One of the best feelings in an idle game is opening the app in the morning and seeing a big "Welcome back" message with a pile of money. That money is called offline earnings. This guide explains how games work it out, why there is usually a limit, and what you can do to get more of it. At the end there is a small calculator you can play with.
What are offline earnings?
Offline earnings are the money your business makes while the game is closed. Your phone is not running the game in the background. Instead, when you open the game again, it looks at how long you were gone and works out what your business would have earned in that time. Then it gives you the result in one go.
This is why offline earnings work even if your phone was switched off. The game only needs two things: the time you left and the time you came back.
The simple formula
Most idle games use a formula that looks like this:
Offline earnings = income per minute × minutes away × offline rate
Here is what each part means.
- Income per minute is how much your business earns per minute while you play. Many games show this number on screen.
- Minutes away is how long the game was closed, up to a limit.
- Offline rate is the share of your normal income you get while away. Some games give 100%, many give less, such as 25% or 50%.
Example: your business earns $200 per minute. You close the game for 3 hours, which is 180 minutes. The offline rate is 50%.
$200 × 180 × 0.5 = $18,000 waiting for you.
Why is there a time limit?
Almost every idle game has a cap, such as 2 hours, 8 hours or 12 hours. After that, your business stops earning until you come back. There are good reasons for this.
- It keeps the game balanced. Without a cap, someone who leaves for a month would come back with so much money that the game would be over.
- It invites you back. A cap gently reminds you to check in, which is part of the daily rhythm of idle games.
- It keeps playing worth it. If closing the game paid the same as playing, there would be no reason to play.
Many games let you raise the cap with upgrades, so a bigger business can stay away for longer.
Try it: offline earnings calculator
Type in your own numbers and see how much your business would make while you are away.
The calculator uses the same formula as above. Real games may add small extras, such as boosts or staff bonuses, but the idea is the same.
How to earn more while you are away
- Upgrade your income before you leave. Offline earnings are based on your income per minute, so any upgrade you buy just before closing the game pays you for hours.
- Fix the slowest part first. If your income is held back by a long queue, more customers will not help. Fixing the bottleneck raises your real income, which raises your offline earnings too. We explain this with a real example in our Tiny Airport devlog about the check in queue.
- Raise the cap if the game allows it. If you often stay away for 8 hours but the cap is 2 hours, a cap upgrade is worth more than almost anything else.
- Use a "double offline earnings" reward when it is big. Many games offer a rewarded ad to double your offline money. It is most worth it after a long time away, when the amount is large.
- Hire helpers or managers. In some games, parts of your business only run on their own after you hire someone for them.
Offline earnings in our games
In Tiny Airport, you can own more than one airport. The airport you are looking at earns at full speed. The others keep running at half speed and put their money into their own bank account, and they keep doing this while the game is closed. When you come back, each airport has its own savings ready to spend.
Rented hangars also keep paying rent while you are away, so a well run airport keeps earning in more than one way.
In Food Truck Empire, your trucks keep serving the plaza while you are gone, so a quick upgrade before bed can turn into a nice surprise in the morning.
Both games are still in development, so the exact numbers may change before launch.
A warning about changing your phone's clock
Some players try to trick idle games by moving their phone's clock forward. Please do not do this. Many games notice the change and can cancel the reward. Worse, it can confuse your save and cause lost progress. It also takes away the fun of watching your business grow. Playing honestly is the safest way to keep your progress.
Quick questions
Do offline earnings work without internet? In most idle games, yes. The game only needs your phone's clock. Ads and purchases need internet, but your business keeps earning either way.
Why did I get less than I expected? You probably hit the time cap, or the offline rate is lower than 100%. Check the game's upgrade screen for the cap.
Is it better to keep the game open? Usually you earn more while playing, because the offline rate is often lower than 100% and you can use boosts. But closing the game is fine. That is what idle games are made for.
The short version
Offline earnings are worked out when you return, using your income per minute, the time you were away and the offline rate, up to a cap. To get more, raise your income before you leave, fix bottlenecks and raise the cap when you can. If you are new to the genre, read what an idle tycoon game is, or jump to our tips for beginners.