The game draws heavy inspiration from Plinko, challenging you to drop a ball onto a grid of pegs and accumulate the target score in a single drop. Each peg displays a number that halves every time your ball—affectionately named Nubby—bounces off it, granting you that many points. Once a peg hits 1, it stops interacting with Nubby and gets collected.

All you need to play is a mouse. Hold down the right mouse button to prepare Nubby, aim using your cursor, then click the left button to launch. Controller support is also available. I’ve been playing on the Steam Deck, which uses a default community setup: triggers to hold and release, and the analog stick or D-pad for aiming.

Priced at $5, the game holds an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating on Steam and originally launched in March 2025.

The Ultimate "Numbers Go Up" Experience

Recently, I’ve been diving back into The Division 2, revisiting the fading multiplayer of Halo Infinite, and repeatedly failing to stick landings in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 4. Then I stumbled upon Nubby’s Number Factory—and immediately became obsessed.

It’s not that those other games aren’t enjoyable, but none match the pure, effortless fun of Nubby’s Number Factory. It’s the quintessential “numbers go up” game, tapping into that same delightful mix of physics-based action and satisfying audio feedback that made Peggle so addictive.

Unlike Peggle’s structured levels, Nubby’s takes a more open-ended roguelike approach. You can purchase and equip items that boost your odds, unlock permanent upgrades, and rack up Balatro-style absurd scores that push the game to its limits—so much so that hitting certain score thresholds reportedly crashes the game, a quirk many Steam players proudly brag about.

There’s definitely some skill involved, but there’s also a cheeky dose of randomness (try duplicating the exact same shot without moving your cursor—you’ll see). The real depth lies in how you mix and match gear in your item slots and stack lasting perks, especially since some perks let you fire specific slots multiple times.

In the late game, the experience starts to mirror Vampire Survivors: minimal input, constant item activations flying across the screen, and a score spiraling beyond control—until a sudden, unexpected game over catches you off guard.

Related ##### 10 Games That Will Turn Anyone Into a Roguelike Fan

Die, repeat, die, repeat, die...

Posts 2 The joy comes from jumping in for a quick session, no long-term commitment or epic narrative required. At $5, it’s a steal—especially on a portable device like the Steam Deck, which feels perfectly suited for this kind of pick-up-and-play gaming.

• ##### Valve Steam Deck

  Dimensions

  298mm x 117mm x 49mm

  Playing Time

  2-8 hours of gameplay (content-dependent)

  The Steam Deck LCD is, hands down, the best budget handheld gaming PC you can get, thanks to its phenomenal price, top-notch build quality, excellent software support, and pretty solid gaming performance.

  $399 at Steam Expand Collapse

• ##### Valve Steam Deck OLED

  Dimensions

  298mm x 117mm x 49mm

  Weight

  640 grams

  The Steam Deck OLED is a clear improvement over Valve's original handheld console, with a larger battery, more storage, faster Wi-Fi, and more. Not to forget the bigger and better-looking OLED screen that gives the device its name.

  $549 at Steam Expand Collapse

Nostalgic Windows XP Aesthetic Included

Nubby’s Number Factory leans hard into the retro aesthetic of early 2000s PC classics—think 3D Pinball: Space Cadet from Windows XP and Microsoft’s iconic 3D Pipes screensaver. Comic Sans is everywhere, the soundtrack features mellow, vaporwave-tinged synth tunes, and the interface looks like it was built in Macromedia Flash.

Like Vampire Survivors, this retro style doesn’t detract—it adds charm. It’s pure nostalgia bait, and it works beautifully.

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Nubby’s Number Factory is available on Steam now, complete with a free demo so you can try before you buy. It’s the ultimate “just one more round” game, and with its accessibility and appeal, it’s bound to land on platforms like Nintendo Switch and mobile sooner rather than later.

If you love the vibe, check out the developer’s website for a full-on retro flashback.

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