Surprise, Balatro’s on Xbox Game Pass Now

Today’s ID@XBox showcase featured a surprise appearance from everyone’s favorite trickster, Jimbo, with a big announcement: Balatro is coming to Xbox Game Pass starting today, and some new friends of Jimbo are coming along with it.

During a showcase trailer today, we saw that Balatro is getting another “Friends of Jimbo” update, adding several more face card customizations to the game. Based on the trailer, these appear to include Bugsnax, Civilization, Assassin’s Creed, Slay the Princess, Dead by Daylight, and Fallout.

Past Friends of Jimbo updates have included The Witcher, Cyberpunk 2077, Among Us, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Vampire Survivors, Stardew Valley, and more. This is the fourth Friends of Jimbo update to be released, and past updates have been purely cosmetic – don’t expect any new major gameplay changes.

However, you can expect to find Balatro available on Xbox Game Pass right now, no waiting involved. While it was already out on Xbox for purchase, this makes it even easier to get really, really addicted to Balatro’s card-slinging antics like we already have. Jimbo would be proud.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.