Just when it felt like you’d seen everything BALL x PIT had to offer, along comes another reason to dive back in – the Shadow Update.
The chaotic roguelite from Kenny Sun and Friends has received a brand-new free update, and it’s not holding back.
The Shadow Update is live right now across Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2 and mobile, adding fresh characters, new ball types, and systems that twist the game’s already unpredictable formula even further.
At A Glance
- Game: BALL x PIT
- Update: The Shadow Update (Free)
- Available Now On: Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, Mobile
- New Content: 2 characters, 11 balls, new passives, new building
New Characters Shake Up The Pit
The Shadow Update doesn’t just add content for the sake of it – it meaningfully changes how you approach each run.
Two new playable characters join the roster. The Tiptoer is a stealth-focused ninja who can slip past enemies unnoticed at close range, opening up a more tactical playstyle. Meanwhile, the Tunneller flips expectations entirely, allowing balls to wrap around the screen and re-enter from the opposite side, turning positioning into a far more creative exercise.
Both feel designed to encourage experimentation, which has always been at the heart of BALL x PIT.
Balls That Bend The Rules
If you thought the existing arsenal was already pushing things, the addition of 11 new ball types takes things further into chaos.
Some can manipulate time itself, freezing enemies mid-attack or blinking unpredictably across the battlefield. Others introduce new layers of control and unpredictability, feeding into the game’s core loop of discovering wild combinations and letting them loose on increasingly overwhelming enemy swarms.
Beyond combat, The Shadow Update also expands progression. A brand-new building, the Guildhall, gives players the ability to re-roll character upgrades, offering a little more control over how builds evolve. That’s paired with four new passive abilities, including some that reward chaotic, high-density battles by scaling damage based on what’s happening on-screen.
Building On A Brilliant Base
This isn’t the first time BALL x PIT has expanded. The earlier Regal Update already pushed the game further, and this latest drop continues that momentum.
It helps that the core experience was already so strong. As we said in our 4.5/5 review: “BALL x PIT is a mash-up of Vampire Survivors and Breakout, and it is just as addictive… a simple idea executed to almost perfection.”
The Shadow Update doesn’t change that foundation. It simply gives you more ways to break it in the best possible way.
Free updates like this are exactly what keep roguelites alive long after launch. If you’ve stepped away from BALL x PIT, now might be the perfect moment to return. And if you never left, well… things just got a whole lot more interesting.
If you do need to download the game, it’s available on Game Pass through the Xbox Store.
