A Fossil Excavation Clicker App: How to Play Fossil Dig Clicker, Collecting 26 Kinds of Fossils Through Idle Mining
Published 2026/10/25 / by MASHIMARO produce
Disclosure: the app in this article was developed and distributed by the operator of this site, Free Game Com (indie developer Masimaro).
"I like idle games and clickers." "Dinosaurs, fossils and minerals feel romantic to me." For anyone like that, here is Fossil Dig Clicker: Idle Mining Incremental.
Note: price, supported OS, size and age rating are based on the App Store listing as of October 29, 2026. They can change, so check the latest information on the store page before buying. The app's name is our English translation of the Japanese title, and the in-game text may be Japanese or English.
Key points
- An excavation incremental where you tap rocks to break them and, on finding a raw stone, carefully carve out the fossil
- Hitting the fossil itself lowers its 'preservation', which directly affects its buyback price
- A 26-fossil encyclopedia, five dig sites, eight upgrades, and mining drones and AUTO let you play idle
- Distributed on iPhone (App Store)
What kind of game is it?
An excavation incremental game that starts from nothing more than the feel of tapping rocks with a pickaxe to break them. Most are just stones, but every so often a "raw stone" with something buried inside shows up.
Now the real game: careful carving
When you get a raw stone, the game switches to excavation mode. A fossil lies asleep inside the mass of rock on the display stand. You break the covering rock one piece at a time to expose the fossil, but if you hit the fossil itself, its preservation drops. Preservation directly affects its buyback price and is also recorded in the encyclopedia.
The quality of the host rock differs by location. Bright, whitish sandstone is brittle, while blue-black rock and white quartz veins are hard. The hard parts are connected as layers and veins, so decisions arise such as "avoid this vein and work around the soft spots". Rock that has lost its connection to the fossil crumbles away on its own.
A 26-fossil encyclopedia and five dig sites
- 26 fossils: ammonites, trilobites, sea lilies and petrified wood, plus a T. rex tooth, a Triceratops horn, a pterosaur wing bone and an Archaeopteryx skeleton. At the top are rough diamond, emerald, amethyst geode and meteorite fragments. All fossils are modeled in 3D, and 3D models line up in the encyclopedia.
- Five dig sites: a grassland outcrop, a scorching dune, an icebound valley, volcanic black gravel and a deep-sea ruin. The sky color, terrain and music change at each site.
It progresses even while idle
- Mining drones: once purchased, they keep breaking rocks automatically while you're not looking.
- AUTO button: with the button at the top of the screen, the excavator automatically runs to rocks and keeps digging.
- Eight kinds of upgrades: pickaxe power, break range, number and speed of drones, a lucky compass, a fossil detector, a connoisseur's strike, an appraiser's connections and more. Which you raise first changes the tempo.
- There are also museum requests (always three) and 15 kinds of achievements.
What to check before buying
- Price: 120 yen (App Store)
- Supported OS and size: iOS 15.0 or later, about 6 MB
- Age rating: 4+
- Languages: Japanese and English (switch with one tap)
Note: check the store page before purchase for whether there are in-app purchases and what they are.
Who it's for, and who it isn't
Recommended for: people who like the feel of work, who like filling collections and who want to progress a little at a time in spare moments.
Not for: people who want a story or complex strategy.
If you want to try for free first
The browser game Idle Bomb Miner is also free to play.
Download: App Store (we have not confirmed a Google Play version)
FAQ
Q. Does Fossil Dig Clicker progress while idle?
A. According to the store description, once you buy a mining drone it keeps breaking rocks automatically while you're not looking. You can also have the excavator keep digging automatically with the AUTO button at the top of the screen.
Q. How many kinds of fossils are there?
A. According to the store description, a 26-fossil encyclopedia, from ammonites and trilobites to a T. rex tooth and an Archaeopteryx skeleton, plus higher-tier gems and meteorite fragments.
Q. Can children play?
A. The App Store age rating is 4+. Check the content before buying.
Q. Can I play on Android?
A. This app is distributed on the App Store (iPhone). We have not confirmed distribution on Google Play.