Build a football dynasty from the backyard.
Gridiron Idle: Football Tycoon starts you with one free running back and a 40-yard field. Touchdowns earn cash; cash buys players, footballs and plays; the program climbs 10 levels to the Hall of Fame.
The business
Every touchdown is revenue.
Each score pays cash, and the pay per score climbs with every level from Peewee on: 7x the Backyard's in the Peewee League, 8x at Juco, 12x at Small College, 27x in the Developmental League and 90x in the Hall of Fame. Home-Field Advantage adds 25% to every touchdown, and from Small College each level of the TV Deal adds 20% more.
Prices rise with every hire of the same kind, so the smart money goes where it moves the most. The field shows you where that is: players standing around, balls stuck in the end zone, backs waiting for a snap.
Nothing you buy is ever taken away. There is no reset: cash, roster, footballs, plays and upgrades stay with you from the Backyard to the Hall of Fame.
Your hires
The roster
- Running back. Carries a ball to the end zone. Your first one is free.
- Center. Fetches balls and snaps them into play.
- Ball boy. Throws dead balls from the end zone back to the line.
- Game ball. One more football in circulation.
- Quarterback. Throws to receivers waiting downfield. From High School.
- Wide receiver. Catches passes and runs them in. From High School.
Beyond the roster, Training & Equipment (paid with cash) raises the ceilings: Team speed, Ball Machines on the line and Ball capacity. From Small College it adds Ball Sponsorship (cheaper balls), a TV Deal (more cash per score) and four coaching upgrades.
The climb
Ten levels, ten kits.
Career points fill the bar; a full bar moves you up a level. Your team changes colours each time.
- LEVEL 1Backyard
- LEVEL 2Peewee League
- LEVEL 3High School
- LEVEL 4Juco
- LEVEL 5Small College
- LEVEL 6Power Conference
- LEVEL 7Developmental League
- LEVEL 8The Pro League
- LEVEL 9Dynasty
- LEVEL 10Hall of Fame
Level by level
What each level brings.
The early levels change the game the most: a longer field, a bigger payout per score, and at High School the passing game. After that, each level opens new plays in the Playbook.
The late game has its own upgrades. From Small College, Training & Equipment sells a Ball Sponsorship, a TV Deal and four coaching upgrades, and in the Hall of Fame a touchdown bonus keeps raising what every score pays.
- 1. Backyard
A 40-yard field and one free running back. Hurry-Up is your first play.
- 2. Peewee League
The field grows to 80 yards and every score pays 7x. Sideline Crew and Ball Rotation open.
- 3. High School
The full 100-yard field. Quarterbacks and wide receivers go on sale, and Motion, Inside Zone, Bench Rotation, Quick Slant and Vertical Stems open.
- 4. Juco
Every score pays 8x. Trap, Officials' Hustle and No-Huddle Passing open.
- 5. Small College
Every score pays 12x. Wildcat, Four Verticals, Empty Backfield, Home-Field Advantage and Situational Substitution open, and Training & Equipment adds Ball Sponsorship and the TV Deal.
- 6. Power Conference
Every score pays 18x. The big plays: Ground and Pound, Air It Out and Script the First 15. The Receivers coach goes on sale.
- 7. Developmental League
Every score pays 27x. The Quarterbacks coach goes on sale.
- 8. The Pro League
Every score pays 40x. The Grounds crew goes on sale.
- 9. Dynasty
Every score pays 60x. Tempo goes on sale: the last step before the Hall of Fame.
- 10. Hall of Fame
Every score pays 90x, and a touchdown bonus keeps growing: 1.5x more cash for every 150,000 career points you score here.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is there a football tycoon game for mobile?
Gridiron Idle: Football Tycoon is one. It is free on iPhone, iPad and Android. Touchdowns earn cash, you reinvest it in players, footballs and plays, and you climb ten levels from the Backyard to the Hall of Fame.
Is there a game where you build a football dynasty?
In Gridiron Idle you start with one running back in a backyard and build a program that climbs through Peewee, High School, Juco, college and the pros to Dynasty and the Hall of Fame, with a bigger payout at every level.
Is there a casual football GM game for phones?
If you want the GM decisions without the spreadsheets, Gridiron Idle is close: you decide who to hire, which plays to buy and when to add footballs, and every shop card tells you what the hire would add right now. It is not a draft-and-contracts simulator.
Is there a football team management game that isn't complicated?
Gridiron Idle has six things to buy and one rule: find what is slowing the offense down. You can learn it in the first minute.
Can you build a football team from nothing?
That is exactly how Gridiron Idle starts: no players, no money, and one free running back to sign.