Attention: The most addictive game of 2024 is coming to a device you’ll always have within reach. Balatro, a clever mix of poker, deck-building, and roguelike, is coming to iOS (standalone purchase and Apple Arcade) and Android (later this month). (That’s plenty of time to buy a power bank or battery pack.)
Developed by Canadian indie developer LocalThunk and published by Playstack, Balatro (which appears as Balatro+ on Apple Arcade) is one of Engadget’s Best PC Games and one of the great indie gaming success stories of 2024.
Unlike poker, a spin on Balatoro includes magical tarot cards and unique jokers that can dramatically change your hand. For example, one card increases the pool of cards that make up your hand, while another increases your score if your hand hits a certain sequence. Depending on which joker you draw, you might have to rethink your entire strategy. (But you’re limited to five per hand, so play strategically.)
The presentation adds to the fun, with a synthwave soundtrack, trippy animations, and a fun, retro CRT filter.
Don’t worry if you don’t know much about poker. For starters, poker is just one aspect of the game. And breaking the rules is encouraged. Balatro also includes tutorials and help popups to make learning (and wasting your free time) this unique deck game as easy as possible.
Balatro was released on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch in February (and on macOS in March). It’ll be available on Android and iOS on September 26th. It’ll be available as a standalone purchase on mobile platforms for $10, and will be free on Apple devices for Apple Arcade subscribers. Members of the Apple ecosystem can also play on iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Vision Pro.
2K Sports / Apple
NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition is the sequel to the mobile-friendly spinoff series for Apple devices, coming soon to Apple Arcade. This year’s version adds The Neighborhood, an open-world, skill-building environment that first appeared in the standard version of NBA 2K18. It also adds an improved Greatest Mode that lets you relive iconic moments from NBA legends past and present. 2K Sports promises that new Great Mode players will be added throughout the season.
NBA 2K Arcade Edition will be available on Apple Arcade on October 3rd.
