Balatro is an indie game that took the world by storm when it was first released in February 2024. It is regarded as one of the most unique games out there. It combines Poker with roguelike elements, making for a time-consuming experience. Today, it was announced during Nintendo’s Indie Direct that Balatro will be receiving its first collaboration with four hit games. The update is completely free and will be released today across all platforms, named Balatro: Friends of Jimbo.
This update is entirely cosmetic; players won’t need to worry about purchasing anything. The update includes collaborations with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Dave the Diver, Vampire Survivors and Among Us. This update allows players to use themed decks from each of the collaborators if they find that they are bored of using the normal cards that come with Balatro, or they just want a change in aesthetic.
While the trailer does give Balatro players a glimpse into the decks available, the trailer was quite short, with a duration just over one minute. However, the trailer did showcase the key aesthetics from each collaboration, with players able to use cards in-game that have Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg and Jaskier the Bard on them, for example.
While it’s said to be purely cosmetic, it’s possible that these new decks could feature some cards that bring new twists to the game and add a new level of variety to Balatro for those who have sunk a considerable amount of time into it. Even if it doesn’t, it adds a cool extra level of customization for those who want to be able to pick and choose a deck to play with rather than just the standard base game one.
While the Balatro: Friends of Jimbo update is a small cosmetic update that is available today to everyone across all platforms, it’s said that there is a major update coming in 2025 to the game, which will “bring new ideas and strategies to the game.” What that could entail remains to be seen, but what we do know is that the first major update for this time-sink game is that it will be completely free as a “token of huge appreciation to the game’s brilliant and passionate community.”
