A cozy critter-catching idle game

Lantern Hollow

Light the lantern. Catch them all.

Hang your lantern in the dark, wait for curious critters to wander into its glow, and catch them with a well-timed tap. Collect 227 critters across 13 continents, raise them, evolve them, breed one-of-a-kind hybrids and wake the dragon of every land. Between catches, grow your own farm island, play with your critters and learn real Python.

Play in your browser Critter Roster

Free, nothing to install. Works on phones, tablets and computers.

The Lantern Hollow title screen: the glowing title over a night sky, a hanging lantern and critters bouncing at the bottom.
227critters to catch
13continents
74evolved forms
13legendary dragons
1Lantern God
30Python lessons

How to play

From your first catch to the Lantern God

A round takes seconds, and your critters keep earning while you're away.

  1. Open the game

    Read What's new and tap Continue. The title song starts, and you can tap the critters at the bottom to hear them sing. Press Start when you're ready.

  2. Pick a continent

    The World Map globe opens. Drag to spin it and tap a continent to fly there. You start in Moonlit Meadow, and every land has its own song.

  3. Catch critters

    Tap a critter in the field. A white ring sweeps around it: tap again when the ring meets the gold zone. Land it dead centre for a Perfect.

  4. Collect glow

    Every catch pays glow, and every critter you own keeps earning more each second. Spend it on Upgrades: a wider jar, honey lures, a brighter lantern and cozy nests.

  5. Level up and evolve

    Each repeat catch adds a level. Reach a critter's evolution level and it grows into its next form. Track everything in the Critter Book.

  6. Explore and go legendary

    Unlock new continents with glow. Raise every wild critter in a land to Lv 50 to wake its dragon, then catch all 13 dragons to hatch the Lantern God.

Try a practice catch

Tap the circle (or press Space) when the white ring passes through the gold zone. This is the same timing you use in the game.

What's inside

A whole world after dark

The Moonlit Meadow field at night with critters wandering under the lantern, their names and levels floating above them.

The field

Critters with lives of their own

Critters wander, nap, chat in little bubbles and greet their friends with hearts. They're drawn in 2.5D, so they turn to face you and glance around as they rest. Shooting stars and gift lanterns drift across the sky for you to tap.

  • Field events: Critter Rush, Golden Hour, meteor showers and shiny storms
  • Build a combo for up to +200% glow per catch
  • Ten daily quests and six tougher weekly quests, each with a bonus chest
  • A daily login bonus and a free daily spin of the Lucky Lantern Wheel
  • Auto catcher and speed controls for when you'd rather watch
The World Map: a spinning globe with continents labelled by level, Moonlit Meadow selected.

The World Map

Thirteen continents to explore

Spin the globe, watch critters roam the coasts, and fly in for a close-up landing. Each land has its own critters, scenery and music.

  • Moonlit Meadow, Mistwater Marsh, Ember Hills, Starfall Peak, Sakura Shrine, Coral Deep, Glitch Grid
  • Arcane Ruins, Dusk Rift, Hearthvale Village, Yokai Valley, Jade Peaks and Hallowmoor
  • Catch every critter on a continent for a big glow and moonstone reward
Home Island in chunky 3D: a cottage, a red barn, a windmill, a greenhouse and glossy farm animals on a grassy island with sandy cliffs.

Home Island

A farm of your own

Tap Home on the World Map to build your island. Till soil, plant crops, raise chickens, ducks, sheep, cows and pigs, and upgrade your house. Your farm keeps growing while you're away.

The whole island is built like a chunky toy: sandstone cliffs, a raised beach, 3D houses and barns, and glossy 2.5D animals.

  • Expand from a little Islet to a Grand Isle, with more coops, barns and animals at every level
  • Unlock farm tools as you go: Sprinkler, Beehive, Windmill, then a Farmhand, Compost bin, Greenhouse and Fishing dock
  • Every island level makes legendary dragons a little more likely
The Learn Python sheet: a chalkboard Python class card, a Top Students button and lesson levels with stars.

Learn

Learn Python while you play

Tap the chalkboard to take a 30-level beginner Python class. Each lesson stays on screen while you answer, so you can always look back.

  • Levels 1 to 10 are multiple choice. From level 11 you type real code, with handy code keys and hints
  • Every level pays glow and moonstones, and each one you clear adds +1% to your glow for good
  • Collect stars and climb the Top Students board
The Play Room: Kitsurei, a white fox critter, under cherry blossoms with Pet, Ball and Treat buttons and an affection bar.

Play Room and friends

Make it yours

Pet your critters, throw them a ball or give them a treat. Every affection level makes that critter gather more glow.

  • Two mini games with the critter you pick, Stack and Lantern Defense, both paying glow and affection
  • Pick a player name and build your own avatar: skin, outfit, hair, hats, ears and wings
  • Climb the Top Critter Catchers board
  • Short guided tours for every part of the game, and graphics settings for older phones and tablets
Lantern Defense on Hallowmoor: rows of pumpkin and cat critters guard five lanterns while zombified critters march down the lanes.

Mini games

Stack towers and defend the lanterns

Open the Play Room and pick a game for your favourite critter.

  • Stack: drop sliding blocks to build a tower. Every 5 blocks is a new level that pays glow and affection
  • Lantern Defense: 13 levels, one per continent. Each critter fights its own way, from glowers and shooters to freezers, walls and bombers
  • Hold back waves of zombified Hallowmoor critters, with the Hallowyrm boss on level 13
A Critter Book page for Jellume, an evolved jellyfish, shown in its inverted form surrounded by flames.

The Critter Book

Every critter has a story

Each critter has its own page with lore, its natural habitat and its evolution line. Catch rare looks to unlock them on its page and hear its call in each form.

CommonUncommonRareMythic Inverted · +10 levelsShiny · ×3 glowLegendary dragonGod tier
The Critter Roster page with a spotlighted critter, Ashwing, and buttons for Spotlight, Guess who and Random.

The Critter Roster

Meet them all before you catch them

The roster is a companion field guide showing every critter in the game, numbered by habitat. Tap any of them to hear its call, play Guess who with silhouettes, or try pairings in the hybrid lab.

Open the Critter Roster

Good to know

The words you'll see

Glow

The main currency. Earned from every catch and from every critter you own, even while the game is closed.

Moonstones

A rare gem from rare, mythic and inverted critters. Spend them in the Moonstone shop on extra catch tries, faster arrivals and the Auto catcher.

Breeding Station

Pair two critters at Lv 5 or higher to hatch a hybrid that mixes both parents' looks and earns glow from both.

Divine Altar

Catch all 13 dragons to hold the ritual that hatches Lanternis, the Lantern God. Each Ascension doubles its earnings.

Play in a browser

Ready when you are

  1. Open the game link on your phone, tablet or computer, in Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox.
  2. Tap Continue, then Start. Your browser may keep the game silent until you tap.
  3. To keep your progress safe across devices, tap Sign in with Google on the title screen to save it to your Google account. Where Google sign-in is blocked, add a password in Settings and use Sign in with email instead. Without signing in, it's saved on this device.
  4. Turn your phone sideways if you like: the game works in landscape too.

Sound and music each have their own switch in Settings ⚙.

Play Lantern HollowThe full game, free in your browser/play Critter RosterEvery critter, its lore and its call/roster