Perfecting Minecraft's most satisfying bit, $5 sandbox game hits 1,000,000 sales

There are increasingly fewer things you can get for just $5 nowadays, but one of 2025's most simple and satisfying sandbox games makes the cut, and it's already proven a winner for more than a million eager players. A Game About Digging A Hole is, well, exactly what it says. Built by one person in their spare time, it whisks you back to the glorious days of early Minecraft, where all that mattered was you, a shovel, and some fresh dirt. Now, developer Doublebee says it's "speechless" as it crosses the seven-figure milestone.

As much as I enjoy how busy modern Minecraft has become, when left to my own devices I always seem to return to exactly the same activity that you'll find me doing in many of our best sandbox games. Perhaps it's the gardener in me, but there's something unquestionably fulfilling about the simple act of grabbing a shovel and seeing what's beneath the ground, even in a virtual space. That joy has been lovingly captured by the creator of A Game About Digging A Hole, who made it during a two-week vacation from their regular job as an artist working on Solarpunk with indie studio Cyberwave.

To keep things interesting, there's a little more than the basics at play. As you carve down through the earth in your back yard, you'll start to uncover cash and resources buried underground, which can be used to buy more equipment. Extra storage lets you explore further without needing to return, a flashlight can help as you get deeper in, a drill lets you burrow even faster, and a jet pack means you don't need to fear getting trapped down there.

Perhaps, if you dig deeply enough, you'll find something truly memorable? The only way to know is to keep going, and that compulsion has clearly drawn people in. "I want to say a big thank you to everyone for being so incredibly supportive," Doublebee writes in a new Steam post. "What started with a small idea in my spare time has now sold over one million copies and that leaves me speechless. Thank you to everyone, it really means a lot to me."

There's some more good news, too; if you want to take your cavern crafting on the move, A Game About Digging A Hole has now been made available on iOS and Android devices via the App Store and Google Play, respectively. Doublebee notes that there are "a bunch of copycat apps out there that used our footage or cloned the game, so please be careful when downloading." It's published on mobile by Headup GmbH, if you're looking for the real thing.

Doublebee adds that "An external team is porting A Game About Digging A Hole to other platforms," so you may see it elsewhere in time. For now, they're back to being "fully focused on my main project, Solarpunk, which will soon enter alpha/beta testing." It's a peaceful open-world survival game that takes place across a "technically advanced world of floating islands," and is planned to arrive in 2025. You can wishlist it now and try a free demo.

A Game About Digging A Hole is out now on Steam, priced at $4.99 / £4.29. Grab it here if you're ready to join the millions of happy hole enthusiasts. Boasting an 89%-positive Steam review score from players, it's obviously leaving plenty of people feeling fulfilled with their underground exploits.

Alternatively, perhaps you'd like to try another of the best single-player games on PC right now, or maybe one of the best relaxing games instead.

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