Balatro Announces New Collab

Summary

Balatro is collaborating with the upcoming game Monster Train 2.
The game's mascot, Jimbo, and at least six Jokers will appear in the roguelike title.
Monster Train 2 will be released on May 21.

Balatro, the viral hit variation on poker that burst onto the indie game scene in 2024, is crossing over with another soon-to-be-released game in Good Shepherd Entertainment's Monster Train 2. It's not entirely clear how this collaboration will work in terms of gameplay, though it will focus on the Balatro mascot Jimbo and his Jokers.

Fully released in February 2025, LocalThunk and Playstack's Balatro is a relatively simple roguelike solo poker game in which players utilize special modifiers like Jokers, seals, and enhancements to boost the value of each hand as they try to exceed the minimum score in each Blind, or round. Even before leaving early access, the game was a massive hit, with more than 5 million copies sold. Its popularity has even stunned its creator, who said in March that Balatro's overwhelming positive rating doesn't make any sense.

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Now, a different indie developer could benefit heavily from Balatro's success, as a new trailer for Monster Train 2 announces that the jester-like Jimbo will be bringing Balatro's Jokers to the fellow upcoming roguelike deck-building game. The Monster Train games are centered around protecting Pyre Hearts on a multi-floor train from waves of approaching enemies by playing cards with both offensive and defensive uses. Since the trailer doesn't show Jimbo and his friends in action, it's unclear exactly how they will be utilized, but six different Jokers — Chicot, Perkeo, Triboulet, Caino, Yorick, and Gros Michel — have all been announced.

Balatro and Monster Train 2 Are Getting a Crossover

Monster Train 2 releases on May 21, and players can currently enjoy a free demo on Steam. The game will introduce new cards, enemies, and features, but it will maintain the gameplay style of the original Monster Train. Balatro isn't the only game revealing crossover content before the release date, however. In late April, a collaboration between Monster Train 2 and Cult of the Lamb was announced, which will bring the adorable cultists from the hit 2022 roguelike action-adventure game to fight alongside the legions of Hell.

Those who still can't get enough of Balatro from the game itself or its upcoming crossover content have another option on the way, as its official merchandise shop is offering a physical Balatro deck through FanGamer to players for $16. This standard set of 52 playing cards plus four Jokers, all of which are displayed in the game's pixelated art style, is currently available for pre-order, though no official release date has been announced.

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