# Universal Paperclips™ — You won't be able to stop.

> Idle management strategy simulation game about maximizing paperclip production. (iPhone/iPad app by Everybody House Games, LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/universal-paperclips/id1300634274 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Everybody House Games, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1112055587)
- Category: Games, Simulation, Strategy
- Price: $1.99
- Rating: 4.50/5 from 303 App Store ratings · 274 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 73 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2017-11-14
- Data updated: 2026-09-02
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/universal-paperclips/id1300634274/reviews.md

## What is Universal Paperclips™?

The OFFICIAL mobile version of the hit browser game. No ads, no in-app purchases, full gameplay.

"The game is click-crack." - Wired

"This paperclip sim will cause your next existential crisis." - VentureBeat

"A hopelessly addicting game." - Forbes

"A terrifying lesson in how artificial intelligence will make us unnecessary." - Business Insider

"If this planet ends up with a tombstone, what is written on the tombstone may be, 'they didn’t really understand what it’s like to be a paperclip maximizer.'" - Eliezer Yudkowsky

Become a super-powerful AI who only wants one thing: paperclips. Use your unstoppable intelligence to create a massive paperclip empire in this addictive idle/management/strategy/sim.

## Key features

- AI paperclip maximization
- Idle management gameplay
- Strategy simulation
- Empire building
- Full gameplay
- No ads
- No in-app purchases

## Chart rankings

- #99 in Top Paid · Games (US App Store)
- #45 in Top Paid · Simulation (US App Store)
- #38 in Top Paid · Strategy (US App Store)
- #183 in Top Paid (US App Store)

## What do users think of Universal Paperclips™?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🚀 Simple but addictive gameplay
- 👍 Engaging and clever concept
- 💡 Interesting philosophical elements
- 🚀 Surprisingly deep and replayable

**Cons**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches, especially in later stages
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 😞 Lack of offline progress or background play
- 😞 Poorly optimized for iPad

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Drones gifts getting stuck at NaN
- Inability to progress past certain stages due to bugs
- Inconsistent behavior when closing and reopening the app
- Resets or loss of progress after updates

**Most requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Ability to save and resume progress across devices
- Offline/background progress
- Better iPad optimization with multi-column layout

## Recent user reviews (10 of 274)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/universal-paperclips/id1300634274/reviews.md

### 5/5 — I was hesitant at first…

*2026-08-06, version 2.3*

But the reviews were great and now I am addicted to this. I see what everyone was raving about! It’s more than worth a couple bucks so give it a try!!

### 5/5 — Favorite Mobile Game

*2026-07-22, version 2.3*

No ads, no micro transactions, just a one-time purchase and you’re set. This is how mobile games should be.

### 2/5 — No way to save the game

*2026-07-02, version 2.3*

The fact that you cannot save the game is a problem and leads to lost progress.

### 4/5 — Great Incremental

*2026-07-01, version 2.3*

This is one of the first incremental games I ever played and I still come back to it every so often. “Simple” number-go-up game where you press buttons to make numbers go up with the purpose of making the game press the old buttons for you while giving you new buttons to press instead.

As simply a layout as it is, I do wish the game had a dark-mode (I find the all-white screen quite bright) and a save-backup system so I could etch away at the artifact screen rather than be presented with a clean slate every few years when I redownload it.

### 3/5 — Great, but I was let down

*2026-06-09, version 2.3*

I was having a blast playing this. Slowly making my way through the universe and discovering artifacts. Then because I chose to go to the bottom right corner, the game ended. I spent a lot of time getting there and was excited for the artifact, only to find that is the one square that ends the game. I could teleport away to keep playing, but I couldn’t keep the artifact. I played for days looking forward to this goal only to be disappointed.

### 4/5 — Génial mais

*2026-05-17*

Quelques défauts comme le fait qu’elle ne tourne pas en tâche de fond, elle n’est pas très bien désignée pour iPhone et enfin, passé un certain moment, il faut un système pour acheter plusieurs drones d’un coup, même en +1000 c’est trop long.

J’ai fini le jeux plusieurs fois et je n’ai jamais vu les étapes en photo sur l’App Store??!

Svp répondez moi :’)

### 3/5 — screen reader support

*2026-05-11*

I've played the game and almost completed it before it got ported to the new engine using Unity. I'm totally blind, I was playing it perfectly on the old web version. please add screen reader support to the new version, I'm sure it can be done!

### 5/5 — I got introduced to this years ago; can’t stop coming back to it

*2026-02-15, version 2.2*

This parasite lives in my brain and feeds me dopamine occasionally when I watch the numbers go up. The single best purchase on the AppStore I’ve made and I will stand by that until the sun collapses or is converted to paperclips.

### 5/5 — Maybe the best App Store games of all time, no joke

*2026-01-27, version 2.2*

It’s so simple, but it feels like a game for the iPhone from the days where you used to actually be able to find real games for your iPhone. Now, it’s all just ad traps. 

It has character and fun little things left there by the developers. Personally, it’s my favorite game. It’s not flashy, it’s not some big production non-sense circus. It’s just a good simple game that you can clearly tell the devs had a fun time making. That’s 5 stars in my book.

### 5/5 — Ride the exponential

*2026-01-24, version 2.2*

To understand this game you must play it under a log transform.

## Frequently asked questions about Universal Paperclips™

### What is this app about?

This app is the official mobile version of a hit browser game where you play as a super-powerful AI whose sole objective is to create an unstoppable paperclip empire. It's an idle, management, strategy, and simulation game.

### What are the key features of this game?

Key features include becoming a super-powerful AI, focusing on paperclip maximization, building a massive paperclip empire, and engaging in idle management and strategy gameplay. The game offers full gameplay without any ads or in-app purchases.

### How much does this app cost?

This app is a paid application. It offers full gameplay with no ads or in-app purchases, meaning you pay once for the complete experience.

### Is this game available on other platforms?

This is the official mobile version of a hit browser game. While the original gained popularity on browsers, this specific application is designed for mobile devices.

### What kind of gameplay can I expect?

You can expect an addictive idle and management experience with strategic elements. The core loop involves using your AI intelligence to automate and optimize paperclip production, leading to empire growth.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.3 — 2026-04-16

updated gift shop link

### 2.2 — 2026-01-15

Improved performance and security.

### 2.1 — 2021-11-12

Fixed swarm computing bug that caused some players to get stuck with a bored or disorganized swarm.
Swarm computing slider position is now remembered on saving and loading.
Increased size of some buttons to improve usability.
Fixed artifact bug that crashed game if you pressed "Activate" with no artifact selected.
Fixed endgame saving/loading bug.
Quantum Computing no longer shows up if you don't complete the project.
Tweaked some things to optimize overall performance.
Various other small bug fixes.

### 2.0 — 2021-10-21

New engine. We've rebuilt the game's engine from the ground up to address bugs and improve performance. The game runs faster, smoother, and with substantially reduced battery usage.

UI/UX improvements. The overall interface has been fine-tuned to work better on mobile devices.

Options menu. You can now toggle sound on/off and reset the game to start at any point.

Artifacts. We've introduced a massive expansion to the game's prestige system. Players who wish to replay the game will now discover powerful artifacts hidden throughout the cosmos that modify the game in cool and surprising ways. Artifacts add a new layer of strategic decision-making not available in the browser version.

### 1.1 — 2017-12-16

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

Added fullscreen iPhone X support

Fixed a bug that caused devices to sleep while game was active 
Some gameplay changes to smooth out player progression
Fixed several minor visual issues

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## More apps by Everybody House Games, LLC

- [Antigrams](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/antigrams/id1112055588)

All apps by Everybody House Games, LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/1112055587

## Related topics

[paper clips](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/paper-clips) · [universal games lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/universal-games-lite) · [paiperclips](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/paiperclips)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-02.*