Balatro går med i Xbox Game Pass och introducerar den kostnadsfria uppdateringen

Balatro is now on Xbox Game Pass, bringing its award-winning roguelike gameplay to even more players. NetEase plans to support the game for at least 10 years, with e-sports on the horizon. Plus, the latest "Friends of Jimbo" pack adds crossovers with Fallout, Assassin’s Creed, and more.

Balatro Hits Xbox Game Pass, Expanding Its Reach Balatro's start to life has been astounding. It reached over 40 million players within its first three months, holding onto them better than any other live-service title released in the last few years, and it caused serious damage to Overwatch 2's player count in the process. Not bad for a game that was almost canned.

Why is Balatro so popular?

It's no secret that Balatro has been a hit with players and critics alike. The game saw huge success during the most recent awards season, most notably winning Best Independent Game at The Game Awards and Game of the Year at the Canadian Game Awards. With this in mind, it will leave many of you who haven't played Balatro wondering what makes the game so enjoyable. While Balatro has many qualities, the secret to the game's success is, in large part, due to how approachable it is.

Balatro was, in fact, the most-awarded game at the Canadian Game Awards 2025, winning a total of 5 awards. It was followed closely behind by Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which won 4 awards in total.

Balatro is deceptively simple in its first few moments, simply asking you to reach a certain score with a limited number of poker hands. However, as you progress, Balatro's true complexity begins to show, with the introduction of Joker cards, Tarot cards, and more that can be used to ensure you meet the ever-growing score threshold. Balatro expertly draws players into its variety of gameplay mechanics in a way that's never overwhelming, contributing to its huge overall appeal.

Balatro Addiction: Why It’s the Perfect Game for Everyone

Despite its success, many who haven't played Balatro might still ask whether it's the right game to try, and understandably so. I was certainly within that group of players for quite some time, only having picked up Balatro following its triumphant run during the awards season. While I'm constantly looking to expand my indie game library, I've never been a fan of deck-building games in general, so I took a cautious approach when opening Balatro for the first time. Fortunately, it didn't take long for me to become completely engrossed in what Balatro had to offer.

The game never stopped providing me with opportunities to improve.

What stuck with me during my experience with Balatro is its sense of progression. Regardless of whether my last run was successful or not, I was likely to receive some new Joker card or voucher as a reward for reaching a certain milestone. While Balatro is certainly difficult at times, the game never stopped providing me with opportunities to improve, giving me this sense of progression that's more consistent than what I've found in other video games.

The Friends of Jimbo Pack Adds Insane New Crossovers

It seems like Balatro is just the game that keeps on giving. Shortly after receiving a ‘Friends of Jimbo’ pack, we’re getting yet another one. And this may be the most stacked Jimbo pack to date. Adding on top of everything, Balatro is making its way onto Xbox Game Pass, getting even more people hooked on the roguelike than ever before.

This new pack features some of the biggest crossovers yet, including games like Dead by Daylight, Bugsnax, Fallout, and Assassin’s Creed. Combining indie darlings with blockbuster franchises, Balatro continues to surprise fans with its unexpected collaborations. These packs just keep getting more wild, and it’s exciting to see what other friends Jimbo is hiding up his sleeve.

With Balatro’s Xbox Game Pass release making it more accessible than ever before, and with new content rolling out regularly, there’s almost no excuse not to give this game a go.