Scratch is a popular platform with millions of projects, and it’s a hub for amateur games. Among the most popular games on Scratch are clicker games. They’re easy to create and provide a fun way to learn game development basics.
Clicker games can be simple or complex, depending on your skill level, and they’re usually pretty addictive, both for the players and game developers.
But what exactly are clicker games?
A clicker game, in short, involves tapping or clicking an item on the screen to earn points or currency. The graphics and mechanics are usually pretty simple, making them relatively easy to make, even for beginners. You can play them on your computer or mobile device, and they’re often free to play with additional in-game purchases available to advance your progress.
The aim of a clicker game is to upgrade your clicker through purchases using the currency you earn through clicking. You’ll then be able to unlock new features to increase your earnings. And on and on…
A platform like Scratch is the ideal tool for building this type of game, as the drag-and-drop interface means you don’t have to spend much time on coding the game mechanics. Your game’s success will hang on its design and uniqueness.
Now, as someone who loves clicker games, I’ve compiled a list of the 10 best clicker games on Scratch, so you can get inspired and start creating your own. What’s more, as Scratch allows you to “see the code”, you’ll be able to see just how these games were made, and you can even remix them or use the code to build similar projects.
All right, without further ado, let’s see some games!
The Top 10 Clicker Games on Scratch
1. Candy Clicker by Coltroc
This is a pretty simple clicker game but it’s well-made. You click the candy in the middle of the screen and earn money.
There are several upgrades available (11), nice (if a little spooky) music, and there’s even the added feature of a random golden candy that you can click to boost your money.
The game also records high scores, which is another neat feature that many Scratch games are now utilising, thanks to Cloud Variables.
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/357587400/
2. Pokemon Clicker by tomergan
There’s lots to like about this game, especially if you’re a Pokemon fan. Though the graphics are a bit too pixelated to truly enjoy the Pokemon experience, this game is a lot of fun. Lots of upgrades in the form of different coloured Pokeballs.
There’s also another neat element to this game – the random event that gives you different Pokemon, which in turn give you more upgrades. You’ll be notified that you caught a Pokemon. You can then go to the shop to hatch it by clicking multiple times until the egg hatches.
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/116421566/
3. Clash Clicker by atomicmagicnumber
So, this is by far one of my favourites. It’s not your average clicker game; it combines elements of Tower Defence, in that you’re tasked with defending your territory from a whole host of bad guys who get stronger and stronger as the game progresses.
Your job is to click rapidly in order to shoot at your enemies, and every time you click, you earn money, which you must then use to upgrade your defences – reinforcing your walls, buying more powerful weapons, etc.
The graphics are really good on this, with some really neat animation throughout, from the weapons to the bad guys. You’ll love this one!
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/321689397/
4. Veggie Garden Clicker by zombiespin
I really enjoyed playing this game. The aim is to build out your vegetable garden by planting different vegetables, each of which give you more money. You click on the watering can to earn cash, which you then use to purchase various tools and higher yielding vegetables.
The graphics are good – “cute” is the word I’d use to describe them, and I like the way it genuinely feels like you’re building something/making real progress. The gameplay mechanics are also pretty good; the shop screen slides out nicely, and there’s a button to switch the music on and off.
All in all, a nice little game that’s simple yet elegantly put together.
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/785076655/
5. Minecraft Clicker by atomicmagicnumber
Minecraft fans will love this! This game has a lot of upgrades across different item groups – terrains, pick axes, and swords. Within each group, you’ll find 30 items, giving you 90 upgrades in total! Not bad.
There are even secret bonus items and the ability to change the background and music to suit your mood. A nice little feature is the status slab that tells you what level you’re at.
The graphics are in line with regular Minecraft graphics – pixelated. Non-Minecraft fans might not find them appealing.
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/665719610/
6. Aqua Clicker by HenryWolfe
Though this is quite a simple clicker game with straightforward game mechanics and goals, the artwork and animation is some of the best I’ve seen in this game genre on Scratch. Even the writing looks good. I like the random fish swimming in the background, giving the feeling of really being underwater.
The aim of this game is to click on the fish in the middle of the screen, collect money, and buy better fish that give you more money for your clicks. Periodically, you’ll get a treasure chest that drops from the sky and gives you extra cash when you open it.
There’s also an auto-click button that you can choose to turn on if you can’t be bothered to click.
It’s a pleasant game, I’d say. Go play it!
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/452347932/
7. City Maker/Creator by dillyd
Okay, so this game is a lot of fun. Very addictive. Yet another clicker game that steps outside of its genre, this time combining elements of tycoon games.
You’re tasked, as you might have guessed, with building a city by buying different types of buildings (houses, factories, etc.) that pay different amounts when clicked. There are several buildings (upgrades) which you can build once you’ve purchased a plot of land on which to place them. You’re even able to demolish lower paying buildings once you’re earning enough to buy better ones.
A nice touch, though completely unnecessary, is the hat shop, where you can spend your excess cash on silly hats that the character can wear.
When you buy certain buildings/businesses, they come with people, and the more people you have, the more money you make per second on auto-click.
The graphics are good – simplistic but good. An all around nice game.
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/521611041/
8. Job Clicker by JC_ProGold
There’s something pretty cool about working your way up the career ladder, gaining experience, and earning more and more cash in order to buy more experience and thus get a better-paying job. Sounds a bit like life, doesn’t it?
Well this neat little game puts the fun into career progression. You start off with zero experience, and the only job you’re qualified for is that of a janitor. Once you select that role, you have to click on the character and earn your wages. With the money, you buy upgrades that give you much-needed experience that will allow you to get a better job.
That’s basically it. The graphics are a little bland, but they’re neat and consistent. The creator definitely spent time getting this up to snuff.
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/717721890/
9. Farming Simulator by MrBoat123
A slightly different take on your average clicker game, where instead of clicking the same item in the middle of the screen, you have to click on mangoes that spawn randomly on different areas of the screen.
Each time you click, you get money, which you can use to buy workers or machinery. These upgrades, yep, you guessed it, give you more money per second on auto-click.
What’s nice about this game is the animated sprites. You put them to work and watch them go. It makes the game feel more complex than it is. The art work isn’t bad, either.
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/200847850/
10. The Simpsons Clicker 2 by dj111
I’ve included this one mainly because it features many of the characters from the world’s favourite cartoon.
What can I say? You click on the famous pink donut (that’s had a chunk bitten out of it, probably by Homer), and build up your money so you can buy well-known characters, buildings, and vehicles from Springfield.
In regular clicker game fashion, each item or character is worth more than the next. Upgrading to better paying items gives you more money for your clicks. There are lots of upgrades, which keeps the game interesting.
Nothing too complicated here, but it’s a nice little game for all you Simpsons fans. The Simpsons theme music is also included.
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/251051543/
This is just a small selection of what’s on offer on Scratch. Do check them out if you want some inspiration or ideas for creating your very own clicker game. There are many others out there, but sadly I couldn’t include them all here. You can easily find more by typing “clicker” into the Scratch search bar.
Take a look at the code of all the games you like, see how the creators built them. This could help you if you ever get stuck making your own game.
I hope you enjoy these games as much as I did. Cheerio!
