Surprise drop: Game with 100K positive reviews joins Game Pass
Balatro is a deck-building game that blends poker with roguelike mechanics. You play round after round, upgrading your deck and trying to survive as long as possible, similar to Slay the Spire but with a poker twist. Starting with a standard poker deck, your goal is to maximize points by strategically playing cards. The stronger your poker hand, like a full house or a straight, the more points you earn.
The unique twist: Alongside regular poker cards, you can use jokers that enhance your hand or trigger special effects. For example, the Double Joker doubles your hand’s points, while the Wild Joker lets you change a chosen card into any other. Additionally, tarot and playing cards introduce new rules, adding even more variety to the gameplay.
On Steam, Balatro boasts over 100,000 reviews with a 98% positive rating, an impressive feat, especially since it only launched in February 2024. Developed by solo creator LocalThunk and published by Playstack, the game has also received strong reviews on Metacritic, earning a 90 Metascore and a User Score of 8.2.
It’s easy to see why Balatro is so popular: The game is simple to learn yet offers surprising depth. Many players love trying out new strategies and experimenting with different card combinations. Xbox Game Pass subscribers can now also enjoy some roguelike poker games, as Balatro was added to Microsoft's gaming subscription unannounced on February 24. Microsoft revealed the news through a trailer on YouTube.
