Indie developer Kyle Banks announces surreal diner horror experience coming to PC in 2026
Indie developer Kyle Banks has officially announced DONUT PANIC, an unusual horror experience that blends anomaly detection gameplay with cooking simulation mechanics.
Set to launch on PC in 2026, the game places players behind the counter of a rundown Scottish diner where making donuts is only half the job, surviving the night is the other.
Players can wishlist the game now on Steam.
A Late-Night Shift That Turns Into a Nightmare
In DONUT PANIC, players take on the role of the diner’s lone night-shift baker. The job seems simple at first: fry donuts, decorate pastries, serve coffee, and keep late-night customers satisfied.
However, the quiet routine quickly turns unsettling.
As the night progresses, strange hallucinations begin appearing throughout the diner. Furniture may shift, customers might behave oddly, or disturbing anomalies may emerge from the environment itself. When things start to feel wrong, players must abandon the kitchen and retreat to a panic room.
Identifying these hallucinations correctly is the only way to survive each shift.
Cooking Meets Psychological Horror
The gameplay combines fast-paced food preparation with moments of tense horror exploration. Players must balance keeping customers happy with remaining vigilant about their surroundings.
Cooking mechanics allow players to prepare donuts, fritters, and coffee while managing the diner’s nightly rush. But at any moment, the atmosphere can change from routine to terrifying.
When hallucinations appear, players must quickly decide whether to continue serving customers or run for safety. Retreating to the panic room allows them to analyze and confirm anomalies before returning to work.
Survive each night successfully, and players unlock new recipes and customization options for their panic room.
Key Features
- Master your pastry skills by frying, decorating, and serving donuts and other diner favorites
- Watch for hallucinations and strange anomalies throughout the diner
- Escape to the panic room when things become too dangerous
- Unlock new recipes and upgrades as you survive more nights
- Explore the diner’s secrets to uncover the truth behind the haunting
- Multiple endings influenced by player choices and discoveries
Fail to survive the night, however, and players may find themselves trapped in an endless loop inside the diner.
From Award-Winning Developer Kyle Banks
Kyle Banks, originally from Toronto and now based in Edinburgh, has been creating games and technical tutorials since 2013.
His debut title, Farewell North, received widespread critical acclaim after its 2024 release. The game won Best Narrative at the Debug Indie Game Awards, Best Video Game Soundtrack at the Ivor Novello Awards, and contributed to Banks being named a BAFTA Breakthrough in 2025.
With DONUT PANIC, Banks is exploring a different genre, blending psychological horror with unusual simulation mechanics.
DONUT PANIC is currently scheduled for release in 2026 with support for multiple languages including English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian.
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