Deploy legendary malware, generate bandwidth, unlock research trees, and prestige your way through real cybersecurity history.
Deploy legendary malware, generate bandwidth, unlock research trees, and prestige your way through real cybersecurity history.
// features
Part idle game, part cybersecurity history lesson. Bandwidth combines addictive incremental mechanics with real-world malware lore.
Deploy malware inspired by real cybersecurity history. Each virus you unlock reveals its true story, year, and the havoc it caused.
4 research branches — Network, Processing, Stealth, and Persistence — with 24 upgrades that shape your strategy each run.
"Go Dark" to reset and earn Exploits — a permanent currency that unlocks powerful multipliers and starting bonuses on the Dark Web.
Tap floating vulnerabilities — buffer overflows, SQL injections, zero-days — for bonus bandwidth. Stay active, get rewarded.
Automated viruses keep generating bandwidth while you sleep. Extend your offline cap with prestige upgrades for up to 24 hours.
Matrix Green, Amber Terminal, Purple Haze, Ocean Blue, Cyan Glow, and Blood Red. Unlock them through achievements and prestige.
// progression
Not just another clicker. Every layer of Bandwidth feeds into the next, keeping you hooked whether you play for 5 minutes or 5 hours.
Each new virus is a real piece of malware history waiting to be discovered. Earn enough bandwidth and the next tier reveals itself.
Level up your viruses to milestone thresholds for massive multiplier spikes. These are the moments that reshape your entire run.
"Go Dark" to earn Exploits and spend them on permanent upgrades. Each prestige run is faster and more powerful than the last.
There's more to discover beyond the final virus. Hidden unlocks and secret upgrades await the most dedicated players.
// getting started
The core loop is simple, but the depth is real. Here's the quick version.
Tap a virus to begin its cycle — a progress bar fills based on speed. When it completes, you earn bandwidth. Your first deployment is just the beginning.
Spend bandwidth to level up viruses for more value, or buy automation so they run without tapping. Hit milestones at levels 25, 50, 100, and 200 for massive multiplier jumps.
As your total bandwidth grows, you unlock increasingly powerful malware spanning decades of real cybersecurity history. Each is slower but earns exponentially more.
Floating vulnerabilities appear on screen — tap them for bonus rewards. Rare flaws like Zero Day and Rootkit give huge payouts.
Spend Data (from special security flaws) on the R&D tree. Boost income, speed, reduce costs, or extend offline earnings across 4 branches.
Once you've progressed far enough, you can prestige. Your progress resets, but you earn Exploits — permanent currency for powerful Dark Web upgrades that make your next run faster.
Each prestige cycle gets faster. Stack multipliers, discover hidden unlocks, earn all achievements, and climb the leaderboards.
// faq
Everything you need to know before (and after) deploying your first virus.
Yes! Bandwidth Idle is completely free. There are no paywalls or premium currencies. You can optionally watch short ads to earn boosts like speed multipliers, time skips, and bonus bandwidth, but none of them are required to progress.
Yes. Any virus with automation enabled will keep generating bandwidth even when the app is closed, up to a default cap of 6 hours. You can extend this to 24 hours by purchasing prestige upgrades on the Dark Web.
Prestige unlocks once you've progressed far enough through the virus tiers. As a rule of thumb, prestige when the number of Exploits you'd earn is significantly more than your current total. Early on, even 1-2 Exploits is worth it — later you'll want to push further before resetting.
Exploits are a permanent currency earned from prestige. They persist across resets and are spent in the Dark Web shop for powerful upgrades: production multipliers, starting bonuses, cost reductions, and some special hidden unlocks.
When a virus reaches certain levels, it gets a massive power spike. Level 25 gives a ×2 value multiplier plus doubled speed. Level 50 gives another ×2 (cumulative ×4). Level 100 gives ×3 (cumulative ×12), and level 200 gives ×5 (cumulative ×60). These milestones make leveling feel truly rewarding.
Bandwidth Idle is built for iOS and Android. Cloud saves are supported via Apple Game Center and Google Play Games, so your progress syncs across devices.
Every virus in the game is modeled after real malware, with its actual year and historical context. As you unlock each one, you'll discover the true stories behind some of the most infamous cyberattacks in history — spanning from the 1970s all the way to modern-day spyware.
Security flaws are floating icons that randomly appear on your screen while playing. Tap them before they disappear (around 5 seconds) to collect bonus bandwidth or R&D data. There are several rarity tiers — common flaws are nice, but rare ones can give you minutes' worth of production in a single tap.
The R&D tree has 4 branches: Network (income), Processing (speed), Stealth (cost reduction), and Persistence (offline earnings). You unlock upgrades using Data, a resource earned from special security flaws. R&D resets each prestige, so you can try different strategies every run.
There's a real endgame with hidden unlocks, secret upgrades, and achievements to chase. Without spoiling anything — dedicated players who keep prestiging will find there's more waiting beyond the final virus tier.
// troubleshooting
Common problems and their fixes. If you're still stuck, join our Discord and we'll help you out.
Make sure cloud save is enabled. Go to Settings and verify you're signed into Game Center (iOS) or Google Play Games (Android). Your progress should restore automatically when you sign in.
Offline earnings are capped at 6 hours by default. Only viruses with automation enabled earn while offline. You can extend the cap to 24 hours with the Extended Offline prestige upgrade in the Dark Web shop.
Check your internet connection and try again. If an ad plays but the reward doesn't appear, close and reopen the app — it should be applied. If the problem persists, try resetting your device's advertising ID in system settings.
Focus on hitting virus milestones (levels 25, 50, 100) for huge multiplier jumps. Use the R&D tree to boost speed and income. If you've hit a wall, it may be time to Go Dark (prestige) — even a few Exploits make the next run significantly faster.
Security flaws spawn randomly on the Home tab. They have a limited lifespan (about 5 seconds) so they can be easy to miss. The Flaw Magnet prestige upgrade increases their spawn rate, making them appear more frequently.
Enable Battery Saver mode in Settings for a minimal screen that reduces GPU usage while keeping the game running. You can also rely on offline earnings — close the app entirely and collect when you return.
You need to progress far enough through the virus tiers before prestige becomes available. You also need enough accumulated bandwidth to earn at least 1 Exploit. Keep upgrading and unlocking — you'll get there.
Share strategies, report bugs, suggest features, and connect with other players. The Bandwidth Discord is where the community lives.