Steam's Second Most-Played Game Is Reportedly a Bot-Filled Marketplace That Can Get You Banned
If you're someone who keeps an eye on Steam's player population data, you'll likely have noticed that idle games often dominate the top spots. Bongo Cat, for instance, has been holding its place for nearly a year now. Banana, another idle game, once reached the tenth-highest all-time concurrent player peak on Steam. However, the landscape has shifted recently with the launch of Task Bar Hero at the end of May. This game quickly gained traction, hitting a peak of around 450,000 concurrent players overnight. Just this weekend, it shattered its previous record with a new all-time high of 526,596 concurrent players. While it still trails behind Counter-Strike 2, it now surpasses popular titles like Dota 2, PUBG, and Path of Exile 2.
The success of Task Bar Hero might seem surprising, especially if you're skeptical about how a taskbar idle RPG could gain such traction. However, the mechanics of the game provide a clear explanation. Players earn items passively, which can then be sold on the Steam marketplace—similar to how Banana allowed players to trade their banana JPEGs. A quick scan of the marketplace shows that most items are essentially worthless, but there are exceptions. Some weapons and armor are listed for anywhere between £50 to £150, with one legendary bow currently being advertised for £1,183.16.
This situation raises serious concerns about the game's economy. It's almost certain that Task Bar Hero is being used as a bot farm to inflate the value of in-game items and manipulate the marketplace. If you're familiar with the controversy surrounding Banana and its issues with botting and marketplace trading, you might see a similar pattern emerging with Task Bar Hero.
The game's reception hasn't been entirely positive. It currently holds a 48% positive rating on Steam, with many players voicing their frustrations. Common complaints include allegations of bot farming, game-breaking bugs, and the disappearance of valuable items. The most alarming issue, however, is the game's reported involvement in false flag bans. These bans appear on your Steam profile and can be triggered by the game's anti-cheat system—despite the fact that Task Bar Hero is primarily a single-player idle game. This anti-cheat system exists solely because of the game's integration with the Steam marketplace.
One player shared their frustration on Reddit, saying, "Wish I had read this sooner. They tarnished my profile for no reason whatsoever." This sentiment reflects the growing unease among the community regarding the game's practices.
In a recent statement, the developers of Task Bar Hero have indicated that they're increasing their data collection efforts now that the game is running on private servers. They mentioned that more data will be collected to help identify users of unauthorized programs. The data being tracked includes your user ID, game version, and device information—typical for a game tied to the Steam marketplace.
Ultimately, whether or not you're willing to risk a few bucks for tradeable items is up to you. For now, I'll continue building a utopia for my pet frog, Ropuka, in Ropuka's Idle Island.
