What is the Banana Game? The Peel Back on Steam’s Clicker
What the Hell Even is the Banana Game?
If you’ve been checking the Steam charts to watch the spiraling downfall of Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s woke propaganda being flushed down the toilet by gamers worldwide – you might have noticed Banana chillin near the top (#2 at the time of writing with 391,043 concurrent players) and thought to yourself, “What the hell is Banana?”.
Completely understandable question.
So, here we are diving into Banana on Steam, a game that probably started as a fever dream in someone’s fruit bowl one morning that has officially become a Steam sensation…although not without its concerns, controversies, and criticisms.
For those of us who remember the sheer click-mania of Cookie Clicker, Banana takes that concept and cranks up the absurdity, adding layers of charm, social features, and a whole barrel of rare bananas to keep us clicking. But does it go beyond being a re-skinned game like Cookie Clicker and Egg or does Banana actually carry its own a peel (sorry, there are so many more bad puns coming) that’s worth diving into?
Video Credit: Go Bananas | Little Big
How Banana Works – Click, Collect, Flex
At its core, Banana is all about clicking up an arsenal of bananas. But instead of just mindlessly stacking points, the game is structured around collecting bananas with different rarity levels.
From Normal to Legendary, each banana can have interesting and funny designs, and it’s your job as random clicking player (let’s give it some imaginary narrative, eh?) to catch ’em all!
Banana's Potentially Shady Gameplay Twist
Once you have amassed your banana stockpile, players can use the Steam marketplace to sell their bananas for real-life money…that’s right. Although the vast majority of bananas sell for mere pennies (3 cent minimum), some bananas have sold for over $1,000.
The more you hoard, the more addictive it gets. What starts as simple taps on a seemingly innocuous banana can quickly devolve into a cycle of buying, selling, and way more bananas than anyone ever asked for.
Reception – A Game Loved, Memed, and Deeply Questioned
At the time of writing, Banana is getting a range of reviews that vary all across the board. Here are a few that I felt were representative of the spectrum of opinions:
“Banana is not just a clicker game; it’s a meditation”
“Why am I playing this, send help.”
“This game is the biggest scam ever.”
Many players were drawn in by its sheer absurdity (because…well, bananas?), but a solid fanbase quickly formed around the ridiculousness.
Memes have sprouted all over social media, with players posting their most insane banana collections, using phrases like “banana grind never ends” and “gone bananas” as if this game is the next big thing.
Banana doesn’t just encourage social gaming; it fuels social memes.
Banana Rarity Hierarchy – Going Beyond Common Bananas
There’s been a lot of clicker games over the years, so what’s the big differentiator here?
The banana rarity system.
While the drop chances can change at the whim of the devs, here’s a breakdown of what you can expect from your precious peelable collectibles as of their Halloween Update announcement:
- Normal – 70%
- Common – 25%
- Uncommon – 4.89%
- Rare – 0.1%
- Epic – 0.01%
- Ultra Rare – 1 in 400,000
- Legendary – 1 in 10,000,000
Why It Matters
The hierarchy adds a level of depth and drive to the game that keeps people coming back for the chance to hitting it big with a Legendary banana, even when it feels like a lost cause.
It’s not about just getting bananas—it’s about getting the right bananas.
Banana Art - More Than Just a Yellow Peel
For a game about fruit, Banana is surprisingly committed to aesthetics. Each banana comes with unique art that ranges from classic peel designs to cosmic bananas, ninja bananas, and even cat-themed bananas.
Image Credit: Banana | Hunter, posted on Steam | Sky, AestheticSpartan, O’Brian
They also host a Banana Discord server that users can submit their own banana art designs to.
I think my favorite was admittedly the “Amazin’ Horsenana“, although that one might have been removed due to copyright reasons…
BUT – if you just have to watch the video after that minor reference, I completely understand and respect that so here you go (insert NSFW horse dong warning here):
Video Credit: Look at My Horse | | YouTube
The Community That Goes Bananas Together, Stays Together?
One of the strongest elements of Banana is the community. From collecting and trading bananas to operating a mildly suspicious banana market, Banana takes the typical clicker formula and throws it out the window.
Some players are going hard.
Competing over banana collections and going all-out in their quest to become the king or queen of bananas. It’s a wild ride to watch so if you’re looking for a community that’ll throw fruit puns, memes, and more at you all day – Banana’s Discord servers are where the action’s at.
Not Just Any Ol’ Banana: The Concerns Surrounding "Banana"
For a game that initially seems as harmless as peeling a banana, Banana’s deeper layers have ruffled some feathers. While it’s marketed as a “legal infinite money glitch,” the title has sparked a fair bit of controversy.
Early on, Banana players began raising alarms on social media and in reviews, questioning if the game had hidden intentions like mining bitcoin on their PCs, installing keyloggers, or harvesting personal data. The good news is that most of these suspicions have been debunked by a number of tech-savvy players who have sifted through the game’s code and found no evidence of malware or privacy invasions.
However, it’s the game’s similarities to NFT and cryptocurrency schemes that have drawn legitimate side-eyes. Some players suspect that Banana operates with mechanics that mirror crypto or NFT markets. The “infinite money glitch” tagline seems more tongue-in-cheek than genuine, but it’s undeniable that the game’s in-game purchases and rarity hierarchy have drawn comparisons to speculative asset markets. Skeptics argue this could be an attempt to emulate a risky economic model, reminiscent of digital asset manipulation in NFT or crypto circles, where hype often outweighs actual value.
Image Credit: Banana | Steam Store
Banana’s developers have shrugged off these accusations as simply “misunderstood humor,” but this “humor” is also what leaves some potential fans and players on the fence. It’s a daring approach for a game, sure—but is it all in good fun, or does it set a precedent for blending games with speculative micro-economies?
Whether Banana is a clever satire of online get-rich-not-so-quick schemes or a small taste of where games and financial speculation might overlap, only time will tell.
Is This Game a Sweet or Rotten Banana?
After diving deep into Banana, it’s clear that this game is a bit like an overripe fruit to me — it might be fun for a short burst, but there’s a sour side that you can’t ignore. On the surface, it’s an addictive idle clicker with quirky art and a banana-rarity hierarchy that keeps you tapping away. But peel back the layers, and there are some lingering questions about its long-term value and the ethics of its mechanics.
Is it a scam?
Technically, no….?
But Banana doesn’t always feel like a game you’d want to go bananas for. It’s definitely fun for a while, but you might be left wondering if you’re just another cog in the money-making machine. There’s no denying its ability to keep you engaged, but whether that engagement is genuinely worthwhile is up to you.
If you’re just here for a cup of funsies from a simple idle game with the occasional laugh, then it might be worth giving it a shot. However, if you’re looking for something more meaningful or genuinely rewarding — maybe leave the bananas behind.
In the end, like all things that seem too good to be true, Banana might be more of a gimmick than a game to sink your time into. But hey, if you’re feeling adventurous and don’t mind the occasional side-eye from your wallet and your clicking finger — go ahead and grab that banana.
Because at the end of the day, I would rather play Banana than Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
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