The idle game TBH: Task Bar Hero is making waves as it takes over the top lists on Steam. But what is behind it?
Making money by playing games. This is a big dream for many, but only a few can fulfill it. Becoming a pro gamer is rarely enough. But what if you could farm rare items in a game and then sell them to other players?
This fantasy is exactly what a small idle game caters to, which you can casually play alongside.
Another game of this kind is Melvor Idle:
Earn real money in the Steam Marketplace – an appeal for many
What kind of game is this? In TBH: Task Bar Hero on Steam, you play the role of a hero who fights for survival at the bottom of your screen – that is, in the taskbar. He battles through dungeons, defeats numerous enemies, and is rewarded with experience points and loot. Most of it happens automatically, but you can influence things, such as the selected equipment.
The base game is free, but there are various supporter packs that unlock new heroes or increase the drop chances of rewards like gold or experience points.
How popular is the game right now? Looking at the statistics on Steam Charts, TBH has fantastic player numbers. Right after the launch, the number of concurrent active players surged to 260,000. Since then, it has consistently exceeded 300,000 players.
This is partly because the game can be played “on the side” and simply runs passively in the taskbar, but also because there was already a solid player count before the official release on Steam. TBH didn’t start at zero.
Why is the game popular? On one hand, TBH is a typical idle game with RPG elements. It entices with character development and many items to discover. However, the twist is: The items can be traded and sold through the marketplace. Those who want can spend real money to give their hero the best gear.
Many see a lucrative source of income in this. Because who wouldn’t dream of earning a few euros just because a “side game” dropped a great item?
Reviews are getting worse: Despite the great success with many concurrent players, the reviews are rather poor. Currently, only 43% of over 2,000 reviews recommend the game (as of June 6, 2026, 14:30). Representing many others, here is an excerpt from the review by Lextao:
The game was good and a fun idle game, but the developers are actively ruining it. Instead of fighting Chinese bots and addressing marketplace scammers, they are punishing their most engaged paying customers by silently reducing drop rates and ruining progression. You had a hidden gem here, but somehow managed to ruin the triumph at the last moment.
Many criticize that the developers are doing nothing against the numerous bots that are supposed to run the game on many computers simultaneously to flood the market with items. Furthermore, with the release, the drop rates of items have deteriorated, which some believe is meant to further encourage the trading of items.
Has there been something like this before? Yes. A comparable game with a similar concept was “Banana”. In this (very generously termed) game, you could collect bananas. There were also very special, rare bananas that were only obtainable during special events or after a long time. The bananas were then traded for a lot of money in the marketplace. The trend seems to be similar with TBH: Task Bar Hero.
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