Cats Making Soup in Cats and Soup
Image via HIDEA

10 Best Idle Games for iPhone and Android (December 2024)

Perfect for idle gameplay!

Idle games are perfect for those who don’t have multiple hours in a day to dedicate to video games. If you don’t have a lot of time or energy to devote to new mobile games, you’re in luck! This is a list of only the best idle games that don’t require constant attention/gameplay. Use this list of all of the best idle games for iPhone and Android to decide which game you should download next!

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10 Best Idle Games for iPhone and Android

AFK Arena

AFK Arena Title Artwork
Image via Lilith Games

AFK Arena has been one of the most popular idle games for iPhone and Android since its release in 2019! This idle RPG is full of rich lore, heroic warriors, and unexpectedly in-depth combat; if you love engaging RPG games that don’t require your full attention 24/7, then you definitely need to check out AFK Arena.

AFK Arena is one of the only turn-based RPG games that allows you to get rich and battle opponents while AFK! This game is perfect for both seasoned RPG gamers and for those who are just starting to get into the world of RPG gaming.

Related: AFK Arena Codes on Pro Game Guides

Kittens Game

Kittens Game Log Screenshot
Image via Nuclear.Unicorn

Kittens Game isn’t like any of the other games on this list in the sense that it’s completely text-based; there may not be any exciting animations clogging up your screen in this game, but it still manages to be one of the most engaging idle games for iPhone and Andriod.

In this game, you play as a kitten in a catnip forest. To survive, you must harvest/plant catnip, expand your village of kittens, and start a kitten-based industrial revolution with nothing more than hard work and ingenuity! This game, like AFK Arena, doesn’t require your full attention 24/7; you’ll be able to easily gather resources while AFK. Kittens Game is perfect for those who love games like D&D.

Blush Blush

Dating Volks in Blush Blush
Image via Sad Panda Studios

Ever since its release in 2019, this idle otome game has gained an unexpectedly massive cult following. Blush Blush is a self-proclaimed “dating game tossed with an idle game” with amusing dialogue and simple, yet entertaining gameplay!

Blush Blush features a fun, lighthearted story where you (the player) must cure a series of attractive anime boys of a mysteriously furry curse. Only true love (of course) can rescue these boys from this dark, fuzzy spell, and since you (the player) are the reason they were transformed in the first place, it might as well be you that cures them. This game is perfect for all genders and anyone who loves lighthearted otome games!

Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector

Cats in Neko Atsume Kitty Collector
Image via Hit Point Co. Ltd.

Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector is one of the OG idle games for iPhone and Android. It’s been almost a decade since its release, yet it remains one of the most popular idle games on the market! In Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector, you can collect all kinds of exclusive and adorable kitties by setting out certain foods and special decorations in your yard.

Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector asks so little of its players yet rewards them with so much; by devoting only a small portion of your time to this game, you are rewarded with your very own horde of chubby, adorably dressed kitties! This game is perfect for cat lovers of any age!

Idle Heroes

Idle Heroes Fiery Screenshot
Image via Droidhang Games

Idle Heroes is another classic idle RPG game, perfect for those who love summoning, upgrading, and battling cool heroes! This game came out in 2016 and has quickly risen through the ranks of mobile RPGs; it’s now one of the most popular mobile games on the market!

In Idle Heroes, you get to summon wickedly strong heroes and lead them to battle against the forces of darkness; what could be cooler than beating up bad guys with an army of magical heroes?? This game is perfect for all ages, and anyone who loves classic mobile RPGs!

Fallout Shelter

Fallout Shelter Title Artwork
Image via Bethesda Game Studios

Fallout Shelter is an exceptionally popular idle game that’s been captivating players since 2015. If you’re a fan of any (or all) of the Bethesda games, then you definitely want to check out Fallout Shelter; Fallout Shelter is a free idle game loosely based on the Fallout game series by Bethesda.

In Fallout Shelter, you have to build and maintain a bomb-proof vault to rescue survivors of the apocalypse. The premise of this game may seem simple, but there’s a lot more work to surviving the apocalypse than you might think! You’ll have to build the perfect vault, constantly fend off Raiders, maintain a steady supply of food and water, and make sure you’ve got enough electricity and entertainment to always keep your Dwellers happy!

A Dark Room

The Begger Arrives in A Dark Room
Image via Doublespeak Games

A Dark Room is similar to Kittens Game in the sense that it’s completely text-based. Despite not having any animations or images, A Dark Room is still one of the most exciting, engaging idle games of all time! Unlike the other games on this list, A Dark Room is actually a horror game; there aren’t too many idle horror games on the market, yet even if there were, A Dark Room would undoubtedly be the best of them all.

Due to the lack of jumpscares that most horror games rely on, players must rely on their imagination to create the horrific imagery that this game describes, which is almost even more terrifying than any jumpscares they could have thrown in. This game is perfect for anyone who loves exposition-heavy, text-based games like Kittens Game or D&D.

Dungeon, Inc.

Defending the Dungeon in Dungeon Inc
Image via PIKPOK

Unlike with most dungeon-based RPGs, you don’t play as a hero in Dungeon, Inc. Instead, you have to build your own sadistically massive, impossible-to-beat dungeons that would stop any hero in their tracks!

You’ll need to build labyrinthine dungeons, buy wickedly lethal traps and weapons, and hire armies of monsters that will stop at nothing to ensure their own victory. In addition to being an idle game, Dungeon, Inc is also a clicker game, so if tycoon clickers are your style, then you’ll definitely fall in love with this monstrously malicious game. Dungeon, Inc. is perfect for clicker gamers and tycoon-addicts alike!

Mythic Heroes

Mythic Heroes Title Artwork
Image via SkyRise Digital Pte. Ltd

Mythic Heroes is an idle RPG game similar to AFK Arena, so if you’re a fan of AFK Arena, you’ll probably like Mythic Heroes even more! Mythic Heroes is just like AFK Arena in the sense that it’s got auto-dynamic combat, it has in-depth mythological backstories for many of its characters, and it features the same “hero summoning” mechanic that AFK Arena is known for.

You can roll the dice to summon a party of mythological, god-like elite heroes to fight against the forces of evil in this wicked idle RPG; who wouldn’t want to play a game where you can literally be a god?? This game is absolutely perfect for those who love mythology and games like AFK Arena!

Cats & Soup

Cats and Soup Title Artwork
Image via HIDEA

Cats and Soup is one of the most charming, ridiculously endearing games ever created. Cats & Soup is the perfect game to relax with at the end of a long day (or for staying up until 3 a.m. binge-playing for no reason).

Cats & Soup is a self-proclaimed “idle relaxing cat game perfect for cat moms and dads”; there are very few things that are cuter/more relaxing than a bunch of cats coming together to make soup in the woods, and this game is very aware of this fact. Similar to Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector, you’ll be able to collect your own small army of sharply-dressed kitties simply by making delicious soup in the woods. This game is perfect for cat lovers of all ages!

Related: Best Gacha Games on iOS and Android


Idle games for iPhone and Android are extremely popular, and for good reason. Idle games are perfect for people who don’t have a lot of time/energy on their hands and are usually very easy on the wallet (if not free). If you love idle games but are looking for a more stimulating experience, check out Gamer Journalist’s other mobile game recommendations, such as our comprehensive list of the best mobile horror games or mobile murder mystery games!

Author
Image of Allysen Pierce
Allysen Pierce
Allysen Pierce is a freelance writer with a passion for gaming who has been a part of the Gamer Journalist team since May 2022. Her main passions are horror games and dating sims (especially combinations of the two), but she has been known to play literally anything that is put in front of her. Her current favorite games include Skyrim, I Was a Teenage Exocolonist, Cult of the Lamb, Slaughter Horse, and Dragon Age: Inquisition. When she's not playing games (or writing about them), she can be found reading, baking, watching horror movies, or playing with her cat.