Game Pass is having its biggest month ever, and it's all thanks to the return of Donut County. The chill title is one of, if not the best, games about dropping stuff in holes. The month also starts the biggest Activision drop yet with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and more.

Supposedly, most folks care about the latter than the former. It's their loss, to be frank. Still, Microsoft and Xbox are rounding off October 2024 with some of the most significant games from the Activision Blizzard roster. And that's cool if you're into it. Before that, you should try Donut County. It's really good.

Game Pass October starts the biggest Activision invasion so far

The Activision list is looking beefy. Two Call of Duty games are going on the road with Cloud gaming. Xbox is also teasing StarCraft and its sequel, but those won't appear until the first week of November. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a day-on launch title available on Cloud, P??C, and Console.

Activision games coming to Game Pass this month:

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (October 25)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (October 25) - Cloud
• Call of Duty: Warzone (October 25) - Cloud
• StarCraft Remastered (November 5)
• StarCraft II: Campaign Collection (November 5)

If you're not interested in the above, Game Pass will host other options for you. The boys are back in town on October 16 with the inclusion of South Park: The Fractured but Whole. Donut County, the highlight of the month, is arriving on October 17. MechWarrior 5: Clans also arrives on ??October 17 as a day-on??e launch title.

Several more games will be available after the big Call of Duty wave. Ashen, like Donut County, also returns to Game Pass this month. You can play it again on October 29. Dead Island 2 is making its debut on Game Pass starting October 31, but only for PC playe??rs.

Games leaving Game Pass at the end of October 2024

As usual, Game Pass also removes a handful of titles at the end of the month. Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery, Headbangers, Inkulinati, Lonely Mountain's Downhill, and Mineko's Night Market wil??l bow out on October 31. If you've been planning on playing any of the aforementioned games, consider this your two-week warning.

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$35 each, shipping early next year

Two of Annapurna Interactive's best games will soon be able to sit on your shelf. And we're not talking about a figurative shelf to describe a c?ollection of digital video games. We're talking about a tangible, real-life shelf.

Donut County and Gorogoa are getting physical versions on Switch thanks to iam8bit. ?They'll be relatively rare, though. Only 5,000 copies will be made of each game. They'll be relatively expensive, too. Each title will sell for $35.

If this is something you want on that tangible shelf of yours, you'll have to act in the coming days. Pre-orders open on August 15 at 10am Pacific. Here's the Donut County page, here's the Gorogoa page. They'll ship sometime in the first three months of ??2020.

This is a prime opportunity to fill a couple of glaring holes in your collection. But, as Donut County p??roves, some??times a hole isn't such a bad thing.

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Donut County

Setting out by yourself to create your own game is one of the riskiest excursions a creative type can take. That takes guts. It can take years for one person to see their vision through to fruition, and in that time there are challenges that can derail even the most determined artist. Self-doubt, lack of funds, lack of sleep, a rapidly changing marketplace, or the possibility that some other more well-funded developer is going to snake your idea. Copycat games on Google Play and the App Store are an epidemic for the small developers who give these marketplaces credibility. It happens to the very best games. It happened to Threes, it happened to Monument Valley, and earlier this year, it happened to Donut County, Destructoid’s Best Mobile Game of 2018.

Developer Ben Esposito first showcased what would become Donut County more than six? years ago. In the ??time since, he toured to several game conventions, continuing to build on the ideas and feedback he received from players. After missing earlier release windows, he finally settled on getting the game out in August of 2018. Then, two months before his game hit, a copycat appeared.

Hole.io, from developer Voodoo, took the concept Esposito spent years developing, drilled it down to its most basic form, and pushed it out onto app stores. Any searches for “holes” or “hole game” would probably bring it up and as of today, the free-to-play title has more than 10 million downloads on Google Play. On the App Store, it ranked as the fifth top free iPhone game of 2018. Voodoo may have been able to steal Donut County’s concept? and possibly so?me of its thunder, but it couldn’t steal its soul.

Donut County is more than just a game about a hole. That’s merely the basic conceit that carries forward its charming and layered story; a story that touches on gentrification, urbanization, consumption, and our inability to take responsibility for our own actions. Esposito uses the idea of a hole that will selfishly destroy everything around it to craft a narrative about a raccoon who does just that. In the same way the hole starts small before growing into an unstoppable monstrosity, so too does BK, the rapscallion at the center of Donut County.

Though BK is more-or-less the player character of the game, he’s also a stand-in for Esposito himself. Donut County started out as a title featuring what he believed to be Hopi Tribe imagery after he became enchanted by Kachina figures. As he told Verge earlier this year, when his designs were rebuffed, he doubled down on his decision to use the Native American nation as fodder for his game. It wasn’t until he was able to divorce himself from his original plan that he was able to see an arguably better path f??orward. He wouldn’t tell a story about a culture he was not part of, but about his cultur?e, his city, his tribe of Angelenos.

That’s the soul of this game Voodoo couldn’t replicate. Esposito used that hole to redeem himself the same way BK does in Donut County. It&rsquo??;s art imitating life, and if that isn’t enough of a reason to give this game this award, then surely the riotous Trashopedia is.

So congratulations, Ben Esposito. Donut County now ranks among the best mobile games Destructoid has ever played and stands shoulder to shoulder with past winners Fire Emblem Heroes, Severed, and Downwell.

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I will not make the 'rolls onto' pun, I will not

Ironically, Donut County is a game without holes. Well, not strictly speaking. Donut County is a game about an ever-growing hole. But, ??it's also a game withou??t any real flaws -- its inventive and creative spirit shining brightly as this sentient hole gobbles up everything in sight.

Today, Donut County's influence gets a little bigger. It's spreading to both Switch and Xbox One at a price of $13. These ports come only a few months after ??it originally released on PC, PS4, and iOS in late summer.

We don't have much bad to say about Donut County around here. This quick and quirky swallow-em-up puzzler won a lot of hearts around here. In fact, it's good enough that we recently named it our Best Mobile Game of 2018. Not bad for a big ol' hole.

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Nintendo Switch and Xbox One ports release Dec. 18

I played a ton of Katamari Damacy over the weekend on Nintendo Switch. It's not my first time rolling up junk to make celestial bodies for my lar?ge disappointed dad, and it definitely won't be the last. It's a timeless classic. But now I'm in a real quirky-video-game state of mind. I need more!

Katamari Damacy and Donut County aren't the same, but I feel like the two games could be distant cousins. As Ray said in his review, they're inverse. The breezy puzzle game from Ben Esposito puts players in control of a roaming hole? in the ground with an insatiable appetite.?? That premise is a keeper.

If you missed Donut County's debut? on PC, Mac, iOS, and PS4, you'll have a couple more chances soon. The Nintendo Switch and Xbox One versions are?? both launching on Tuesday, December 18.

With its simple controls and charming watchability, this could b??e a hit with families during the holidays.

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Wholly charming

Holes get a bad rap. Their existence signifies an absence; the appearance of a hole means something can never be whole. Losing a loved one leaves a hole in our heart. Perceived gaps in storytelling are called "plot holes". Places that people despise are unceremoniously dubbed "hellholes". In Donut County, an ever-growing hole wreaks havoc on a small town. But despite its negative connotation, there's a charming heart at the bottom of Donut County's hole. Like the fried confection that shares its name, Donut County is a treat. I?t's del?ightful, endearing, and consumed all too quickly.

Donut County (PC [reviewed], PS4, iOS)
Developer: Ben Esposito
Publisher: Annapurna Interactive
Release: August 28, 2018
MSRP: $12.99

Donut County doesn't ask much from players. It's a decidedly lean game about guiding a sinkhole around a series of beautifully detailed low-poly environments. The hole grows by consuming objects. Across the game's levels, the hole expands from a nearly innocuous divot to a cavernous opening, capable of swallowing up vehicles, buildings, and rock formations with ease. Players control the hole, essentially guiding it on a trash-induced feeding frenzy. Think of it like Katamari Damacy played in reverse. Instead of rolling objects into a gigantic ball, Donut County tasks you with pulling trash to??wards the earth's (hollow) center.

Donut County isn't the most complex game ever made, but it's undoubtedly one of the most charming. You see, by the time players take control of the hole, most of the town's residents have already fallen through the pit. Each level functions as a character's retelling of their fateful encounter. As the game's anthropomorphic critters sit at the center of the earth, sharing their last few minutes on the surface, Donut County takes form as a digital campfire story punctuated by goofy writing and humorous situations. Every character'??s vigne??tte occurs in an impeccably detailed diorama stuffed with objects that are practically begging to get sucked into the hole.

There's something immensely satisfying about Donut County's physics-based gameplay. Guiding the hole around environments is simple enough -- on PC you just drag your mouse -- but it always feels rewarding. Upending picnic tables and wiggling the hole around until the table and its contents drop into the c?avern is a specific kind of entertainment. It's equal parts chaotic cleaning and obsessive organization, thanks to the game's light puzzle-solving elements.

After a few stages, Donut County iterates upon its simple format by introducing a catapult upgrade. Once unlocked, players gain the ability to launch specific objects back out of the hole. Doing so allows for the stages to start incorporating puzzles. The puzzles are never taxing, but they do show remarkable creativity from developer Ben Esposito. Donut County succeeds because it gives players a series of silly challenges instead of a handful of brainteasers. Donut County asks players just to enjoy ??the scenery and su??ck up some junk. It's cathartic, really.

But for as entertaining as Donut County is, it's likely to leave you wanting more. It just goes by too fast. Donut County is an exercise in sublime game design that feels just a beat or two too short. By the time credits roll, you'll want more. Although it's clearly a complete and polished product, Donut County would be better if it was a tad longer, if only because it'??s ??so damn fun to play.

Donut County is as charming and funn??y as it is inventive and beautiful. It excels at what it sets out to do --there's never been a better hole simulator in video game history. But underneath its colorful scenery and intuitive gameplay is an experience that feels like its inches away from true greatness.

_{[This review is based on a pre-release build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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We're so close

Donut County should appeal to fans of Katamari Damacy. It's a lighthearted game in which you are a hole that can move around and swa??llow objects to grow larger, and you'll solve puzzles a??long the way.

After a long wait, it??'s nearly ready for us. The game is out for PC, Mac, iOS, and PS4 on August 28.

In the three years since I last played Donut County, creator Ben Esposito has added story elements. I w??as perfectly fine with this being a "whimsical physics toy," so I'm stoked thinking about what else might've been added and refined over the years. I can't see thi??s being anything other than great.

Esposito also shared a chilling racoon anecdote on the PlayStation Blog:

"My first apartment in Los Angeles was basic??ally run by raccoons. They were sleeping in the laundry machines, stealing pool floats, and howling from rooftops. The raccoons kept to t?hemselves usually, so I wasn’t scared of them until one night when I heard a chittering sound from right above my head. I froze. Four feet away on the rooftop a raccoon stared at me, dead eyed, chewing on a battery. He was eating the battery. That was when I knew – raccoons cannot be stopped."

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I'm really digging this one

Donut County has been in the works for a while. Jordan previewed it a couple of years ago, and at the time it looked relaxing and engaging, just the kind of thing I like to sink hours into. Now, it still looks relaxing and engaging but with a little more chaos thrown in, much like Katamari Damacy, and th?e raccoon isn't just riding a scooter anymore. It's also t??alking. And riding a drone. 

The trailer asks what the nature of a hole is and explores its purpose. Ask a simple question and receive a simple answer: to put things in. That's exactly what you'll be doing in Donut County??, a game where you play as a hole in the ground. 

Your goal is to grow bigger as you gradually devour an entire town. It looks like you'll be able to combine certain items you'v?e swallowed and spit them back out into something new, helping you solve puzzles to presumably continue your holey expedition.

There'??s a bit of a story there as well. Apparently, the raccoon's name is BK, and he works for a startup that uses remote-controlled holes to steal people's trash. When BK accidentally falls into a hole, things get chaotic for the residents of Donut County, including his friend Mira. I'm not sure what part you, as a hole, play in all this, but your goal is simple. Go forth and be a hole.

Donut County was developed by Ben Esposito, who previously worked as a level designer on The Unfinished Swan and What Remains of Edith Finch. It will be released on PC, Mac, and iOS sometime next year. Learn more at its official site.

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Unwinding: The Video Game

In Katamari Damacy, you roll up stuff. Small stuff, to start. Then cars, ships, buildings, mountains and, eventually, entire worlds. In Donut County, you sl?ide an insatiable hole around to help it eat anything it can fit inside its maw. The more the hole consumes, the bigger it ??becomes.

Where does it end up? How big can the hole grow? I'm not sure?. But damn do I want to find out.

Creator Ben Esposito describes his game as a "whimsical physics toy," and that's apt. A racoon chucks donuts from an airship and also rides a scooter, sometimes. Objects and animals topple when you trip them (and you will trip them). Puzzles feel organic, not forced.

Early on, you'll discover that consuming fir??e and corn will cause popcorn to shoot back out of the hole (which you can then eat, obviously). Later, nabbing two rabbits results in lil babies spilling out of the pit. Another level involves interrupting an ant picnic with fireworks.

The more I played, the more I didn't want to stop. The hungry hole is one of those mechanics that instantly makes sense but never seems to lose its energy or appeal. It just feels right. I wish I could've beaten the whole game in one sitting, right then and there, but this was only a preview. Donut County wont be ready for PC, Mac, and iOS until later thi?s year. I'll be waiting.

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You...you are the hole

I don't entirely understand Donut County, but I want it. You are the hole that goes from stealing donuts to stealing mountains. It reminds me a bit of Tales from Space: Mutant Blob Attacks, which was good.

You, the hole, get bigger every time you swallow ?som??ething. I am down with this game. It's coming to "home computers & touch devices."

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