One Xbox Game Pass game in particular had me in a chokehold near the end of 2026, and that game was Ball x Pit. The addictive pinball, rogue-lite, city-building bullet hell game (yes, it really is all of those things). A practically perfect gaming handheld game, it went no.1 on my Xbox Rog Ally (and on my partner's Steam Deck).
I couldn't put it down until I'd 100%-ed all of the achievements, and now it's bouncing straight back into my backlog because we're getting a chunky free update on January 26.
The Regal Update drops on January 26 for free
The Regal Update brings a balls to the wall serving of new content, including fresh characters, brand new balls, new passives and some fan requested features. Leading the list of updates are these two new treasure-seeking characters:
- The Carouser who's returning balls orbit around him, turning the battlefield into a personal pinball machine of pain.
- The Falconer, who fights alongside two trusted falcons that literally throw balls for her, because apparently gravity and common sense are optional in this universe.
Beyond the new characters, The Regal Update also adds eight new balls and several new passives, which should seriously shake up builds and synergies and give us more experimentation in combining characters for total destruction.
There's also a mystery surprise the developers are keeping under wraps for now, only teasing in the trailer
BALL x PIT’s first FREE major update, The Regal Update, launches on January 26th on all platforms! Adding:🤠2 new characters - The Carouser & The Falconer🏐8 new balls🎯New passives✨Plus a nice surprise you’re going to love! pic.twitter.com/t0tYlwjOXkJanuary 19, 2026
The short teaser video is currently making the rounds and many Xbox players are asking exactly what I'm thinking, which is "Are there any new Xbox achievements?"
There's no news on this yet, but consider me already invested. I am personally hoping for at least one or two new levels in addition to the characters, too. I love the gameplay loop of Ball x Pit and hope it could eventually reach the heights of Vampire Survivors in my rotation (which just gets bigger and bigger each year with each update)
Speaking of which, could we get some collaborations for Ball x Pit this year? Devolver Digital has mentioned this is the "first, free major update" and according to their 2026 roadmap, there are at least another two in store, so it's very possible!
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