What Are Idle Games?

How Do Idle Games Work?

Idle mobile games are easy to pick up and play. Users perform basic actions, such as clicking or tapping the screen, to earn in-game currency and progress through the game by unlocking elements and upgrades. 

Users can also progress in certain idle games without having to perform any actions (where “idle” comes in). They may have to wait for a certain amount of time to pass or return to the app in order to collect in-app currency. This particular mechanism encourages better retention metrics.

Because the mechanics are so simple and similar to hypercasual games, people who play idle games tend to play during short breaks in their day, during commutes, or while waiting.  

With genre hybridization becoming more common, mechanics from other game genres – such as simulation or RPG games – are creeping into idle gameplay. 

These mechanisms include social elements: competitive gameplay with other players, leaderboards, multiplayer mode, and tournaments. Game hybridization could also mean that metagames are integrated into the core idle game, such as match-3 or puzzle games.

Who Plays Idle Games?

These games are sometimes classed as hypercasual or casual games because they are easy to play; this means that idle games tend to attract a broad audience. Games in this genre are nevertheless different because they offer continuous and never-ending progression; hypercasual games often offer mini games that gradually increase in complexity.

Idle gamers play longer and more frequently – and therefore tend to deliver better retention metrics. The gender of players depends heavily on the theme of the game. For example, you can expect Kolibri Games’ Idle Miner Tycoon’s audience to be male-dominated, while Idle Bee Factory or 9Months by Green Panda Games to have a larger female demographic split.

Other sources reveal that idle gamers tend to be male and between 18 and 44 years old, in the US and Western Europe region. 

How Do You Monetize Idle Games?

These games are cost-effective to build, since they are relatively quick to develop. They can therefore be profitable with the right monetization solutions.

When you look at the revenue split for these games, it is similar to what you might expect for hypercasual games. The split is however more equal: 

• In-app advertising for idle mobile games makes up around 60 to 70 percent
• In-app purchases generate around 30 to 40 percent of overall revenue

Players between 30 and 39 years old tend to monetize best through in-app purchases. This all however heavily depends on the theme of the game.

Retaining players is important for this mobile gaming genre. This is because the longer developers retain players, the more revenue they can generate through ad monetization. Rewarded videos are, for instance, one of the most effective ad formats used in idle games. 

These are video ads that users can watch in exchange for rewards to progress further in the game or purchase upgrades or multipliers. These are more interactive, nondisruptive, and engaging than other ad formats. Because, after all, developers must find the right balance before serving too many ads – this will alienate idle gamers and cause them to churn.

Conclusion

Idle games have characteristics in common with casual and hypercasual games games but with a key difference – users often don’t have to perform any action in the game to make progress.

Revenue from in-app advertising brings in the lion’s share of overall revenue for this mobile gaming genre, meaning that developers must integrate engaging ad solutions in order to retain and monetize their audience.