Images courtesy of LocalThunk
Well, us Xbox players had a good run, didn’t we? For a good few years, we’ve been able to sample a huge number of different games thanks to the superb Game Pass subscription service, many of which we may never have given a chance otherwise. Now that the incredible and unbelievably addictive Balatro has been added for subscribers to Game Pass, and can be played at no extra cost on both Xbox and PC, I fear that we’ll never play anything else, ever again.
I’m joking, of course; speaking from personal experience, however, as soon as I started playing Balatro on my Steam Deck, shortly after its release in early 2024, I barely played anything else. That remains the case, even now; any time I pick up my Steam handheld, it’s all too easy to just dive into Balatro, and attempt just one more run.
It’s not for nothing that we named the multiple award-winning Balatro as Card Gamer’s favorite digital card game of 2024, and Game Pass subscribers who’ve yet to sample its compelling, poker-based roguelike fun are in for a real treat. Of course, Balatro has been available to purchase on Xbox for some time, but with it now being included as part of the Game Pass subscription service, its player count, and collective game hours played, are definitely likely to skyrocket once more!
There’s also a new content pack now available on all platforms, Xbox included, free of charge. Joining the lineup of Friends of Jimbo DLC packs that have already been released is Friends of Jimbo 4, which adds the ability to change face cards to feature characters from Assassin’s Creed, Bugsnax, Dead by Daylight, Fallout, Rust, Sid Meier’s Civilization VII, and Slay the Princess. In a first for Balatro’s content, Friends of Jimbo 4 adds face cards from a non-video game property, with Critical Role cards also part of this DLC release.
What Cards Were in the Other Friends of Jimbo DLC Packs?
Named after Jimbo, the Joker who talks players through the tutorial and offers often sarcastic commentary at the end of a run, Friends of Jimbo, Friends of Jimbo 2, and Friends of Jimbo 3 had already added an impressive number of crossovers with other games to Balatro.
The first pack allowed players to visually customize their deck with characters from Among Us, Dave the Diver, Vampire Survivors, and The Witcher 3. Pack 2’s content included The Binding of Isaac, Cyberpunk 2077, Slay the Spire, and Stardew Valley. Finally, Friends of Jimbo 3 brought a huge number of new cards to Balatro, featuring designs from 1000xRESIST, Cult of the Lamb, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Don’t Starve, Enter The Gungeon, Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator, Shovel Knight, and Warframe.
Check out our review of Balatro, along with our tips and tricks for new players. If you have Dave the Diver and can drag yourself away from Balatro itself to play it, we also have a guide to teach you how to find and play Balatro in Dave the Diver!
