4 addictive clicker games like Best Fiends Forever

Clickers are passive games that take advantage of basic human psychology to suck you in, and they're totally unashamed of that. As long as you're aware that this game has been created to take hold of your brain and leave you perfectly content to continously tap for rewards like a rat in a Skinner box, there's no harm done, right?

As these types of mobile games have grown in popularity, developers have come up with fun ideas to diversify each title to throw something fresh into the pot. Take Best Fiends Forever, which melds traditional clicker mechanics with fun easter eggs and the familiar Best Fiends universe. If you're looking to branch out into other similar games, you're in luck -- there's a lot of great stuff to choose from. Let's take a look at four other wonderful clicker games.

An idle version of the old-school Lemonade Stand game, AdVenture Capitalist has you clicking to rake in cash to upgrade your fledgling drink stand. Eventually you'll be making enough money to expand into other business ventures, and before you know it, you'll be ruling the market. Along the way you can take on employees and purchase upgrades to maximize your profits. It's simple, but AdVenture Capitalist will hook you quickly.

Nonstop Knight is an idle adventure in dungeon crawler packaging. Watch as your little knight wanders around the dungeon looking for monsters to take a swing at. You'll tap to do damage, perform special abilites and collect coins. Coins allow you to upgrade you gear and move up the levels, and that's about all there is to it. It's simple, but we can guarantee you won't be able to put it down once it sinks its claws into you.

Soda Dungeon is definitely one of the more creative takes on the typical clicker. You run a tavern from which you recruit heroes to go stake out the local dungeon and collect gold and treasure. Your tavern starts off as tiny hole in the wall, but as you gain riches you'll be able to upgrade your pub and the sodas you offer on tap. As your menu expands, you'll attract new adventurers with distinct abilities that will help you progress further into the dungeon's dark depths. The game looks a treat, too, with gorgeously drawn sprites.

Rather than damp dungeons, Clicker Pirates sets you on an adventure in the high seas pillaging, plundering, and, yes, compulsively clicking. You can gather a diverse crew of pirates to aid you on your adventures slaying sea serpents and hunting for gold dubloons. There are hundreds of treasures to find, including legendary artifacts that tempt you with powerful buffs. It's a fun change of setting from the usual RPG fare most idle games default to.

There's not a whole lot of actual gaming involved when it comes to idle games, but they're still fun and many of them pack lots of charm. They're great time wasters on a long commute after work when you simply don't feel like using your brain anymore. The four games mentioned above are all great entries in the genre if you're looking for some more mindless tapping.

What are your favorite clicker games? Let us know in the comments below!