Summary
- Balatro is one of the free PS Plus games for May 2025.
- It's proven to be a big hit with subscribers and more popular than the other free games for May 2025.
- Balatro is free for PS Plus subscribers to claim until June 2.
It appears as though Balatro is a huge hit among PlayStation Plus subscribers. The Essential tier of PlayStation Plus gives subscribers a fresh batch of free games to play every month. However, the free PS Plus games are not treated equal. There are certain games that fail to resonate with subscribers, while others get a great deal of attention.
The free PS Plus games for May 2025 are available for subscribers to download right now. On PS5, PS Plus subscribers can check out Ark: Survival Ascended, while those on both PS4 and PS5 can play Balatro and Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. Ark: Survival Ascended may be the headliner when it comes to the free PS Plus games for May 2025, but it's apparently being completely overshadowed by one of the other additions.
May 20 is Going to Be a Sad Day for PS Plus Subscribers
Tuesday, May 20 is going to be a remarkably sad day for those signed up for the Extra and Premium tiers of PlayStation Plus.
To the surprise of no one that's already played it, Balatro is a big hit on PS Plus, according to data by Game Trends that was shared by True Trophies. Based on their data, Balatro is easily the most popular game out of the three free PS Plus games for May 2025. It's also said to be the third most popular free PS Plus game of the year so far, with RoboCop: Rogue City and High on Life ahead of it at the time of this writing.
Balatro is Proving Popular with PS Plus Subscribers
For those who may be unfamiliar with the game, Balatro is a roguelike deckbuilder where the goal is to get as many points as possible. Many have written it off based on its retro appearance and association with poker, but those that give it a chance find it to be an incredibly addicting experience. Indeed, Balatro was even nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards last year - a decision that was questioned by many who never actually played the game.
Now that Balatro is one of the free PS Plus games, many more gamers will be able to play it for themselves and see what all the fuss is about. And those hungry for the game to get more content should note that Balatro collabs are ongoing, with the game adding cosmetics that reference other roguelikes and video games in general. Balatro only seems to be getting more popular as time goes on, and so hopefully the game's ever-growing playerbase opens the door to even more collabs and updates in the future.
It's worth pointing out that Balatro is free to play for anyone with a PS Plus account, regardless of tier. The monthly free games are a benefit of the PS Plus Essential tier, but they are also available to those who are signed up for PS Plus Extra and Premium.
