Ball x Pit

Last updated

Ball x Pit
Ball x Pit cover.jpg
Developer Kenny Sun
Publisher Devolver Digital
Composer Amos Roddy
Engine Unity
Platforms
Release
  • PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Windows, macOS
  • October 15, 2025 (2025-10-15)
  • Nintendo Switch 2
  • October 28, 2025
Mode Single-player

Ball x Pit is a roguelike video game developed by Kenny Sun and published by Devolver Digital. It was released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, macOS and Xbox Series X and Series S in October 2025, with a Nintendo Switch 2 version released later that month. The game combines two separate gameplay loops, an Arkanoid -inspired action stage where the player defeats monsters by bouncing balls against them, and a city builder stage where resources collected can be used to improve buildings that grant new characters and abilities in the action stage.

Contents

Gameplay

Ball x Pit takes place in the ruins of Ballbylon after the city was destroyed by a meteor, leaving a giant pit. Adventurers come to the ruins to seek riches of the former city but must face hordes of monsters that lurk in the pit. Game Informer describes it as a game that combines roguelike, bullet hell and town-building simulation genres. [1]

The game has two separate stages. The first stage is inspired by block breaker games like Arkanoid . In this stage, the player controls one of several adventurers, launching various balls at enemy forces that march slowly towards them; if any monster reaches the bottom of the field, they will damage the adventurer, and the run will be over if the adventurer takes too much damage. Each adventurer starts with a certain inventory of balls, some which can inflict special damage to the monsters. Similar to Vampire Survivors , collecting gems dropped by the monsters levels up the adventurer, giving them the choice to add new balls, leveling up existing balls, or receiving passive items that affect the gameplay loop. At times, monsters will drop a special item that can be fissioned to drop several powerups, or used to fuse two existing balls into one with the effects of both, or evolve balls into a more powerful version. Each run is broken into multiple segments; the early segments end with a mini-boss fight while the final stage is against a powerful boss character. [1]

After either completing a run or losing all health, the adventurer returns to the surface to work on expanding a small village adjacent to the elevator that takes them into the pit. Using gold, blueprints, and material resources like wood and stone collected during the action stage, the player can build resource spaces or start the construction of buildings which can bring in additional adventurer characters or improve the attributes of all characters at the start of the action stage. The player can also expand the size of the village or upgrade existing structures with gold. To complete most of these actions or to collect resources, the player can assign workers to these spaces. The workers can collect resources or advance construction of buildings. [1] Over multiple runs, the player can also gain gears from boss fights that allow the pit elevator to reach different levels with new monsters and bosses to defeat. [1] [2]

Development

Lead developer Kenny Sun said he was inspired by Punball, a ball-breakout mobile game he had found around November 2021 that included roguelike elements. While he enjoyed the game, he felt there were several elements he could improve on, and after a few weeks, started work on his own game. As he expanded on his ideas, elements like introducing multiple adventures and the city-building supported the meta-progression between runs and keep the game interesting over multiple runs. [3] [4]

On January 26, 2026, the game's first update, the Regal Update was released. The update features two new characters (The Falconer and The Carouser), and eight new special balls. [5] The update also features an endless mode and is the first of three planned updates for 2026. [6]

Reception

Ball x Pit received "generally favorable" reviews on multiple platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [7] [8] [9] Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received "mighty" approval, being recommended by 94% of critics. [10]

Sales

The game sold more than 300,000 units across all platforms in its first five days. [13]

In December 2025, the game surpassed 1 million copies sold worldwide. Following this success, the developers announced plans to support the game with three free content updates scheduled for release throughout 2026. [14]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryResultRef.
2025 The Game Awards 2025 Best Independent GameNominated [15]
2026 15th New York Game Awards Excelsior Award for Best New York GameWon [16] [17]
Ultra Game Awards 2025Surprise of the Year (Independent Game)Nominated [18] [19]
Best Innovation (Independent Game)Won
Independent Game of the Year (Players' Voice)Nominated
26th Game Developers Choice Awards Best DebutPending [20]
Best DesignPending
Innovation AwardPending
28th Independent Games Festival Awards Seumas McNally Grand Prize Honorable mention [21]
Excellence in AudioPending
22nd British Academy Games Awards Game Design Longlisted [22]
New Intellectual Property Longlisted

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Miller, Matt (October 15, 2025). "Ball x Pit Review". Game Informer . Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  2. Baker, Brad (October 15, 2025). "Just when you think 2025 hasn't had enough great games to fill your time, another bounces into the chat". Expansive DLC. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  3. Peachey, Jack (October 13, 2025). "BALL x PIT Creator Talks Classes, Base-Building, and Developing for Twitch With Devolver Digital". Game Rant . Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  4. Totilo, Stephen (November 7, 2025). "Ball x Pit x Interview". Game File. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  5. "Ball X Pit Regal Update Available Now". XboxEra. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
  6. "Ball x Pit's first update brings an endless mode and much more to the chaos". Engadget. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
  7. 1 2 "BALL x PIT - PlayStation 5". Metacritic . Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  8. 1 2 "BALL x PIT - Nintendo Switch". Metacritic . Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  9. 1 2 "BALL x PIT - Windows". Metacritic . Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  10. 1 2 "Ball x Pit". OpenCritic . Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  11. Donlan, Christian (October 15, 2025). "Ball x Pit review - a laboratory of potential". Eurogamer . Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  12. Valentine, Robert (October 15, 2025). "Ball X Pit review". PC Gamer . Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  13. Wood, Austin (October 20, 2025). "Clever roguelike Ball x Pit sold 300,000 copies on Steam and consoles in 5 days, forever proving mankind yearns for 1976 Atari icon Breakout". GamesRadar+ . Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  14. Campbell, Evan (December 2, 2025). "Ball X Pit Hits 1 Million Copies Sold And Will Roll Out Three Free Updates Next Year". GameSpot . Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  15. Maas, Jennifer (November 17, 2025). "The Game Awards Nominations 2025: 'Clair Obscur: Expedition 33' Becomes Most-Nominated Game Ever With 12 Nods". Variety . Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  16. McWhertor, Michael (December 15, 2025). "After setting records at The Game Awards, Clair Obscur is up for another GOTY". Polygon. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  17. Takahashi, Dean (January 18, 2026). "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 takes Game of the Year at New York Game Awards" . GamesBeat . Archived from the original on January 19, 2026. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  18. "1月20日,线下颁奖典礼见!". Ultra Console Game (in Chinese). January 13, 2026. "UGA2025颁奖典礼现已结束!". Ultra Console Game (in Chinese). January 20, 2026.
  19. Zhang, Zacky (January 20, 2026). "UGA 2025 游戏大赏圆满落幕". IGN China (in Chinese).
  20. McClure, Deven (January 15, 2026). "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads nominations at yet another awards show". Polygon . Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  21. Kerr, Chris (January 10, 2026). "Baby Steps leads 28th annual IGF Awards nominations". Game Developer . Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  22. McGowen, Andrew (December 9, 2025). "'Indiana Jones and the Great Circle,' 'Ghost of Yōtei' and 'Split Fiction' Among Best Game Contenders in 2026 BAFTA Games Awards Longlist". Variety . Retrieved December 10, 2025.