Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Adds Balatro-Like Day-One Game

Summary

Xbox Game Pass Ultimatehas addedWildfrostto its ever-expanding content catalog, which qualifies as a day-one release on account of the game’s Xbox console ports being brand-new. This is the fifth new title to reach Microsoft’s subscription service since the beginning of December, and the 138th newXbox Game Passaddition in 2024.

Developed by Deadpan Games and Gaziter,Wildfrostis a deck-building roguelike set in a frosty world of endless winter that its players are tasked with ending. While it’s thematically completely different fromindie hitBalatro, the two do share some high-level design similarities, including a refined deck-building gameplay loop offering near-infinite potential for strategizing. Back in June 2024,Wildfrosteven crossed over withBalatroby adding the latter’s Jimbo the Joker to its roster of unlockable charms.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

Nearly 20 months following its original debut on the Nintendo Switch and PC,Wildfrosthas been ported to the Xbox One and the Xbox Series X/S, reaching the latest two generations of Microsoft’s consoles at 10am EST on December 10. The roguelike deck-builder is also aday-one addition to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate library. Apart from consoles, Microsoft’s subscription service now also offers the PC version ofWildfrost. The Chucklefish-published indie deck-builder even comes with Xbox Cloud Gaming support, allowing XGP Ultimate members to stream it on supported devices.

All prior versions ofWildfrost—including its mobile ports, released in April 2024—were generally well-received. This is reflected in the game’s “Strong” rating on OpenCritic, based on a 79% recommendation rate and an average score of 78.Wildfrostalso boasts “Very Positive” user reviews on Steam, as well as 3.8- and 4.0-star ratings on the Google Play Store and iOS App Store, respectively. As such, this title joins the growing list ofcompelling Xbox Game Pass roguelike deck-builders, which already includes the likes ofSlay the SpireandInscryption.

For the King 2

Day-one release

When Will Wildfrost Arrive on Xbox Game Pass Standard?

Since overhauling Xbox Game Pass tiers over the summer, Microsoft has been saying thatday-one releases might take between six and 12 months to reach the XGP Standard library, with the exact timing varying on a case-by-case basis. As a result,Wildfrostseems unlikely to join Xbox Game Pass Standard before mid-2025.

None of this applies to people who have been paying for the basic tier of the service since before XGP Standard was introduced without interruption. This demographic has been grandfathered into the old plan and will retain access to all of its benefits, including access to day-one releases likeWildfrost, for as long as they keep their membership active.