Earlier today, Apple announced several new and updated games are coming to Arcade, including one of my favorites of 2024: Balatro. Balatro is a roguelike deck-builder that mixes the familiarity of poker with special joker and other cards for combos that result in an incredibly fun roller coaster ride that’s hard to put down.
The game was originally released earlier this year on consoles and PC, but the potential for a mobile version was immediately obvious. My and many others’ wish for an iOS version of Balatro will come true on September 26th as part of the Apple Arcade service with Balatro+, which will also be available on the iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro.
Other notable Arcade announcements today include NFL Retro Bowl ‘25 and Monster Train+, which are out today along with Puzzle Sculpt, a spatial puzzle game for the Apple Vision Pro. NBA 2K is returning with NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition on October 6th, too.
Of all these games, though, I’m mostly excited about Balatro+. We’ve discussed this on NPC and elsewhere many times, but this is exactly the sort of game that Apple Arcade needs. There’s plenty of room for variety on Apple Arcade, but for a while, it’s felt like the artistic, indie corner of the catalog has been in decline. Balatro+ is just one game, but it’s an important one that many consider a contender for ‘Game of the Year,’ so I’m very happy to see it on Arcade.
