Idle · Typing · Browser game
TL;DR
TL;DR is an idle typing game where you transcribe entire books one character at a time. Type for tokens, upgrade your keys, and slowly hand the whole keyboard over to automation — right in your browser.
What is TL;DR?
TL;DR is an idle typing game by solo developer Alan Desdoits, and its pitch is unusually literal: type books, automate the typing, then read the books you typed. You start with a passage of a real public-domain book and a blinking cursor. You type the characters it points at, one at a time, and every word you finish pays out a token. That's the whole hook — and it quietly turns into something much deeper than a typing test.
What makes TL;DR an idle game rather than just a typing drill is where those tokens go. You spend them on a virtual keyboard, upgrading individual keys. An upgraded key turns yellow and starts typing itself, racing ahead of your fingers. Buy enough upgrades and whole words complete on their own; press one more key and a sweep fires, rushing the cursor forward through the text without you. The developer puts it perfectly: "It starts as a typing game. It becomes something quieter."
Around that core loop sits a light progression layer. After your first hundred words a skill tree opens up, letting you lean into combo-building for big bursts or into passive experience that ticks along while you read. Finish a whole book and it joins your library, where you can sit back and actually read the text you transcribed. It's an incremental game about turning effort into automation, with classic literature as the raw material.
Because TL;DR is an HTML5 game, it loads straight in your browser with nothing to install — the web version ships with a small shelf of public-domain books to type. There's also a free downloadable build that lets you import your own .txt files and type any book you like. Either way it's completely free, and this page is the quickest way to start playing TL;DR right now.
How to play TL;DR
You'll get the hang of it in seconds — here's the full loop.
1
Type what the cursor points at
A passage of a real book appears with a moving cursor. Type each highlighted character on your keyboard. If a character isn't on your keyboard (like § or an accent), tap CTRL to skip past it and keep going.
2
Earn tokens, upgrade your keys
Every word you complete earns a token. Click a key on the on-screen keyboard to upgrade it — upgraded keys turn yellow and start auto-typing themselves, so the letters you use most begin to fly by on their own.
3
Trigger sweeps and automate
Once enough of a word is auto-typed, your next keypress sets off a sweep that rushes the cursor through the rest. Keep upgrading and TL;DR shifts from active typing to a calm, mostly-automatic flow.
4
Open the skill tree and finish books
After 100 words a skill tree unlocks — pick combo-building for bursts or passive experience for steady gains. Complete a whole book to add it to your library and read the text you just transcribed.
Controls
Type a characterKeyboard
Skip a non-keyboard characterCTRL
Upgrade / buy a keyClick
Max out all upgradesMAX ALL
Scroll the textMouse wheel
Pause & settingsEsc
What makes it fun
1📖
Type real books
Every passage in TL;DR is a real public-domain book, transcribed one character at a time. The web version comes with a shelf of classics ready to type.
2⌨️
Upgrade the keyboard itself
Spend the tokens you earn to upgrade individual keys. Upgraded keys turn yellow and auto-type, so your most-used letters gradually run themselves.
3🌀
From typing to automation
Sweeps and auto-typing slowly take over the work. TL;DR starts as an active typing game and becomes a quiet, idle one as you progress.
4🌳
A skill tree with choices
Unlocked after 100 words, the skill tree lets you build toward big combos or steady passive experience — two different ways to play.
5📚
Read what you typed
Finish a book and it joins your library. Sit back and read the full text you transcribed — the reward loop that gives the game its name.
6🗂️
Bring your own books
The free download lets you import any .txt file and type your own books, with support for 10 languages and AZERTY, QWERTY and QWERTZ layouts.
Who it's for
Idle & incremental fans
If you love watching a system slowly automate itself, TL;DR turns your own typing into the thing that gets automated — a fresh spin on the genre.
Typists and keyboard nerds
It doubles as relaxed typing practice. The early game rewards clean, steady typing before automation takes the wheel.
Readers and book lovers
Transcribing and then reading real public-domain classics gives TL;DR a calm, literary feel you won't find in most clickers.
Tips & tricks
Upgrade your common letters first. Keys like E, T, A and the spacebar come up constantly. Upgrading them early in TL;DR pays back faster than spreading tokens across rare letters.
Use CTRL without hesitating. When a symbol or accent isn't on your keyboard, tap CTRL to skip it. Stalling on an unrecognised character just slows your token income.
Pick a skill-tree direction. Combo-building rewards active, accurate typing; passive experience rewards letting it idle. Commit to the one that matches how you want to play.
Let sweeps do the work. Once a word is mostly auto-typed, a single keypress sweeps the rest. Lean into it rather than typing every last character yourself.
Use MAX ALL when you're flush. Saving tokens does nothing on its own. When you've banked enough, hit MAX ALL to push every key up a level at once and keep the automation snowballing.
Frequently asked questions
Is TL;DR free to play?
Yes. TL;DR is completely free. You can play it right in your browser with no sign-up, and there's also a free downloadable version. The web build comes with a set of public-domain books included, so you can start typing straightaway at no cost.
Do I need to download TL;DR?
No. TL;DR is an HTML5 game, so it runs straight in your browser tab — just open it and start typing. The optional free download adds one big extra: it lets you import your own .txt files and type any book you want.
How does TL;DR actually work?
You type the characters a cursor points at in a real book. Each finished word earns a token, and you spend tokens upgrading keys on a virtual keyboard. Upgraded keys auto-type themselves, so over time the game transcribes the book for you while you watch.
What books can I type in TL;DR?
The browser version ships with a shelf of public-domain books — classic literature that's free to use. In the downloadable version you can load your own .txt files, so you can type anything from a favourite novel to your own writing.
Can I play TL;DR on mobile?
TL;DR is built around a physical keyboard and a mouse, so it plays best on a desktop or laptop. It may open in a mobile browser, but without a real keyboard the core typing loop is hard to enjoy on a phone.
What is the skill tree for?
After your first 100 words in TL;DR, a skill tree unlocks. It offers gameplay modifiers — one path builds combos for bursts of tokens, the other grants passive experience that accrues over time. You choose how you want the run to feel.
What does the CTRL key do?
Some characters in a book — symbols like § or certain accents — aren't on your keyboard. In TL;DR you press CTRL to skip those characters so you don't get stuck, and the cursor moves on to the next typeable letter.
Who made TL;DR and where can I play it?
TL;DR is made by solo developer Alan Desdoits and is still in active development. You can play the latest browser version free right here — this page links straight to the playable build on itch.io.
Start typing in TL;DR
Type a book, earn tokens, and upgrade your keyboard until it types itself. Play TL;DR free in your browser — no download, no sign-up, just one more word.