Choose Donut County
Choose Donut County if you want an Adventure experience. On Steam, it's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 6,536 Steam reviews back the pick.
Donut County vs Octo's Balloon Challenge
Donut County and Octo's Balloon Challenge both land in Indie, Casual on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Indie, Casual on Steam. Donut County (2018) is 8 years older than Octo's Balloon Challenge (2026). Octo's Balloon Challenge is currently ~69% cheaper on Steam than Donut County (3.99 USD vs. 12.99 USD). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Octo's Balloon Challenge
Choose Octo's Balloon Challenge if you want the Multi-player side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 69% cheaper on the Steam Store. Octo's Balloon Challenge launched in 2026.
Both Donut County and Octo's Balloon Challenge sit in Indie and Casual on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Donut County |  Octo's Balloon Challenge | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2018 | 2026 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure, Casual | Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Unrated |
| Price | 12.99 USD | 3.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 90.8% positive (6,536 reviews) | 1 reviews |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Multi-player |
| Developers | Ben Esposito | MUTAN |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Casual on Steam.
- Donut County (2018) is 8 years older than Octo's Balloon Challenge (2026).
- Octo's Balloon Challenge is currently ~69% cheaper on Steam than Donut County (3.99 USD vs. 12.99 USD).
- Donut County is Deck Verified on Steam Deck; Octo's Balloon Challenge has no Deck rating yet.
Donut County vs Octo's Balloon Challenge — FAQ
- Should I play Donut County or Octo's Balloon Challenge first?
- If you want chronology, Donut County (2018) came out before Octo's Balloon Challenge (2026). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Donut County and Octo's Balloon Challenge similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Casual on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Does Donut County have multiplayer like Octo's Balloon Challenge?
- No. Octo's Balloon Challenge supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player), while Donut County is listed as single-player only.
- Does Donut County run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — Donut County is rated Deck Verified by Valve. Octo's Balloon Challenge doesn't have a Deck rating yet, so its Deck behaviour is currently unverified.