{"rewrite":{"id":"r_5035c06e77d84960b7303f15","clusterId":"c_aa603e82f2064215a6ac981b","slug":"block-breaker-roguelite-ball-x-pit-gets-free-trial-on-switch","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"BALL x PIT Nintendo Switch Free Trial Starts May 26","summary":"Nintendo announced on May 25 that the roguelite block-breaker BALL x PIT will be free to play for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers from May 26 to June 1. The Issei Trial (also called Simultaneous Trial) runs from May 26 at 12:00 to June 1 at 17:59 JST. During this period, players can download and play the full game without restrictions. The game, developed by Kenny Sun and Friends and published by Devolver Digital, launched in October 2025. It combines breakout-style ball launching with roguelite survival elements: players drop into a bottomless pit, use balls as weapons against enemy hordes, and combine over 60 random ball types to find powerful combos before facing a boss at the deepest level. Environments include deserts, frozen caves, and forests. Alongside the trial, a sale runs from May 26 to June 8, offering the game at 33% off, bringing the price to 1,139 yen (tax included). Save data from the trial can be transferred to the purchased full version. The game is also available on Switch 2, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, iOS, and Android.","whyItMatters":"The trial gives Nintendo Switch Online subscribers a week to evaluate a critically well-received indie roguelite before a discount period, potentially driving sales for a title that launched eight months ago.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eNintendo's Issei Trial program, which lets Nintendo Switch Online members play select games for free during limited windows, will feature BALL x PIT starting May 26. The game was released in October 2025 and has maintained a presence across multiple platforms including Switch 2, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, iOS, and Android. Developer Kenny Sun and Friends and publisher Devolver Digital built the title around a simple loop: players launch balls across a breakout-style field to defeat enemies descending from the top, while collecting randomized ball upgrades across runs. The trial period runs for nearly a week, ending June 1 at 17:59 JST. A simultaneous 33% discount, bringing the price to 1,139 yen, lasts until June 8. Save data from the trial carries over to the full purchase, a standard feature of the Issei Trial program that Nintendo has used for other titles such as Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"BALL x PIT's trial on both Switch and Switch 2 suggests Nintendo is using the simultaneous release to market the new hardware's backward compatibility as a selling point.","twitterPost":"BALL x PIT's simultaneous trial on Switch and Switch 2 signals Nintendo treating backward compatibility as a launch feature.","threadsPost":"BALL x PIT is getting a simultaneous trial on both Switch and Switch 2. Nintendo is using the release to demonstrate that the new hardware plays existing Switch games without friction, a low-risk way to market backward compatibility as a day-one feature.","newsletterBlurb":"Nintendo Switch Online subscribers can play BALL x PIT for free from May 26 to June 1. The roguelite block-breaker, released last October, combines breakout mechanics with randomized ball upgrades. A 33% discount runs alongside the trial through June 8.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Denfaminicogamer\",\"url\":\"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/260525j\",\"title\":\"Highly Rated Block Breaker × Roguelite 'BALL x PIT' Nintendo Switch Version Becomes Free to Play: 'Issei Trial' Starts May 26\"},{\"source\":\"ASCII.jp\",\"url\":\"https://ascii.jp/elem/000/004/404/4404803/?rss\",\"title\":\"ASCII.jp: [Free Game] Nintendo's \\\"Issē Trial\\\" Offers Unlimited Play of \\\"BALL x PIT\\\" from May 26 to June 1\"},{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/05/25/166861.html\",\"title\":\"Switch 2/Switch 'BALL x PIT' Simultaneous Trial to Be Held from May 26. Highly Addictive Breakout Roguelite | Game*Spark - Domestic and International Game Information Site\"}]","lintFlagsJson":"[]","lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":5775,"outputTokens":991,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1779826512,"createdAt":"2026-05-25T04:17:11.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-05-25T04:30:37.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-25T04:30:37.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_aa603e82f2064215a6ac981b","canonicalTitle":"高評価ブロック崩し×ローグライト『BALL x PIT』Nintendo Switch版が遊び放題に。「いっせいトライアル」が5月26日から開催","representativeArticleId":"a_ef8b1f161440dde7280c583d","sourceCount":3,"writtenSourceCount":3,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"release\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"written","firstSeenAt":"2026-05-25T02:06:38.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-05-25T06:30:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-25T07:33:09.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"ASCII.jp","url":"https://ascii.jp/elem/000/004/404/4404803/?rss","title":"ASCII.jp：【無料ゲーム】任天堂いっせいトライアルで「BALL x PIT」遊び放題に　5月26日～6月1日まで"},{"source":"Denfaminicogamer","url":"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/260525j","title":"高評価ブロック崩し×ローグライト『BALL x PIT』Nintendo Switch版が遊び放題に。「いっせいトライアル」が5月26日から開催"},{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/05/25/166861.html","title":"スイッチ2/スイッチで『BALL x PIT』のいっせいトライアル5月26日から開催へ。中毒性抜群なブロック崩しローグライト | Game*Spark - 国内・海外ゲーム情報サイト"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"release","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["The BALL x PIT free trial for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers runs from May 26 at 12:00 to June 1 at 17:59 JST.","The game launched in October 2025 and was developed by Kenny Sun and Friends, published by Devolver Digital.","A 33% discount sale runs from May 26 to June 8, bringing the price to 1,139 yen (tax included).","Save data from the trial can be transferred to the purchased full version.","BALL x PIT is available on Switch 2, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, iOS, and Android."]}