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What is Particle Clicker?
Particle Clicker is a free browser-based incremental ("clicker") game about running a particle-physics lab. It was created during the CERN Webfest 2014 and borrows its core loop from Cookie Clicker: you click a detector to generate events, convert that activity into data, and reinvest it to grow.
How it plays
According to the game's own page, the loop has three currencies and a small team-building layer:
- Data — produced by clicking the detector and by the workers you hire.
- Funding — money spent on workers and upgrades.
- Reputation — earned through research, which you unlock and level up as you progress.
- HR — you hire staff whose output is measured in data per second, the classic idle-game growth curve.
- Upgrades and research — permanent boosts and new research lines that raise your yield.
- Achievements and statistics — tracked progress, including total clicks and data spent versus collected.
It is explicitly framed as a "historic journey through modern particle physics," so the research names and milestones reference real physics topics rather than generic fantasy upgrades. The page lists version 0.9 and labels itself a pre-release.
Who it suits
- Curious non-physicists who want a light, playful entry point to particle-physics vocabulary.
- Fans of idle games who enjoy optimizing output-per-second and chasing achievement lists.
- Teachers or outreach organizers looking for a low-stakes classroom or event activity.
It is not a simulation or a teaching tool with structured explanations; the physics is flavor wrapped around a clicker mechanic.
Practical caveats
The page notes the game runs best in landscape orientation, that mobile play is landscape-only, and that the event display's performance depends heavily on your hardware. Progress is saved with a visible save timestamp and a manual "Save now" option, so if you care about a long run, save deliberately.
Next step: if you want to try it, open Particle Clicker in a desktop browser in landscape view, click the detector a few times to feel the loop, then spend your first funding on workers rather than upgrades—steady data-per-second income usually compounds faster early on.
How does the game simulate a particle physics research career?
Particle Clicker turns a research career into an incremental clicker: you start by clicking a detector to generate events, convert those into data, and reinvest data and funding into people, upgrades and research that raise your output. The page describes it as a historic journey through modern particle physics, borrowing the loop from Cookie Clicker.
The career loop on the page
- Detector clicks → events → data. Clicking the detector is the entry-level "work"; the counter shows data collected and spent.
- HR and staff. Named workers each have a hire count, a description and a data-per-second rate, so your career grows by building a team rather than only clicking.
- Funding. Money is a separate currency with its own collected/spent statistics, used alongside data for upgrades.
- Research and reputation. Research items are hidden as "?????" until unlocked, each with a level, a reputation yield and a data cost — the progression ladder that stands in for a scientific portfolio.
- Upgrades. Purchasable items with an effect and a cost, the standard way to multiply your existing operation.
- Achievements and statistics. Progress is tracked against an achievement list with timestamps, plus totals for clicks, data and money — a career record rather than a single score.
A concrete example: a player who enjoys optimization will spend early data on staff to raise passive data per second, then save for research that yields reputation, while a casual player may just keep clicking the detector. The trade-off is breadth versus depth: hiring widely raises steady income, while concentrating on research and upgrades changes what your lab is known for. The game is explicitly a pre-release (version 0.9), designed for landscape orientation, and the event display's performance depends on your hardware — relevant if you plan to play on a low-end phone or an older laptop.
For a next step, treat the statistics panel as your lab notebook: compare data spent against data collected after a session to see whether hiring or upgrades gave the better return, then adjust. The project's source and issue tracker are on GitHub, and the game itself is at Particle Clicker.
What upgrades and research options are available in Particle Clicker?
Particle Clicker's upgrades and research are the two main ways to turn clicking into steady progress. The game itself describes research as generating reputation and upgrades as purchasable effects tied to your detector, staff and data output; the page also shows HR hiring alongside them, so the three systems work together rather than as separate mini-games.
What each system does
- Research: You unlock research items in sequence; each has a name, a level and a description, and produces reputation. Early items are hidden as "?????" until you reach them, so the exact list is something you discover as you play rather than read up front. Research is the long-term progression layer.
- Upgrades: These are one-off purchases with a stated effect and a cost in funding. They modify how your detector, staff or data production behave, so they are the short-term efficiency layer.
- HR (hiring): Staff have a description, a hiring cost and a data-per-second rate. They are the passive-income layer that makes research and upgrades affordable without constant clicking.
A typical play pattern
A new player clicks the detector to generate events, spends the resulting data on HR to build passive data per second, and uses funding to buy upgrades that raise that output. Reputation from research then gates access to stronger research. The practical decision is whether to spend funding on an upgrade now or save it for a hire that compounds over time; upgrades pay off fastest when you are actively clicking, while hires pay off when you leave the game running.
Trade-offs to weigh
Upgrades are immediate but finite, so buying them early smooths the opening and buying them late wastes their benefit. Research is slower but unlocks reputation, which is the metric the game tracks separately from data and funding. Staff scale with how long you play, so they suit longer sessions and are less useful for a quick visit.
Particle Clicker is a CERN Webfest 2014 project inspired by Cookie Clicker, available at Particle Clicker; the page notes it is a pre-release (version 0.9) and runs best in landscape orientation. For a concrete next step, open the Research tab first and note which items are still hidden, then check whether your current funding is better spent on the next upgrade or on one more hire.
How do I save my progress and restart the game?
Particle Clicker saves your progress automatically, and you can also save manually or restart from the same top menu. The page shows a "Saved: {{ lastSaved | date: 'H:mm' }}" indicator with a "Save now" button and a "Restart" option next to it.
Saving progress
- Automatic saving: The game tracks progress on its own; the timestamp next to "Saved" tells you when it last saved.
- Manual save: Click "Save now" before closing the tab or switching devices, especially if you've just made a big purchase or reached a new research level.
- What's preserved: The interface tracks your data, reputation, funding, staff hires, upgrades, research levels and achievements, so a save captures the full run rather than just the click count.
Restarting the game
- "Restart" in the top menu resets the run. Use it deliberately: it's the option to reach for when you want a clean slate, not a quick undo.
- Before restarting, note that progress is tied to the browser session shown by the save indicator. If you're unsure whether a restart is what you want, save first so you have a timestamp to compare against, then restart and confirm the counters have reset.
Practical scenario
If you're playing on a laptop and plan to continue on a phone, click "Save now" before leaving, then reopen the game in landscape orientation on the mobile device. The game states it runs best in landscape mode, and mobile play requires landscape orientation, so rotating the device is part of the routine rather than a troubleshooting step.
The game is a pre-release (version 0.9), and the authors ask that bugs be reported through GitHub issues. If a save doesn't seem to stick, that's the channel to use. For background on the project, see Particle Clicker.
Can I play Particle Clicker on mobile devices?
Yes. Particle Clicker runs in a mobile browser, with one important condition: the game states that it can only be played on a mobile device in landscape orientation. Rotate your phone sideways and it should work; the page also notes that the event display's performance depends heavily on your hardware, so older or low-end phones may feel sluggish.
What to expect on a phone
- Controls: The core loop is tapping the detector to generate events, so a touchscreen suits it naturally; the rest is menu-driven (Research, HR, Upgrades, Achievements, Statistics).
- Saving: The interface shows a "Saved" timestamp and a "Save now" button, so use the manual save before closing the tab rather than relying on the browser staying open.
- Version: It is labelled a pre-release (version 0.9), and bug reports are directed to GitHub issues, so occasional glitches are plausible.
Practical next step
If the page loads but the game looks cramped or unresponsive, check that rotation lock is off, then reload in landscape. For a quick comparison of what the game is, it borrows its structure from Cookie Clicker but frames progress as a historic journey through modern particle physics, made during the CERN Webfest 2014; the original Cookie Clicker shows the genre template it follows. The game's source is published on GitHub under an MIT licence, which matters if you want to study or adapt it rather than just play.
Where can I report bugs or contact the developers?
Report bugs through the project's GitHub issues page, which the game's About section names as the place to file bug reports. For general contact, email the developers at [email protected]. The About section also says you can reach them via GitHub, and the game's source is published there under an MIT license.
Both channels are listed on Particle Clicker's own About panel, so you don't need to hunt elsewhere.
A practical next step: before filing, note your device, browser and orientation, since the game states it runs best in landscape and warns that the event display's performance depends heavily on your hardware. Include those details in the issue so the developers can tell a genuine bug from a slow device.
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