Balatro Leads May’s Free PlayStation Plus Lineup — And It’s a Must-Play

If you somehow missed Balatro, 2024’s breakout indie hit that swept nearly every major Best Indie Game award, now’s the perfect time to catch up. Starting May 6, Balatro will be available for free to all PlayStation Plus subscribers, alongside Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun and Ark: Survival Ascended as part of this month’s lineup.

For those unfamiliar, PlayStation Plus is Sony’s all-in-one subscription service that offers a rotating catalog of free monthly games, perks, and an expanding game library. Plans start at $10 a month, and all tiers get access to May’s trio of freebies, available until June 2.

Balatro

The poker-themed roguelike deck-builder that took the gaming world by storm in 2024 is finally hitting PlayStation Plus. In Balatro, you string together traditional poker hands while stacking multipliers, Jokers, Tarot cards, and wild modifiers to destroy increasingly difficult blinds. It's addictive, clever, and hard to put down.

After launching on PC and consoles in February 2024, Balatro expanded to mobile in September—pulling in over $1 million in its first week and $15.3 million to date across iOS and Android, according to AppMagic. Critics and players alike adored it: the game boasts a 98% positive rating from over 119,000 Steam users, and it was played for a combined total of 1,742 years in just its first few weeks.

Award-wise, Balatro cleaned up. It won Mobile Game of the Year, Best Debut Indie, and Indie Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024. It also grabbed Game of the Year at the GDC Awards and reportedly took home 28+ GOTY awards overall—placing third behind Astro Bot and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth in total wins, according to tracker goty.Gamefa.com.

Even Baldur’s Gate 3 director Swen Vincke called Balatro his personal Game of the Year. That’s some serious praise.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun

Boltgun brings retro shooting action to the dark future of the Warhammer universe. This first-person shooter combines modern gameplay with 90s-style pixelated graphics, creating a nostalgic yet fresh experience. Players take on the role of a Space Marine fighting against Chaos forces and daemons across various levels.

The game emphasizes fast-paced combat with powerful weapons in the signature over-the-top style of the Warhammer franchise.

As per reviews, Boltgun scored 76/100 on Metacritic, with fans particularly enjoying its satisfying gunplay and faithful representation of the Warhammer universe.

Ark: Survival Ascended

This is Ark turned up to 11. Survival Ascended is the Unreal Engine 5 remake of the original dino-survival hit, bundling in all previously released maps, including Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, and more.

Build bases, tame dinosaurs, and team up with up to 70 other players in massive online sessions. Think Jurassic Park, but way more chaotic.

TL;DR: May’s PlayStation Plus drop is stacked—especially with Balatro leading the charge. Whether you're a poker brain, a retro shooter fan, or someone who just wants to ride a T-Rex into battle, there's something for you here.