🛸 Alien Invasions — Recurring Live Event (v1.2.0)

Alien Invasions are a new event system added in v1.2.0 "Stargate Approaches". Unlike the Orchard (a single fixed-date limited-time window), Alien Invasions are prescheduled recurring live events — they fire on a set cadence, run for a short window, then end until the next one. During an active invasion the map gets temporary cash-generation boosts and fruit drops, and two unique cosmetic companions (UFO and Glorp Cat) spawn on the ground for players to pick up. The exact boosts, fruit, and rewards vary from event to event.

When an Alien Invasion goes live, three things happen at once: (1) temporary cash-generation boosts kick in across your empire; (2) fruits drop that you can use to boost cash generation further, gain instant cash, or feed to investors; and (3) two unique companions — UFO (common) and Glorp Cat (rare) — spawn on the ground to be picked up like cash bags. The boost type and pet spawn rate vary based on the specific event.

The first Alien Invasion event ran on July 25, 2026, starting at 12:00 PM PST and lasting about 30 minutes. This was the debut run of the v1.2.0 event system — the same day the games endpoint's updated timestamp advanced, confirming an event-system deployment rather than a new game version (v1.2.0 "Stargate Approaches" remains the live version).

During an invasion, watch the sky for glowing beacons — they mark where companions will spawn. On average, each player gets roughly 6 UFO spawns and 1 Glorp Cat spawn per event. UFOs are common and easy to grab; Glorp Cats are rare, so prioritize them the moment you see a beacon. Both are picked up off the ground exactly like cash bags.

During an invasion, Joe the Alien appears and talks to players — he shares event info (what boosts and pets are active this round) and drops lore about himself and the invasions. Joe is distinct from Bob the Alien (the Orchard event shop NPC). Talk to Joe each event to learn exactly what's live that round.

Treat invasions as high-value windows: log in when one is live, grab every UFO and especially every Glorp Cat off the ground, and stack the temporary cash boosts with your Ascend multipliers and Powers (Expert Picker speeds up pickup value). The two event companions are by far the easiest in the game to unlock, so never miss a beacon.