Cookie Clicker
- Platforms: PC
- Developer: Orteil
- Year: 2021
- Genres: Casual, Indie, Simulation, Strategy
- Tags: Single-player, Steam Achievements, Steam Workshop, Steam Cloud, Family Sharing
- Operating systems: Windows, macOS
Price comparison
Prices as listed by the stores, updated 2026-10-25. The store price is final.
An idle game about making absurd numbers of cookies, with upgrades, achievements, cloud saves, and Steam Workshop support.
Overview
Cookie Clicker is a single-player idle game about making cookies, originally released in 2013 and brought to Steam in 2021. You start by clicking a large cookie, then use what you earn to buy buildings and upgrades that generate more cookies on their own.
Progress becomes exponential rather quickly. Buildings, golden cookies, ascension, heavenly chips, prestige levels, wrinklers, sugar lumps, seasonal events, and minigames all feed into the same basic loop: make more cookies, then spend them to make even more cookies. The Steam version also includes cloud saving and community-made mods through Steam Workshop.
The game has been updated regularly since release and now carries a long list of achievements and unlocks. It also includes music by C418, and its Steam release is the official version for the platform.
Why play it
- Simple idle loop with a long upgrade path
- Large number of achievements and prestige systems
- Steam Workshop support for community mods
- Cloud saving, achievements, and single-player play
Quick facts
| Developer | Orteil |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Playsaurus |
| Release year | 2021 |
| Original release | 2013 |
| Genres | Casual, Indie, Simulation, Strategy |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS |
| Steam release date | 1 Sep, 2021 |
| Steam categories | Single-player, Steam Achievements, Steam Workshop, Steam Cloud, Family Sharing |
| Languages | English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Czech, Dutch, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese - Brazil, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Portuguese - Portuga |
| Minimum storage | 350 MB available space |
Beginner walkthrough
Start by clicking the cookie
The basic loop begins with clicking the big cookie. Each click earns cookies, which you then spend on buildings and upgrades. Those purchases improve how quickly cookies are produced, so the game gradually shifts from manual clicking to automated growth.
Use production, upgrades, and special events
Buildings such as cursors, grandmas, farms, mines, factories, banks, and temples generate cookies automatically. Golden cookies appear in random spots and can trigger temporary effects if clicked quickly enough. Upgrades improve clicks and buildings, and seasonal events add more cookies and unlocks during their holidays.
Reset for prestige
Once you reach the needed amount of cookies, you can ascend. That resets progress but grants heavenly chips and prestige levels, which give permanent boosts in later runs. Sugar lumps, wrinklers, and minigames add more ways to improve production over time.
Key characters
- Grandmas helpful builders
Grandmas are one of the early cookie-making helpers you can recruit to raise production.
- Farms production buildings
Farms are among the buildings that automatically generate cookies once purchased.
- Factories production buildings
Factories add to your automatic cookie production as you expand your setup.
- Portals late-game helpers
Portals are another type of cookie maker that fits into the game’s stranger side.
- Krumblor the Cookie Dragon unlockable dragon
Krumblor the Cookie Dragon is one of the special mechanics tied to progression.
Our take
Pros
- Idle progression with a lot of systems layered on top
- Over 500 achievements and over 600 upgrades
- Steam Cloud and Steam Workshop support
- Runs on Windows and macOS
Cons
- Single-player only
- Minimum requirements are modest but specific
- The game’s progression is built around repeated resets
Cookie Clicker is an idle game built around a very simple start and a very busy middle. It offers a large number of upgrades, achievements, and progression systems, plus Steam features like cloud saving and Workshop support. If you want a slow-burn number game with a lot of moving parts, this is that, and not much else.
Quick check
This check compares memory and disk space only. Compare your CPU and graphics card with the requirements above manually.Minimum requirements
Minimum: OS *: Microsoft® Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, or Windows 8 Classic Processor: 2.33GHz or faster x86-compatible processor, or Intel Atom™ 1.6GHz or faster processor for netbook class devices Memory: 512 MB RAM Storage: 350 MB available space
FAQ
What kind of game is Cookie Clicker?
It is an idle game about making cookies. You begin by clicking a large cookie, then use the cookies you earn to buy buildings and upgrades that produce more cookies automatically. It is listed as Casual, Indie, Simulation, and Strategy.
When did Cookie Clicker first come out?
Cookie Clicker was originally released in 2013. The Steam version launched on 1 Sep, 2021, and it is described as the official version for Steam.
What platforms does it support?
The game is listed for Windows and macOS. The Steam release is also marked with Steam Cloud, Steam Achievements, Steam Workshop, and Family Sharing.
Does Cookie Clicker have single-player only?
Yes. The Steam categories list it as Single-player. There is no multiplayer category listed.
What are some of the things you can unlock or use?
The game includes over 600 upgrades, over 500 achievements, heavenly perma-upgrades, cloud saving, mini-games, and community-made mods through Steam Workshop. The reference also mentions petting your dragon as one of the features.
What are the minimum requirements?
The minimum requirements list Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, or Windows 8 Classic; a 2.33GHz or faster x86-compatible processor, or Intel Atom 1.6GHz or faster for netbooks; 512 MB RAM; and 350 MB of available storage.
Updated: 2026-09-21 · More in the catalog · PC · C