One of our favorite games of 2024, Balatro, is now available on Game Pass. If you aren’t one of the five million people who have already picked up the poker-inspired roguelike, the successful indie game received a surprise release on Game Pass today. The announcement came during the ID@Xbox Showcase at IGN’s Fan Fest event and also included the fourth “Friends of Jimbo” update that adds collaborations with Critical Role, Bugsnax, Sid Meier’s Civilization VII, Rust, Assassin’s Creed, Slay the Princess, Dead by Daylight, and Fallout. It’s a welcome addition to the Game Pass lineup, considering the announced titles for the second half of February were a bit light.
Balatro comes from indie developer LocalThunk and is a poker roguelike that features unique Joker cards to help create synergies and builds. While the core of the game uses familiar poker hands, it captures the essence of a proper deckbuilder by offering plenty of tools to make players feel as though they broke the game with crazy combinations. The game captured the hearts of millions of players last year and collected a wide assortment of awards, including multiple at the 2025 D.I.C.E. Awards and The Game Awards 2024.
