Games like Idle Research
Games like Idle Research include IdleOn - The Incremental MMO, Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, Cookie Clicker, Shelldiver, and Nodebuster. We matched them by the tags players give Idle Research on Steam (Idler, Incremental, Free to Play, Simulation, and Strategy): closest matches first, and among equally close ones the better-known games.

IdleOn - The Incremental MMO
Shared: Idler · Incremental · Free to Play

Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms
Shared: Idler · Free to Play · Incremental

Cookie Clicker
Shared: Idler · Incremental · Management

Shelldiver
Shared: Incremental · Idler · Resource Management

Nodebuster
Shared: Incremental · Idler · Strategy

Cell to Singularity - Evolution Never Ends
Shared: Incremental · Free to Play · Idler

Digseum
Shared: Incremental · Idler · Simulation

A Game About Feeding A Black Hole
Shared: Incremental · Idler · Strategy

Chef Knight
Shared: Incremental · Simulation · Strategy

Dragon Cliff
Shared: Idler · Incremental · Strategy

(the) Gnorp Apologue
Shared: Idler · Incremental · Strategy

Incredicer
Shared: Idler · Incremental · Strategy

Factorio
Shared: Automation · Resource Management · Strategy

Scritchy Scratchy
Shared: Incremental · Idler · Resource Management

Tower Wizard
Shared: Idler · Incremental · Strategy

Sixty Four
Shared: Incremental · Simulation · Strategy

Fortune Mill
Shared: Idler · Incremental · Simulation

Bills Must Be Paid
Shared: Incremental · Idler · Strategy

Loot Loop
Shared: Incremental · Idler · Simulation

Gamblers Table
Shared: Incremental · Automation · Idler

Rusty's Retirement
Shared: Idler · Simulation · Automation

Starvester
Shared: Idler · Incremental · Strategy