Games like Upload Labs

The Squirrel's verdictRevolution Idle layers infinity, eternity, and further prestige tiers into one of the longer free incrementals available, with a median playtime around 250 hours and no premium currency gating progress. Players who enjoy methodical automation snowballs will find the early-to-mid game rewarding. The mid-to-late game shifts toward active, Discord-guided grinding that reviewers describe as tedious rather than idle.

Not for you if you want passive idling to carry you through the full game, since later stages demand active play and external guides to avoid wasted progress.

The Squirrel's verdictBoth are dig-and-upgrade loops built around escalating numbers, but Coal LLC drops the idle/gacha layer entirely: no premium currency, no wait-timers, just mine ore, buy upgrades, hit an increasing coal quota or restart from zero. Fits players who liked Upload Labs' core loop but wanted a single-session, no-monetization version instead of a long-tail grind.

Not for you if you want persistent meta-progression between runs or dislike losing all upgrades on a failed quota, since Coal LLC restarts you from scratch each time.

The Squirrel's verdictBoth are free idle-incremental games built on optimizing systems over long sessions, but Perfect Tower II adds tower-defense combat and automation layers on top, with years of regular updates and no reviewer complaints about paywalled mechanics. Fits players who liked Upload Labs' optimization loop but want more systems depth and no p2w friction.

Not for you if you need clear tutorials — reviewers describe opaque systems, thin explanations, and needing a wiki to understand your own build.

The Squirrel's verdictProgress Game is a free, straightforward kill-upgrade-gear loop: fight enemies, spend points on stats, unlock stronger zones, repeat. No premium currency gates pacing here. Most players finish in under 10 hours, making it a good fit for someone who wants the early-game satisfaction of climbing numbers without committing to a long-haul grind.

Not for you if you want lasting content after the main progression ends, since reviewers describe it as an empty shell once completed.

The Squirrel's verdictIdle Research structures its progression in named tiers — Flasks, then Cylinders — each functioning as a largely self-contained phase. It is free, and reviewers report reaching full completion of the Flask layer without spending on microtransactions, though a $30 premium currency pack exists. The final completionist achievement is described by reviewers as near-impossible to obtain. Median playtime is around 62 hours.

Not for you if you need reliable autosave protection or want a realistic path to 100% achievements without an extremely long grind.

The Squirrel's verdictSupply Chain Idle is built around ratio management: link producers to sellers, upgrade something, watch ratios break, relink efficiently. It is free with no premium currency or paywalled features anywhere in the progression. With a median playtime around 37 hours, it suits players who want a pure optimization loop they can step away from without losing ground to a monetization clock.

Not for you if you want new systems and stakes introduced past the early hours rather than repeated relinking of the same chain structure.

The Squirrel's verdictCoin Factory is a finite set of tile-layout puzzles with a clear end goal on each map: reach a target coin-per-second output by arranging and upgrading production tiles. It costs $4.99 with no further monetization. Median playtime is around 6 hours, and reviewers with backgrounds in Factorio or Shapez find it a compact, solvable take on the production-optimization genre.

Not for you if you want a long incremental grind with persistent unlocks rather than a short, self-contained series of layout puzzles.