Rusty’s Retirement was something of a phenomenon when it launched last year — a farm sim that cleverly distilled complex automation games with the simplicity of idlers, and stuck it on the bottom third of your PC screen. I fell head over heels for its intuitive gameplay and addictive progression (read our review). But eventually you unlock all the things, earn every achievement, and have more money than you know what to do with.
Rusty’s Retirement’s indie success has inspired a slew of desktop idler games in 2025. Best of all, this is a super cheap genre, where the average price of a game is about $6!
We’ve compiled a list of the best current and upcoming desktop idlers that are worth checking out. You can even grab many of these games as part of the Bottom-Of-Your-Screen bundle on Steam.
Friendly warning: you will be distracted!
Cornerpond
Cornerpond does one thing and one thing only — fishing! Your customizable avatar dutifully sits on the edge of a pier, fishing in the corner of your screen. Every once in awhile, a bigger or rarer fish will demand a few quicktime clicks to reel in. Sell fish for upgrades to score better fish, and visit other biomes. It’s the tiniest of the desktop idlers, but sometimes all you need is a little fishing to be one of the best desktop idlers.
Loot of Baal
If you can’t already tell with this list, most idle games are cute, cozy, and adorable. Meanwhile, upcoming desktop idler Loot of Baal is a strategy-RPG that puts you in control of a mercenary company in a dangerous fantasy world. Manage your team, battle monsters, and gather hundreds of randomized pieces of loot. A demo is available now, with the full game launching later this year.
Maltese’s Fluffy Onsen
Formerly known as Animal Spa, Maltese’s Fluffy Onsen is a desktop idler where you run a cozy public bathhouse for adorable animal customers. Set different bath temperatures and facilities to appease different guests, manage staff to cook and clean, and create a relaxing atmosphere for you and your fluffy guests.
Mini Cozy Room: Lo-Fi
Many idler games feature relaxing (lo-fi) music, such as Mini Cozy Room: Lo-Fi. Mini Cozy Room provides soothing tracks and calming sounds alongside a very tiny room decorator. As a productivity game, Mini Cozy Room includes Pomodoro timers and to-do lists, as well as a mini mode that resembles a tiny music player window. The base game features over 160 tracks, with several DLC packs that include even more music.
My Little Life
Desktop idler meets The Sims in My Little Life. Like in The Sims, your little avatars can embark an a variety of careers, earn money, and generally keep themselves alive, while you expand their homes and buy furniture. My Little Life’s screen mode is highly flexible, including switching to a vertical City Mode to build a high-rise apartment on the side of your monitor.
Ropuka’s Idle Island
Ropuka is an anthropomorphic frog. He lives in a house on a tiny floating island covered in long grass. Ropuka either sleeps, or cuts the grass. As the little frog earns money, you can decorate the island. And that’s all there is to this very chill, lowkey idler. Ropuka’s Idle Island can fit anywhere on your desktop, and includes calming lo-fi music and ambient nature sounds.
Tiny Pasture
Tomagotchi (or Neo Pets) blends perfectly with desktop idler Tiny Pasture, without the constant worry of starvation and death. Unlock and purchase baby animals and watch as they grow and frolic in the bottom of your screen. Breed adults to get new colors. Tiny Pasture also features some more exotic and fantastical creatures, such as slimes, ghosts, and even zombies.
Village Tale
From the developers of Mini Settlers is Village Tale, a colony sim idler that looks a bit like Stardew Valley at a glance. But this isn’t a life sim — you’re in charge of the whole village! Build new workshops and facilities, gather resources, trade goods, and keep your tiny villagers happy. Developer road map includes fishing and animals, seasons, bigger maps, and a vertical mode. A demo is available now, with the full launch later this year.
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