Key Highlights
- Wildfrost has officially launched on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
- This marks a day-one release due to the game’s debut on Xbox consoles.
- As a deck-building roguelike, Wildfrost has design elements akin to Balatro, with a crossover event happening in mid-2024.
Wildfrost, developed by Deadpan Games and Gaziter, now enhances the lineup of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, qualifying as a day-one addition. This release is a notable milestone as it is the fifth new title to be welcomed by Microsoft’s gaming subscription service since December kicked off, contributing to a total of 138 new games introduced to Xbox Game Pass throughout 2024.
Set in a perpetual winter landscape, Wildfrost invites players to venture into its icy realm in a quest to bring an end to the cold spell. Although thematically distinct from the beloved indie game Balatro, both titles exhibit notable similarities in gameplay mechanics. They feature an intricate deck-building loop that encourages strategic depth and tactical gameplay. Notably, in June 2024, Wildfrost enhanced its charm roster by including Jimbo the Joker from Balatro, creating a unique crossover.
After nearly 20 months since its initial launch on Nintendo Switch and PC, Wildfrost successfully transitioned to both Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, becoming available at 10 am EST on December 10. The game is not just limited to consoles; it is also available for PC through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Fans can enjoy it on various devices, given the inclusion of Xbox Cloud Gaming support for streaming capabilities.
The previous iterations of Wildfrost, which include its mobile adaptations released in April 2024, received positive acclaim. It boasts a “Strong”rating on OpenCritic, with a 79% recommendation rate and an average score of 78. Additionally, the game has garnered “Very Positive”reviews from Steam users and secured commendable ratings of 3.8 on Google Play Store and 4.0 on the iOS App Store. This further solidifies Wildfrost’s status as a significant addition to the growing repository of roguelike deck-builders available on Xbox Game Pass, alongside established titles like Slay the Spire and Inscryption.
Scheduled Additions to Xbox Game Pass
| Game | Release Date | Game Pass Tier(s) | Platform(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfrost | Dec 10 | Ultimate, PC | Cloud, Console, PC | Day-one (console) release. |
| For the King 2 | Dec 12 | Ultimate, PC | Cloud(?), Console, PC | Day-one (console) release. |
| Hunt: Showdown 1896 | Dec 12 | Standard, Ultimate, PC | Cloud(?), Console, PC | |
| Carrion | Jan 2 | Standard, Ultimate, PC | Cloud, Console, PC | Returning title, last available in Jul 2022. |
| Road 96 | Jan 7 | Standard, Ultimate, PC | Cloud, Console, PC | Returning title, last available in Jun 2023. |
| Sniper Elite: Resistance | Jan 30 | Ultimate, PC | Cloud, Console, PC | Day-one release. |
| Avowed | Feb 18 | Ultimate, PC | Cloud, PC, Series X/S | Day-one release. |
| Football Manager 25 | Mar? ? | Ultimate, PC | Cloud, Console, PC | Day-one release; exact date TBA. |
| Atomfall | Mar 27 | Ultimate, PC | Cloud, Console, PC | Day-one release. |
Anticipated Arrival of Wildfrost on Xbox Game Pass Standard
With the restructuring of Xbox Game Pass tiers this past summer, Microsoft indicated that new day-one releases would take between six to 12 months to transition to the Xbox Game Pass Standard library. Based on this timeframe, Wildfrost is unlikely to be available in the Standard tier before mid-2025.
Additionally, current subscribers who have maintained their membership without disruption since before the introduction of the Xbox Game Pass Standard tier will retain access to all original plan benefits. This includes eligibility for day-one releases like Wildfrost for the duration of their membership.
Leave a Reply