10 Best PC Collect-A-Thon Games

Cozy Grove

In most simulators, the main way to finish a game is to collect all of the things. Few simulations, though, are pure collect-a-thons like Cozy Grove, an independent game that syncs with real-world time and gives you new quests every day.

The main idea of Cozy Grove is that you are a Spirit Scout who lives on an island and takes care of animal spirits who have deep, interesting stories to tell. The tasks are where the collect-a-thon part of the game comes in, because the only way to make a spirit happy is to bring them all the things they want.

Placid Plastic Duck Simulator

Idle games are a different kind of collect-a-thon because the player just has to hang out in the game and wait for things to come to them. But a game like this can have a nice feel to it, which is the main idea behind Placid Plastic Duck Simulator.

The game is played in a nice pool, and each person starts by getting one rubber duck. Another rubber duck will show up every five to ten minutes. The point is to stay at the pool long enough for all of the ducks to start swimming around.

Cookie Clicker

Cookie Clicker, which came out in 2013 and has changed over time, is one of the most famous idle PC games. It was always a computer game, but in 2021 it came to Steam, where it joined a lot of other idle games.

In the beginning of Cookie Clicker, the player has to click on a big cookie to get more cookies. However, they can use the cookies they earn to buy upgrades to their clicking structure that allow them to get more cookies automatically. This version of the collect-a-thon is very addicting because the game never ends.

Demon Turf

Demon Turf is an independent 3D platformer that has gained a lot of fans because it’s fun to run through each level. Even though there aren’t a lot of collectibles on each stage, getting the battery will help move the game forward, and there are a few secret collectibles on each stage for those who want to get them all.

In Demon Turf, the use of stops is what makes platforming different from other games. Players can choose when to set a stop for themselves, but each level only gives them a certain number of them. This makes coming up with a plan for each of these bright but dark stages more complicated.

New Super Lucky’s Tale

The first version of the game was only available on Xbox One and PC, but New Super Lucky’s Tale started out on Switch and then came to PC and other systems soon after. The fun game changes the story and controls from the first one to make the experience tighter and more finished.

Players take on the part of Lucky Swiftail as he tries to protect the Book of Ages for his sister Lyra. The collect-a-thon part of New Super Lucky’s Tale comes in the form of coins, as there are hundreds of them to find on each level, as well as pages that can be put together to make a clover that lets you fight the level’s boss.

Ty The Tasmanian Tiger

Ty the Tasmanian Tiger was a game that came out during a time when there were a lot of fun 3D platforming collect-a-thons. However, it didn’t get as much attention as most of the other big names in the space. But the Australian game has been re-released on modern systems, so people can play it on modern hardware.

In Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, players handle the main character, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, as he tries to get his family out of a place called the Dreaming. To do this, he has to gather Thunder Eggs, which are used to meet the level’s winning condition and start a boss fight that players have to win to move on.

A Hat In Time

Classic platform games have been the inspiration for a lot of independent collect-a-thons. A Hat in Time is a fun 3D platformer that takes ideas from a lot of different games. The base game has four non-linear levels with very little fighting but epic boss fights.

Hat Kid goes on an adventure to find all of the “Time Pieces” that were spread on a planet and are the fuel for her spaceship after she lost them. In addition to gathering money and Time Pieces, players can also collect Relics and Rift Tokens, each of which has its own way to play.

Tinykin

In some games, the main goal is to just look around and find things. In Tinykin, players walk around big levels that are each meant to be a room in a house. Along the way, they can pick up a variety of items that help them move deeper into the game, including many hidden secrets.

Milo is an astronaut who landed on Earth but can’t get back to space. Funny Shooter is a game about putting together parts of a ship while dealing with the different bugs that live in this house. Tinykin, which are small creatures with different powers, are a big part of the platforming and puzzle-solving.

Lil Gator Game

A big part of collect-a-thons is running around bright environments, but they usually don’t have a story about growing up that is both funny and moving. This is the main idea behind the game Lil Gator Game, in which Lil Gator tries to get their big sister to stop doing homework so they can play outside.

To try to convince her, the player will go around and talk to a lot of other kids who could help turn their local playground into a full-fledged pretend town. The collect-a-thon parts of Lil Gator Game include breaking different monster standees and finding different clothes and tools.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy

It’s hard to think of all the well-known characters that made old-school platformers so famous and not include Spyro the Dragon. And the original Insomniac Games trio was redone by developers at Toys for Bob and released as Spyro Reignited trio.

In each game in the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, the normal loop is for Spyro to go into a level, collect the many gems that make up that level, and free the dragons that have been trapped in that level. There are also a lot of tasks that use the moves that Spyro has.