Spacebar clicker is an idle game you play with the Space key. Every press banks presses, and you spend them on helpers that keep pressing for you and on upgrades that make each press worth more. Press fast to fill the tempo meter and your own presses earn up to three times as much. It runs in the browser on Windows, Mac, Chromebook and Linux with any keyboard, and on phones and tablets you tap the big bar instead. The game saves on this device, so you can close the tab and come back to a bigger bank.
How to play spacebar clicker
- Press Space or tap the bar. Each press adds to Presses banked.
- After 10 presses the first upgrade appears. Lighter springs costs 50 and adds 1 to every press.
- Hire a Desk cat for 15. Helpers press on their own, even while you rest.
- Keep buying the cheapest helper you can afford. Each one of a kind costs 15% more than the last.
- Buy helper upgrades when they appear. Each one doubles what that helper earns.
- Press fast when you want a burst. Four presses in a second makes each press worth 1.5 times as much, seven doubles it and ten triples it.
- Watch the milestones. Each one you reach adds 2% to everything you earn.
Use Buy 10 once a helper is cheap compared with your bank. It saves a lot of clicks later in the game.
What the numbers mean
| Readout | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Presses banked | What you can spend right now |
| A second from helpers | What all your helpers earn each second, with upgrades and milestones |
| Per press now | What your next press is worth at your current tempo |
| Tempo | Your own presses in the last second, from 0 to 13 lights |
| Best tempo | The most presses you have made in one second |
| Milestones | Goals reached, each adding 2% to all earnings |
Every helper starts at a fixed price and rate. Upgrades double a helper when you own 1, 10, 25 and 50 of it.
| Helper | First one costs | Presses a second each |
|---|---|---|
| Desk cat | 15 | 0.1 |
| Metronome | 100 | 1 |
| Solenoid tapper | 1,100 | 8 |
| Robot finger | 12,000 | 47 |
| Keyboard factory | 130,000 | 260 |
| Typing pool | 1.4 million | 1,400 |
| Server rack | 20 million | 7,800 |
| Spacebar satellite | 330 million | 44,000 |
| Space elevator | 5.1 billion | 260,000 |
Nothing in the game is left to chance. Every price, rate and bonus is fixed, so planning pays off.
A spacebar clicker strategy that works
Early on, your own presses matter most, so buy the press upgrades first: Lighter springs, then Lubed stabilizers, which doubles every press. Once you own a few metronomes, helpers overtake your thumb and the best value is whatever doubles the helper you own most of. Bigger spacebar and the later press upgrades add a share of your helper rate to every press, which keeps pressing worthwhile late in the game. Save the tempo bonus for moments when a press is worth a lot, such as right after a press upgrade.
Your progress is gone
The save lives in this browser's storage for this site. It disappears when:
- you play in a private or incognito window, which clears storage when it closes
- you clear cookies and site data, or a cleaning app does it for you
- you open the game in a different browser, a different browser profile or on another device
There is no account or cloud save, so a game on your laptop and one on your phone are separate.
Space scrolls the page instead of counting
The game only listens to Space while it is on screen, so you can still scroll the article with Space once you move down the page. If Space scrolls while the game is in view, a text box or search field probably has focus. Click an empty part of the game panel and press again. Holding Space down counts as one press, the same way a key held down in a game counts as one action.
Space presses go missing or count twice
The game counts every press the keyboard sends. If a firm press does nothing, or one press shows two pop ups, the keyboard is at fault rather than the game.
- A sticky or uneven spacebar. The long bar rides on a stabilizer wire. Dirt or dry wire ends make one side catch. Pull the keycap off a mechanical keyboard and clean or lubricate the wire ends.
- Pressing the very end of the bar. On many keyboards the ends do not register a light press. Press in the middle.
- A key that types twice. A worn switch can bounce and send two presses. Check it with the keyboard tester, which marks keys that type twice from one press.
- No response at all. If no key works, the guide for a keyboard not working covers cables, receivers, Bluetooth and drivers.
Spacebar clicker or spacebar counter
The game rewards speed, but it is built for long sessions, not a fair timed test. To measure how fast you can press Space in 5, 10 or 60 seconds, with a score, a speed graph and personal bests, use the spacebar counter. For a mouse version of the same test, try the click speed test, and for raw reflexes the reaction time test.
Does it wear out your keyboard?
Mechanical and membrane keyboard switches are rated for millions of presses, and a long game session uses a tiny fraction of that. The parts that suffer first are the stabilizer under the spacebar and, on laptops, the thin plastic clips under each keycap. Press with your thumb or finger near the middle of the bar, do not slam it, and take a break when your hand feels tired. Fast pressing for a long time can strain the wrist and forearm like any repeated motion.
What the game cannot do
The save is local only, with no leaderboard, so scores cannot be compared with other players. Helpers keep pressing while you are away at half speed for up to 8 hours, then stop until you return. The timer for Time played counts only while the page is open.
Spacebar clicker questions
Does spacebar clicker save my progress?
Yes. The game saves to this browser every few seconds and when you leave the page. It comes back when you return on the same device and browser. A private window, clearing site data or switching browser starts a new game.
Is spacebar clicker free?
Yes. There is nothing to buy, no account and nothing to download. Every helper and upgrade is paid for with presses you earn in the game.
Can I play spacebar clicker on a phone or Chromebook?
Yes. On a phone or tablet, tap the big bar instead of pressing Space. On a Chromebook or any laptop, the Space key works as normal.
What does the tempo bonus do?
It rewards fast pressing. Count how many times you pressed Space in the last second: 4 or more makes each press worth 1.5 times as much, 7 or more doubles it and 10 or more triples it. It only applies to your own presses, not to helpers.
Do helpers keep pressing when I close the page?
Yes, at half speed for up to 8 hours. When you come back, the game adds what they pressed while you were away and shows the total.
Will pressing Space this much hurt my keyboard?
Not normally. Keyboard switches are built for millions of presses. Press the middle of the bar rather than one end, and do not hammer a laptop keyboard, whose thin keycaps clip on with small plastic hinges.