can automate the process. The more itâs automated, the bigger and better cookie-making machines you can add. Eventually leading to galactic-level cookie production and the interference of Eldritch horrors, Cookie Clicker gets weird with a simple concept, and we canât help but love that.
Clicker Heroes
Clicker Heroes, released in 2014, has become one of the biggest clicker games to follow in Cookie Clicker's footsteps. This title has players advancing through different realms as they click to defeat monsters. Aiding players' fingers in their journey are the eponymous heroes, each with their own special gear.
While it started small, this is among the few clicker games to make the jump to different platforms. Now on Steam, mobile, PlayStation, and Xbox, Clicker Heroes is still loved by thousands of players every day.
Learn to Fly Idle
Idle games are some of the most famous to come from the golden age of browser gaming, but theyâre far from the only ones. Long before the first cookie was clicked, launching games like the Learn to Fly series let players see how far they could shoot planes, people, and animals. Learn to Fly managed this approach with penguins, which was expanded into a clicker game with Learn to Fly Idle. Starting small, Learn to Fly Idle had players begin by taking out snowmen, eventually moving on to destroy entire planets. A shorter title, but a great one in the clicker genre nonetheless.
AdVenture Capitalist
When your money makes money, then you know youâve made it. AdVenture Capitalist takes this idea to heart, as another of the early clicker games to break out in the mainstream. The concept here is basic enough â click to make money, buy businesses, and then click to make more money. How do you know when youâre done? Well, like a good capitalist, youâre never really done.
Once youâve taken over Earthâs economy, AdVenture Capitalist lets you head back in time with a Flux Capacitor, or even take your business to Mars. Eat your heart out, Elon Musk!
Zombidle: REMONSTERED
Moving back to something a little more fantastic, Zombidle: REMONSTERED is a game about taking the job of a necromancer to rule the world of men. Boasting 'gallons of skillsâ, Zombidle is a perfect title for those who want to explore another take on the clicker games genre. Instead of working to create, you work to destroy. The humans wonât go down without a fight, so be sure to loot along your way.
One great standout here is that this clicker is still seeing regular updates twice a month according to its Steam page, so even the longest-lasting players wonât easily run out of things to do.
Tap Titans 2
Tap Titans 2 earns a place as one of the most stylish of the clicker games on this list. Perfectly built for mobiles, TT2 lets you select your favorite hero to take center stage and tap to take down the titan threat.
What sets this game above the standard fare is the presentation. Tapping to produce stylish sword swipes never felt so good, and the animations and design of the enemies are truly top in class. The only problem is games of war like this might make us tap too hard and fast, which isnât great for our fingers.
War Clicks
Most clickers games revolve around single-player gameplay, but this isnât the case for all of them. War Clicks goes a different direction by fusing single-player clicker systems with a robust and competitive online system.
When playing alone, users complete tasks, upgrade their gear and arsenals, and build their defenses. In multiplayer mode, players click to destroy their enemies and fight for their side to come out on top. Full of minigames and new ideas, this isnât a title you need to be a war games enthusiast to enjoy.
Anti-Idle: The Game
Clickers and idle games often share overlap, but what if one of these clicker games game was built to directly combat idling? This is what Anti-Idle: The Game explores. Based on raising a pet, being active by clicking makes your character stronger, while going idle will make them weaker.
Bitcoin Billionaire
Missing out on getting Bitcoin early is something we all kick ourselves over, but with Bitcoin Billionaire, you can at least explore this possibility in gameplay form. The wonderful pixel art combined with a range of fun upgrade systems makes this one of the best clicker games, even if it hits a little close to home.
Idle Slayer
No best clicker games list would be complete without a mention of Idle Slayer. In this game, clicking fast takes a backseat to clicking accurately. Idle Slayer has your character taking down monsters, collecting gold and gems, and upgrading their gear in a constant sprint to the right. Idle Slayer finds in footing in being slightly more skill-based than others in this list. This is especially the case in the platforming bonus game, where missteps can send you back to the main field without a reward. It might take a while to get anywhere in this one, but once you have a couple of hours under your belt, youâll understand why this is one of the best clicker games that fast fingered fans have ever developed.
