Introduction

The genre of incremental games is a relatively new one, and as such, there is yet to be a concise and widely accepted definition of an Incremental Game. There are, however, a series of different types or styles that have emerged, and this article hopes to expand those and provide at least a basic idea of what the genre entails.

In general, these games are browser based (using HTML5, Javascript, Flash, Unity, etc) or mobile (iOS, Android, etc) and are free to play. The basic goal of the games is to use a currency (or many) to buy upgrades, buildings, etc, in order to increase the speed at which the currency is being gained.

Gameplay Mechanics

There are two main mechanics that Incremental Games utilize. They can be referred to as incremental and idle. However, there are many other methods that these games use to keep the player interested.

Incremental

This style of gameplay involves numbers that go up, and up, and up, often seemingly endlessly. Many of these games involve the use of a single currency, another mechanic that will be touched upon later, while others may use two, three, or many, many more. It should be understood that this is a base mechanic, and that many different styles of game use this in many different ways.

Idle

Idling is an important aspect in many incremental games. The idea is generally coupled with the incremental style and requires the player to wait for periods of time before they can afford to spend their resources on new features.

Currencies

In order to allow the game to progress, currencies are generally used to give the player automation options. Many games will use a single currency (cash or similar) which can then be spent on buying upgrades or buildings to automate the currency collection process. There are occasionally games that will convert one currency to another, however, and these are become more and more popular.

Automation

This ties in with the above mechanics, allowing the player to generate currency, buildings, or just about anything, without having to actively interact with the game.