Balatro, the most addictive game of the year, is now free with Apple Arcade

Part card game, part digital Class-A drug, once you get your first taste of Balatro, be prepared to crave your next fix every waking moment of your life.

Thankfully, it’s an addiction that just got far more affordable to manage for gamers rocking an iPhone — Balatro is now part of the Apple Arcade game subscription service as ‘Balatro+’.

For those that have somehow thus far avoided the allure of Balatro, here’s the gist — it’s poker with ‘Joker cards’ that each mix up the quality of your hand, giving you various abilities that help you reach a boss-level bind and take on the final ante gamble.

It’s somewhere between straight poker, a deck builder and a roguelike, and its trippy visuals and synthwave soundtrack make it mesmerising. That it's the work of a solo developer — known only enigmatically as LocalThunk — makes it all the more amazing.

It’ll also play on basically anything thanks to its lo-fi visual load, but Apple Arcade titles are supported by iPad, Mac, Apple TV and the Apple Vision Pro headset too, as well as iPhones. If you’re not part of the Apple ecosystem, Balatro is also available for purchase on PS5 and PS4, Xbox Series X and Series One, Nintendo Switch and PC, too.

Balatro+ is the headline addition to Apple Arcade this week, but there are loads of updates to other titles on the service, too. Crossy Road Castle gets 20 new levels; SpongeBob Patty Pursuit adds Master Udon’s stronghold challenge; What The Golf? Gets a time-limited nautical-themed event; new challenges come to Temple Run+; Hill CLimb Racing+ gets a new set of sports-themed mini games; mirror world challenges come to Angry Birds Reloaded; and Disney Coloring World+ gets a Frozen-themed pop-up sticker book.

The Apple Arcade library now numbers more than 200 games, and all Apple Arcade games are free with a subscription, are ad-free, and available offline. Apple Arcade costs £6.99 a month after a one-month free trial.

• Want more recommendations? Check our Shortlist of the best Apple Arcade games