Deal | Under $10: One of 2025’s biggest surprise hits drops to a new all-time low on Steam

Remember Breakout? Atari's 1976 arcade classic has players control a paddle at the bottom of the screen and repeatedly bounce a ball against a wall of blocks to destroy them. Ball x Pit takes that concept, replaces the blocks with hordes of monsters and adds a dash of Vampire Survivors-style roguelike gameplay - with city building thrown into the mix as well. With 1 million copies sold in less than two months, the indie game became a genuine surprise hit in 2025. With a 34% discount, the title has now dropped below the $10 mark on Steam for the first time, according to SteamDB. More specifically, Ball x Pit is available for $9.89 instead of $14.99 until August 20.

During a run, players continuously fire balls at approaching monsters. Getting the angle right is particularly important, as projectiles bounce off walls and enemies. Defeated creatures provide experience, and with each level-up, players can choose from randomly selected balls and passive bonuses. More than 60 types of balls with effects such as fire, poison or lasers can also be fused together.

After dying, the upgrades obtained during that particular run are lost, but collected resources and permanently unlocked content are retained in typical roguelike fashion. Between runs, Ball x Pit turns into a small city builder. Collected resources go toward rebuilding New Ballbylon, where new buildings unlock permanent bonuses, additional abilities and more heroes. With their own attack mechanics, projectile patterns and special abilities, these heroes enable a wide variety of individual builds.

German gaming magazine Eurogamer awarded the game 4 out of 5 stars in its review. According to games editor Ahmet Iscitürk, Ball x Pit offers almost hypnotic gameplay with that familiar "just one more run" feeling. This makes the game well suited to quick sessions in between other activities - and thanks to its Steam Deck Verified status, it should also run without issues on the Steam Deck. The surprisingly tactical mechanics and wide variety of build options also received praise. However, the city-building component can quickly start to feel grindy and noticeably slow down the flow of the game. Nevertheless, the wild genre mix has also been very well received on Steam: Of the roughly 26,000 reviews posted since its release in October 2025, 95% are positive.

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