Closed-tab field test · September 28, 2026

Best incremental games for closing the tab: does progress continue?

In our short, same-browser test, Antimatter Dimensions restored a saved run, showed an offline-progress simulation, and finished with more antimatter than we had before closing. Candy Box 2 returned to zero candies after we closed a fresh run without making a manual save. The Candy Box result is a save-state warning, not proof that a saved run cannot earn offline progress.

Antimatter Dimensions: the saved run reopened with an offline simulation. The display settled at 212.1 antimatter, above the 66.2 seen before closing.

Candy Box 2: the fresh run showed 114 candies before closing and zero on reopening. We had not made a manual save.

Conceptual illustration of two different outcomes after closing a laptop: a still candy jar and a growing abstract particle vessel — Original conceptual illustration, not game footage.

Method: on September 28, 2026, we opened the linked browser versions in the same Chrome profile, made small early-game changes, closed both tabs, and reopened them later in that profile. We did not change device, clear browser data, test a long absence, or verify background-tab behavior. The two runs also differed in their save step, so this is not a controlled head-to-head measurement of offline earning rates.

Antimatter Dimensions: a saved run simulated the gap

The browser game opened at 10.0 antimatter with zero production. We bought one first Antimatter Dimension for 10 antimatter, changing the displayed rate to one antimatter per second. In Options → Saving, the page showed a 30-second autosave interval. We used Save game when the counter read 43.8. It read 66.2 just before the tab closed, so we cannot assume that 66.2 was the last saved value.

On reopening, the game displayed an “Offline Progress Simulation” panel with a 3,111-tick total. Once it finished, the counter read 212.1 antimatter and still displayed one antimatter per second. This run therefore demonstrates a saved state plus a visible catch-up process. The precise amount earned while closed cannot be isolated from the saved-state timing and the few seconds spent watching the simulation.

Candy Box 2: the fresh run did not return

The browser page identified itself as version 1.2.3. Without clicking, the fresh run's candy display rose from zero to 114 before we closed its tab. Reopening the same URL in the same browser profile displayed zero candies, then began a new count. We did not locate or use a manual save control in that short opening test, so the observed reset does not establish how a deliberately saved Candy Box 2 run behaves.

If you are choosing a game specifically for closing and returning, do not equate a rising counter while the page is open with a verified saved return. Check the game's save behavior first. Our separate save-and-refresh test covers a narrower question and does not claim closed-tab earnings.

Conceptual illustration of a notebook and two separate closed-laptop test stations — Original illustration of the test method; not a screenshot or a record of game controls.

Does a paused background tab behave the same way?

We did not test it here. In a player discussion about browsers pausing games, participants described the difference between an inactive tab and a game that calculates a return after closure. An Antimatter Dimensions player discussion likewise separates background-tab behavior from offline simulation. Those are player accounts, not a guarantee for this browser, device, or a long absence.

The practical answer from this test is limited but useful: Antimatter Dimensions visibly caught up after a saved, closed-tab return; our unsaved Candy Box 2 opening did not preserve its counter. For either game, verify the save state before treating an unattended run as progress you can keep.