Dunk Digger is a ball-and-cup game that features a basketball hoop instead of a cup. The player uses their knowledge of gravity and physics, hand-eye coordination and reasoning skills to guide one or more topside balls through custom-made tunnels to an underground basketball hoop.
The player must do more than make a ball reach the hoop by creating tunnels through sand. They must also collect three golden stars floating in enclosed, open spaces in the soil. To create a tunnel, they need to consider how real-world gravity might impact a round object as it rolls through the tunnel. Additionally, they must consider the effects of other objects on the ball.
The game places helpful items and obstacles in the player's way, including moving and non-moving boards, metal spikes, and rotating paddles. It even features green pipes that teleport a ball from one spot to another. If the player doesn't make a tunnel wide enough or dig in the best direction, the ball becomes stuck on a flat surface or between objects.
Dunk Digger rewards the player with coins after each win. If the player watches an advertisement, they multiply their winnings. After the player has enough coins, they can randomly unlock new balls, including a soccer ball, a striped beach ball, a whole watermelon, a blue planet, a happy face emoji, a ring donut and a cake ball. They can also skip a difficult level by watching an ad.