Hole io Game at Sea
Whirlpool Gulp is a free hole io game you can play in your browser in a few seconds. Instead of a hole in a city street, you are a whirlpool in a sunny harbor. Steer it with one finger, swallow everything smaller than you and grow until you can gulp piers, lighthouses and pirate ships. Each round lasts 90 seconds, and three rival whirlpools want the same harbor.
What is a hole io game?
A hole io game is a simple, very satisfying idea: you control a hole that swallows anything smaller than itself. Every gulp makes the hole a little wider, so you can swallow bigger things, which makes you grow faster still. Hole.io made the idea famous, and it is now one of the most played genres on web game sites and app stores. Rounds are short, the controls are one finger, and there is always a bigger target in view.
Whirlpool Gulp moves the idea to the sea. Your whirlpool spins on the water and pulls things into its swirl, where they shrink and vanish into the middle. It is also a whirlpool game in the io style: other whirlpools grow at the same time, and the biggest one can swallow the others.
How to play Whirlpool Gulp
- Steer. On a phone or tablet, drag anywhere on the screen. On a computer, move the mouse or use the arrow keys or WASD.
- Swallow smaller things. Anything smaller than your whirlpool is pulled in. Start with rubber ducks, fish, buoys and beach balls.
- Grow step by step. Next come kayaks, rowboats, swans and sailboats, then fishing boats, yachts and tugs, and finally piers, lighthouses, ferries, pirate ships and cargo ships.
- Beat the rivals. Maelstrom, Swirly and Captain Spin are three computer whirlpools. A clearly bigger whirlpool swallows a smaller one, you included.
- Win the round. After 90 seconds the biggest whirlpool wins. The end screen shows your rank, size and number of gulps.
The giants: a cruise liner and a sea monster
With about 45 seconds left, a banner announces a cruise liner sailing into the harbor. Ten seconds later a sea monster rises. Each giant is almost as big as the leading whirlpool, so only a large whirlpool can swallow it. An arrow on the edge of the screen points to each giant. It says GULP IT! when you are big enough, or Need 28 m when you still have to grow, together with the distance.
Swallowing a giant gives a huge boost, often enough to win the round. The rivals know this too, and the biggest of them will race you for it. Each giant appears only once per round, so it pays to be the biggest whirlpool on the water when it arrives.
Tips for a bigger whirlpool
- Sweep the crowds. Early on, many small gulps grow you faster than chasing one boat. Circle through groups of ducks and fish.
- Watch the size table. The table in the corner shows every whirlpool. If a rival is bigger, steer away before it gets close.
- Hunt after a swallow. A whirlpool that was just swallowed comes back small. That is the moment to grow past it.
- Grow toward the giant. When the liner arrives, eat boats on the way to it, so you are big enough when you reach it.
- Do not give up. If you are swallowed you come back after a moment with part of your size, and there is still time to climb.
Short rounds for any break
A round is exactly 90 seconds, so it fits into a coffee break or a bus stop. There is nothing to install and no account. The game runs at a smooth 60 frames per second on a phone, and the camera zooms out as you grow so you can always see what to swallow next. Your best size is saved on your device, so you can try to beat it next time.
More quick arcade games
Like io games? Grow the longest glowing eel in the snake io game Glow Eel. Like drifting? Steer a jet ski in the boat drift game Buoy Drift. Like fast rounds? Flick fish into a basket in the quick fishing game Fish Flick, pop balloons in the balloon shooting game, or browse all our arcade games.
Frequently asked questions
Is this hole io game free?
Yes. Whirlpool Gulp is free in your browser on phones, tablets and computers, with no download and no account.
How is it different from Hole.io?
The idea is the same: swallow smaller things and grow. In Whirlpool Gulp you are a whirlpool in a harbor, swallowing boats and ships, and a cruise liner and a sea monster arrive late in each round.
Do I play against real people?
No. The three rival whirlpools are controlled by the computer, so there is no chat and no waiting for other players.
How long is a round?
90 seconds. The biggest whirlpool at the end wins.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. Drag anywhere to steer. It is made for phones first and also works with a mouse or the keyboard on a computer.