“I’m only now realizing how life-changing this is.”

Rusty’s Retirment is a new farming game on Steam that has a very special highlight: It only takes up about a quarter of your screen and runs automatically while you do other tasks on the PC. Success could change a developer’s life.

This is what the developer celebrates: On May 13, Jordan Morris, the solo developer behind Rusty’s Retirement and the popular Metroidvania Haiku, the Robot, reported on

The developer writes that he has primarily been working on fixes for the game since launch and is only just beginning to process it all: “I’m only now realizing how life-changing this is. From the bottom of my heart, thank you very much.”

Just 5 days after release, Rusty’s Retirement hit 100,000 sales. However, as Morris emphasizes, developing his games isn’t just about financial success. He is incredibly proud to have created something that brings genuine joy to people.”

Stardew Valley was one of the obvious inspirations for Rusty’s Retirement.

Gaming for multitasking artists

What kind of game is this anyway? Rusty’s Retirement is an idle game in the style of Stardew Valley, which sits either at the bottom or side of the screen. This means that players can watch their farm grow and prosper while working, writing homework or completing monotonous tasks on the PC.

The concept is reminiscent of so-called Screenmates, a kind of Tamagotchi for the desktop, which were popular a few years ago. The concept is well received: Rusty’s Retirement achieved a top rating of 96% positive on Steam.

However, not all players manage to resist the temptation to constantly look at their farm instead of working productively. As a productivity tool, Rusty’s Retirement can only be recommended to a limited extent. We have put together some reviews for you here

  • SeaKingNeptune: “I rate it and play it at the same time! I can watch my TV shows and check on my farm, which is nice!!! If you’re looking for a relaxing idle game, this is it!”
  • Lightclaw: “It’s a very good semi-idle game for my divided attention tendency. At 135 hours, I managed to 100% complete this game while working, being away, and just taking care of the farm in between.[…]“
  • [GWJ] Unicycles: “That’s what I call ADHD gaming. It’s actually really cute and as someone with ADHD who spends a lot of time studying/working at home, it’s pleasant and unobtrusive enough to be a nice little dopamine rush between tasks.[…]“
  • If you’re interested in farming games with an unusual twist, you should check out a new game that looks like Stardew Valley meets Don’t Starve. But be careful: The charming building game is much darker than it looks at first glance, so don’t let the looks of this farming game fool you, because absolutely anything can kill you

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