How to play Idle Potato

You are a potato who has discovered that doing absolutely nothing is a superpower. The world rewards your laziness, and the game is about getting better at being lazy. Idle Potato is a free idle game (also called an incremental or clicker game) that runs in your browser on a phone, tablet or computer. There is nothing to download and no account to make.

The basics

Your currency is Chill. Potato earns a little Chill every second just by lying there. Everything else in the game is about earning Chill faster so you can buy more ways to relax.

Early on, the quickest way to earn is the phone lying next to Potato. Tap it (or press Scroll in the Phone panel) and Potato scrolls the feed for a bit of Chill each time. Phone upgrades make every scroll worth more, and Autoplay scrolls the feed for you so you can stop tapping altogether.

Comfort upgrades

The Stuff tab sells comfort upgrades that produce Chill on their own: a Cushion, a Snack Bowl, an Old TV, a Blanket, a dim Lamp, a Cat, a Weighted Blanket and finally a Recliner Upgrade. Every copy of an item costs 15% more than the one before, so buy in bulk with the ×10 and Max buttons when you can.

Owning 10, 25, 50 and 100 of the same item doubles that item's output each time, so it is often worth pushing one item to its next milestone before buying something new.

Deep Chill: the less you touch it, the better it does

The Deep Chill meter fills up over about a minute while Potato is left alone. At 100%, Potato produces up to three times as much Chill. This is the heart of the game: patience is rewarded.

Do not poke the potato

Tapping Potato itself is a bad idea. A poke empties Deep Chill and halves Potato's output for a few seconds, and Potato will tell you how it feels about it. Tap the phone instead.

Places

Once you have saved up, move Potato somewhere more comfortable in the Places tab. The Couch multiplies everything Potato makes by 1.5 and the Living Room by 2.25. Each new place also unlocks new comfort upgrades and Lazy Skills.

Lazy Skills

The Skills tab teaches Potato to be lazy more efficiently. A few favorites:

• Ignoring Calls makes pokes hurt less.
• Ordering Takeout doubles snack items.
• Doomscrolling boosts screens and every scroll of the phone.
• Napping doubles everything while Deep Chill is above 50%.
• Selective Hearing lets Potato ignore a quarter of all pokes.
• Power Nap lets time away count for longer.
• Professional Couch Potato is the big one: it unlocks Sprouting.

Sprouting and Wisdom

When Potato has learned to be a Professional Couch Potato and has earned enough Chill in the current run, it can Sprout. Sprouting starts a new generation: Chill, items, places and skills reset, but Potato keeps its trophies and gains Wisdom. Every point of Wisdom permanently adds 2% to everything Potato makes, and Wisdom can also buy perks such as Longer Naps, Inherited Cushions and a Real Estate Agent who halves the cost of moving.

The more Chill you earn before Sprouting, the more Wisdom you get, so there is a balance between Sprouting early and pushing a little further.

While you are away

Potato keeps chilling when you close the tab. When you come back, a report tells you what happened and how much Chill Potato earned, at full Deep Chill, for up to 8 hours away. Skills and perks can stretch that further.

Trophies

Eight trophies reward milestones such as relocating for the first time, staying at full Deep Chill for an hour, coming back after a long break and Sprouting for the first time.

Optional ads

The game is free. Watching an ad is always your choice: the Snooze button doubles your Chill for 30 minutes, and the report after time away can be doubled once. Now and then a short ad may also play at a natural break, such as after moving or Sprouting.

Questions

Is Idle Potato free?

Yes. It is free to play in any modern browser.

Where is my progress saved?

In your browser, on your own device. Use Settings, Save code to copy a backup or move your potato to another device.

Does it work on phones?

Yes, in portrait or landscape. You can also add it to your home screen like an app.

Can I play offline?

You need a connection to open the game, but Potato earns Chill while you are away and credits it when you return.

Credits

Made by Basil. Text uses the m5x7 pixel font by Daniel Linssen. See the privacy policy for how the game handles data.

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