About the game · About the studio

Hello from the harbour.

Tideward is an unhurried idle RPG by Manu Games LLC, a one-person studio in Waynesville, North Carolina. You tend a small coastal world through 28 trades, and it keeps working while the app is closed. It runs native on every Apple device and on Android, where the open beta is on Google Play, with Windows PC on the way.

  • 1developer
  • 8platforms
  • 28trades
  • 24hof offline progress
  • 16languages
  • 56pets to earn
  • 0ads, ever
From the keeper's log

Why Tideward exists.

  1. I

    It started with a want: an idle RPG that felt better to use, made for the Apple devices Seth already lived on.

  2. II

    He wanted a race. A leaderboard worth chasing, which Game Center's seasonal boards, reset for a fresh start, are the first part of.

  3. III

    He wanted the whole Apple system, so the Watch, the TV and the headset each got a real version, not a readout.

  4. IV

    And notifications that arrive when something is actually ready, and keep quiet when you ask them to.

  5. V

    None of that was a clear plan on day one. It was a cloudy idea, honed over about two years of building.

  6. VI

    Now it is going wider: eight platforms from one developer, with Android in open beta on Google Play and Windows PC on the way.

Three promises, kept in the open

Your time

No streaks to protect and no countdowns that punish you for having a life. A whole day away pays at full speed.

Your privacy

No ads and no tracking. Zero third-party SDKs on Apple and Android. Your save lives in your own iCloud, where nobody here can read it.

Your wallet

One $9.99 unlock, once, for every Apple device you own. Nothing you can buy makes your character stronger.

The staff directory

One human. Six supervisors.

Manu Games has no employees, no contractors and no growth team. It does have the tidepool crew, who appear in every video and help with nothing.

Seth

Developer, designer, writer, publisher, support desk

Founded Manu Games in 2026. A software engineer shipping a first game, and the person who reads your bug report.

a sea otter with a shell and a little fork

Flotsam

Head of sleep

“Naps. Wins.”

a crab wearing a whole ship

Keel

Tries very hard

“Sideways thinker.”

a pudding duck with a fish on its head

Pilchard

Fishing, whatever the weather

“Soggy optimist.”

a round blue jellyfish

Jetsam

Hands you the haul

“You're welcome.”

a little water sprite with fins for wings

Undine

Entrances

“Twirls on every entrance.”

a small shell creature holding a rolled chart

Fathom

Arrives eventually

“Late, as usual.”

Meet all 56 pets

The name

Tide·ward

/TIDE-ward/ a coined word, 2026

1. Toward the tide: the patience of a lighthouse keeper, and a small coastal world that runs whether you are watching or not.

  • Formerly Manu Idle. Renamed on May 1, 2026, so the game and the studio would stop sharing a name. The full story.
  • The TIDEWARD word mark was filed at the USPTO on May 2, 2026, Serial Number 99800434, for video games.
  • It pairs with the subtitle An Idle Almanac.

The voyage so far

  1. 2026Manu Games LLC is founded in Waynesville, North Carolina
  2. May 1, 2026Manu Idle becomes Tideward
  3. May 2, 2026The TIDEWARD trademark is filed
  4. Oct 13, 20261.1.0 Fighting Trim: the fight plays out in 3D
  5. Oct 17, 20261.1.1 Full Sail: Shipwrighting grows to 129 builds
  6. Feb 11, 20271.0 on the App Store

Not that Tideward

There are maritime, logistics and software companies with similar names. None of them are us, and none of them are partners. These are the only official addresses for Tideward the game.

Official channels

USPTO Serial 99800434 · manugames.com/about · Crunchbase · LinkedIn

Say hello

The short answers

Every other question, from price to Apple Watch, is in the FAQ.

What is Tideward?

Tideward is an unhurried idle role-playing game (idle RPG) by Manu Games LLC, built for eight platforms by one developer: native on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, and Apple Watch, in open beta on Android, and in development for Windows PC. Tend a small coastal world through 28 trades, with true 24-hour offline progression. The TestFlight and Google Play betas are open today, and the App Store pre-order is live; full launch on the U.S. App Store is February 11, 2027. Free download with a single one-time $9.99 IAP unlock at launch: no ads, no subscriptions, no tracking.

Who makes Tideward?

Manu Games LLC, a one-person indie studio in Waynesville, North Carolina, USA. Founded by Seth in 2026 as a North Carolina single-member LLC. Tideward is the studio's first published game.

Is Tideward the same as Manu Idle?

Yes. The game was named "Manu Idle" until May 2026, when it was rebranded to "Tideward" to differentiate the product from the studio (Manu Games) and to avoid soft conflicts with similarly-named apps. Same game, same TestFlight, same characters carry over.

What does "Tideward" mean?

A coined word. "Toward the tide": the patience of a lighthouse keeper, the rhythm of a small coastal world that runs whether you're watching or not. The trademark "TIDEWARD" was filed at the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 2, 2026 under Serial Number 99800434, for entertainment services in the category of video games.

How is Tideward different from other "tideward" results I see in search?

Tideward (the video game) is unrelated to any other product or service using a similar word. There are unrelated maritime, logistics, and enterprise-software companies with similar names; none of them are affiliated with Manu Games LLC. The canonical website for the game is tideward.app; the publisher is manugames.com.

What platforms does Tideward run on?

Eight platforms, from a one-person studio. All six Apple platforms, natively: iPhone (iOS 26 or newer), iPad (iPadOS 26+), Mac (macOS 26+, Apple Silicon native), Apple TV (tvOS 26+), Apple Vision Pro (visionOS 26+), and Apple Watch (watchOS 26+), where the Watch runs a real fight rather than a progress readout. Built in pure SwiftUI with CloudKit for cross-device sync. Android phones and tablets (Android 10 or newer) get a native Android app, in a free open beta on Google Play today, and a Windows PC version for Steam is in development. There is no web version. Apple, Android, and PC are separate stores: a save does not move between them, and a purchase on one does not unlock another.

When does Tideward launch?

The TestFlight beta is open today (free, capped at the first 1,000 testers), and the App Store pre-order is live. The 1.0 release lands on the U.S. App Store on Thursday, February 11, 2027; a pre-order downloads itself that day.

Where can I install Tideward?

The free TestFlight beta is at tideward.app/install. The App Store pre-order is open now at apps.apple.com/us/app/tideward/id6765781814; the finished game arrives there on February 11, 2027.

Come aboard.

The free TestFlight beta is open today, capped at the first 1,000 testers. Rather wait for 1.0? Pre-order on the App Store and it installs itself on February 11, 2027.

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