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Gulp City guide: how to finish in the top three every round

Published October 4, 2026 · Updated October 14, 2026

Gulp CityBe the hole that swallows the whole cityPlay now

A Gulp City round lasts eighty seconds, and most of it is decided in the first ten: sweep the sidewalks for people, cones and benches, move on to parked cars as soon as the hole is wide enough, and never wait at a building that almost fits. After that it is a question of reading the three rival holes, because a hole that is clearly bigger than yours will swallow you whole, and one that is clearly smaller is lunch. This guide covers the opening, the order of food, how to treat the rivals, what happens when you get swallowed and how the stars are counted.

The first ten seconds decide the round

The clock starts with your first move, so you can look at the city before you commit. Use that moment. Sidewalks are where small food stands in rows: pedestrians, traffic cones, hydrants and benches. A hole that starts tiny can only swallow what fits through its mouth, and the sidewalks are the one place where everything fits.

Sweep along a sidewalk instead of zig-zagging between single items. Every bite makes the hole a little wider, and a wider hole reaches the next row sooner. The rivals start eating at the same moment you do, so a slow opening is hard to recover from: a hole that falls behind early stays small, and a small hole is the one the others hunt.

Drag anywhere on the screen to move. A short drag is slow and a longer one is full speed, so use a short drag when you are lining up on a bench and a long one to cross to the next block. On a computer, the arrow keys or WASD do the same job.

Eat in order of size, and use the road

Everything in the city has a size, and the order of food follows the size of your hole. You start with people, cones and benches, then move up to parked cars and street trees, then buses and kiosks, then houses, shops with awnings, office towers and finally the skyscrapers in the middle of town. You will not skip a step: a building simply does not fall in until the mouth is wide enough.

The streets are full of parked cars, so a car-sized hole grows fastest on the road. Once you can take cars, leave the sidewalks and run the length of a street rather than picking off the last few pedestrians. The same logic applies later: when towers are the only food left that is big enough to matter, go where the towers are.

If a building almost fits, do not wait beside it. Eat the smaller things around it and come back when the hole is wider. Standing at the foot of a house hoping it will drop in costs you seconds that the rivals spend growing.

Reading the three rival holes

Three computer holes share the city, each with a name tag and a colour. The top of the screen shows the clock, your place and the size of all four holes, so you always know who is bigger. Check it the way you would check a mirror, a glance at a time rather than a long stare.

The rivals are not random. They hunt the best food near them, chase holes that are smaller than they are and run from holes that are bigger. That makes their behaviour easy to predict: if a rival is heading straight for you, it believes it is bigger, and if one keeps turning away, it thinks you are.

A hole that is clearly bigger than another one swallows it whole. When a rival's name tag gets close and its hole looks bigger than yours, turn away. It is faster to lose a few seconds than half your size. When one of them is clearly smaller, it is the best food on the map: swallow it and you grow far more than a few cars would give you.

What happens when you are swallowed

Getting swallowed is not the end of the round. A swallowed hole comes back a few seconds later, smaller, on a street corner away from danger, and the round carries on. It is a real setback, because you lose size and time, but it is not a restart.

That changes how you should think about risk in the last twenty seconds. If you are behind, a bold chase after a smaller rival can pay off, because the worst case is a smaller hole and a quiet corner. If you are ahead, play the other way: stay on the far side of the city from the biggest rival and keep eating.

Because you respawn smaller, the cheapest recovery is to go straight back to the sidewalks. Rebuild on small food first, then return to the roads once the mouth is wide enough again.

Stars, levels and the next city

When the bell rings, the biggest hole wins. First place earns three stars, second place two and third place one, and the top three clear the level. Fourth place means trying the level again, which costs you one more eighty-second round.

Every level is a new city, with more towers and rivals that move faster and choose their food more cleverly. Early levels forgive a messy opening. Later ones do not, so the habits above matter more the further you go: busy blocks first, roads once you are car-sized, and no waiting at a building that almost fits.

Gulp City runs on desktop, phone and tablet with no download and no sign-up, and your level and stars are saved in your browser.

Frequently asked questions

How do I move the hole in Gulp City?

Touch and drag anywhere on the screen; a stick appears under your finger and the hole moves the way you drag. On a computer you can use the arrow keys or WASD.

Why will a building not fall into my hole?

It is too big for your hole. Keep eating smaller things until the mouth is wide enough, then come back to it.

What happens if a bigger hole swallows me?

You lose part of your size and come back a few seconds later, smaller, on a quiet street corner. The round goes on.

How long is a round and when does the clock start?

A round is eighty seconds, and the clock starts with your first move.

How do I get three stars?

Finish first when the bell rings. Second place earns two stars and third place one; fourth place means trying the level again.

Do I need an account or other players to play Gulp City?

No. You play against three computer-controlled rival holes, so there is no account to make and nobody to wait for.

Guides & tips

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