Steam hit Balatro is getting a big free update next year | Digital Trends

Balatro, the roguelike poker indie game that captured the attention of many players earlier this year, isn’t stopping any time soon. In a Tuesday announcement, developer LocalThunk revealed that a big free update is coming next year.

The update will bring “new ideas and strategies” to the game, and it’ll all come out across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PC via Steam, and Switch. This is the first of three announcements publisher Playstack and LocalThunk have planned for now through September, but the two are keeping their cards close to the chest. There isn’t any word on what the other announcements might entail, but they’ll be revealed at “undisclosed times.”

In addition, Balatro has sold 2 million units since its release in February. This is a huge milestone for any game, let alone an indie deckbuilder from a solo developer. The success is thanks to its satisfying game loop, which has players going through multiple rounds of poker, but with the addition of cards that can impact gameplay or provide bonuses for certain hands. The roguelike elements mean you have to play over and over again to unlock more cards or use the best strategy to win. There’s still luck involved, but it’s combined with techniques built up over multiple rounds

“I would never have thought that Balatro would be played by over 2 million people when I started working on it almost 3 years ago. I’m so grateful to all the players for giving it a chance and I’m excited to show everyone the next chapter for my game,” LocalThunk said in a press release.

While the game is essentially poker, it has no connection to classic gambling, despite run-ins with platforms shortly after release that got the game delisted. In fact, LocalThunk hates the idea that Balatro could possibly be used for gambling and noted on X (formerly Twitter) that their will states that the IP would never be sold to “any gambling company/Casino.”