Short answer: Evolve for the closest civilization game, from ooze to space, A Dark Room for a village that hides a story, and Trimps for deep automation. All three are free in the browser. Below: 8 games, what each shares with Kittens Game and what changes.
Updated October 18, 2026 · Steam ratings checked the same day · By the Garbage Growth team
| If you want | Play | On Steam |
|---|---|---|
| Closest: a civilization to space | Evolve | Not on Steam |
| A village with a story | A Dark Room | Very Positive · 74 Steam reviews |
| Deep automation | Trimps | Very Positive · 1,506 Steam reviews |
| A swarm that explodes | Swarm Simulator | Not on Steam |
| From paperclips to space | Universal Paperclips | Not on Steam |
Kittens Game (Nuclear Unicorn) asks you to manage a village of kittens as they gather resources and unlock new technologies, all the way to space. It is mostly text and numbers, slow and deep, and free in the browser (play it here); a Steam version also exists. A game like it needs a small start that grows into a whole civilization, many resources to balance, and the patience to plan.
Our game
Our game: pick up trash, hire rats to collect it for you, and grow your pollution from a park to the sea to get rich.
Like Kittens Game: A small start that grows into something much bigger, with upgrades everywhere.
What changes: Pixel art, rats and trash instead of text and spreadsheets.
Evolve a civilization from primordial ooze into a space-faring empire.
Like Kittens Game: A civilization that grows from almost nothing to space, with many resources to manage. Free in the browser (play it here).
What changes: You start even earlier, as a species, and in its own words there is a lot of micromanagement.
Official site ↗A minimalist, text-based RPG that starts in a cold, dark room with a fire to light.
Like Kittens Game: Text, resources and a village that grows around you. Free in the browser (play it here), also on Steam.
What changes: It turns into an adventure with a story instead of an endless build.
See it on Steam ↗A text-based incremental with a ridiculous amount of content: you automate old things as you unlock new ones.
Like Kittens Game: Text first, deep systems, and hundreds of upgrades to plan. Free in the browser (play it here) and on Steam.
What changes: More fighting and automation, less village management.
See it on Steam ↗Start with a few larvae and a small pile of meat, and grow a massive swarm of giant bugs.
Like Kittens Game: A tiny start, resources that feed each other, and huge growth. Free in the browser (play it here).
What changes: Bugs instead of kittens, and simpler: more about growth than planning.
Official site ↗You are an AI built to make paperclips, and you take the job very seriously.
Like Kittens Game: A text game that grows from one button to space. Free in the browser (play it here).
What changes: Shorter, with a story and an ending.
Official site ↗A free idle game about synergy, with hundreds of upgrades and many reset layers: in its own words, probably thousands of hours of content. Free in the browser and on Steam.
Best for: a very long game
See it on Steam ↗Dimensions produce antimatter until you reach Infinity, and the game turns into something else. Free in the browser and on Steam.
Best for: prestige layers and huge numbers
See it on Steam ↗This guide is written by the team behind Garbage Growth, an idle / incremental game on Steam. We kept games that:
Garbage Growth is our game. When it appears in a list it is marked Our game, and you can check its Steam reviews yourself. No studio paid to be on this page.
Evolve is the closest, with a civilization that grows from ooze to space. A Dark Room, Trimps (Very Positive on Steam, 1,506 reviews) and Swarm Simulator are also deep, text-first incremental games.
Yes, Kittens Game is free in the browser. A Steam version also exists (Very Positive on Steam, 83 reviews).
Most are: Evolve, A Dark Room, Trimps, Swarm Simulator and Universal Paperclips can all be played free in the browser.
Garbage Growth: pick up people’s trash, hire rats, pollute everything and become a quintillionaire.
🖱️ Hover the paper to pick it up👆 Tap the paper to pick it up
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