Balatro is a very, very good game. We’ve established that a few times here at Kotaku. And now, for all you folks still playing the roguelike poker game, a new update has added some fresh crossover cards featuring characters from Stardew Vally, Cyberpunk 2077, and Slay The Spire.
In February, Balatro launched on Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and Switch (then temporarily unreleased on Switch for some silly reasons). The hard-to-put-down solo deck builder uses poker mechanics, cards, and hands as the foundation for a strange but irresistible roguelike all about racking up as many points as you can. In about a month it sold a million copies. And then in September, it arrived on phones and tablets and promptly became one of my most-played games this year. And now you can mix some Cyberpunk 2077 into your endless Balatro runs.
On October 24, Balatro released the “Friends of Jimbo 2″ update for the card game. This free update, available now on all platforms, adds a suite of new face cards to Balatro based on characters from Cyberpunk 2077, Stardew Valley, Slay The Spire, and The Binding of Issac. Here’s a neat trailer announcing the update and showcasing the new cosmetic options available today.
As the name of the update implies, this isn’t the first time Balatro has added some crossover cards. In August 2024, the first “Friends of Jimbo” update added characters from Dave The Diver, Among Us, The Witcher 3, and Vampire Survivors.
At this rate, if Balatro continues to be a super popular game that everyone is playing, it’s likely we’ll get a few more “Friends of Jimbo” updates. Eventually, most video games will be featured in Balatro. That’s probably a smart move as I might one day forget other games exist and just play Balatro until I die. And I’m not alone.
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