Halfbrick+ is changing. Not the “we moved a button” kind of change. The “this is what Halfbrick+ is going to be” kind of change.
We have heard you loud and clear. A lot of you want subscriptions to be optional. You do not want to feel like you are missing out on Halfbrick games just because you do not want to subscribe. Today’s update is a big step toward that future.
We’re shifting away from hard walls and a subscription catalog mindset, and leaning into what we actually want Halfbrick+ to be in 2026: a social gaming ecosystem. A place where our games connect with your friends, and where your progress carries across the platform.
If you’re still reading, this next part is for the super fans. You’re the people we’re building this with.
Cards are the first big ecosystem-level component inside Halfbrick+. They’re designed to be a persistent collection that sticks with you over time, instead of something that lives and dies inside one game.
The important thing is this: Cards are not “a Jetpack Joyride Racing feature.” They’re a Halfbrick+ feature. The collection is meant to grow with you as we connect more games and add more ways to use it.
And because this is the beginning, we made one deliberate choice that explains a lot of what you might be feeling today.
If you’re in a non-soft launch country, you basically just got a massive refresh for an app that probably felt pretty quiet for a while. Then you open it and see Cards, packs, it teases you about Season Pass, and there’s a shop. Without Jetpack Joyride Racing available, it can feel disjointed.
That reaction makes sense. So here’s the core intent behind the rollout.
We did not want a world where only one part of the globe got to start collecting first.
This is the first series of Halfbrick+ Cards. The foundation set. The start of a collection we want to become meaningful over time. If we only let soft launch regions begin collecting, everyone else would be starting behind. That’s not the ecosystem we want to build.
So we gave everyone the same starting point. Everybody can start collecting today.
If you’ve ever played a card game, you know how much it would suck to miss the beginning. Imagine being told you can’t open the first set until months later, after everyone else already has a head start. That’s the exact feeling we wanted to avoid.
Here’s the most honest version of what we want you to do right now.
That’s the beginning. Not a grind. Not homework. Just a small daily action that builds a collection that will keep getting more useful.
You can go deeper if you want. Upgrade cards. Chase favorites. Share pulls. But the entry point is intentionally simple.
Cards have two roles right now.
The first is straightforward: collecting is fun. Opening packs is fun. Seeing what you got is fun. We want Cards to feel special as a collection even before every game is connected.
The second is a real use case: forging Cards into cosmetics for Jetpack Joyride Racing.
Jetpack Joyride Racing is currently in soft launch in selected countries. If it isn’t available where you live yet, you won’t be able to use those cosmetics in-game today. We’ll share more about release plans when we’re closer.
In the meantime, collecting isn’t “wasted.” It’s a head start. When JJR lands in more regions, you want to show up with a collection ready to go. A big part of racing games is looking cool. Cards are one of the ways you’ll do that.
We’re calling it the Season Pass: a rotating progression track with a free path and a premium path.
The bigger idea is what makes it different inside Halfbrick+.
We’re building toward universal progress. Meaning: it shouldn’t matter which Halfbrick+ game you’re playing. Your time in the ecosystem should still count.
Right now, the Season Pass is anchored to Jetpack Joyride Racing. That’s where the loop is currently most complete.
Next, as we roll the updated Halfbrick+ SDK into more games, Season Pass XP becomes something you earn across the ecosystem. Play Fruit Ninja. Play Dan the Man. Play Jetpack Joyride. Play whatever you like. Your progress still moves.
That’s what it means to stop thinking like a catalog and start thinking like an ecosystem.
We want to be plain about this.
Premium is not about making you stronger in competitive gameplay.
Premium is:
As we move toward a world where games can be enjoyed free with ads, premium becomes the optional upgrade for players who want the cleanest experience and faster progression. Optional, not mandatory. We’ll also be working on ways to provide additional sweeteners to have subscribing make even more sense.
And we’re still committed to the other part: purchases and subscriptions shouldn’t translate into competitive advantage. Competitive stays fair.
A big part of where Halfbrick is heading is simple: we want to over-index on being transparent with our players.
You might not agree with every decision we make. That’s normal. But we can promise this: we’ll tell you what we’re trying to do, we’ll explain the thinking, and we’ll show our work as we iterate.
This blog post is part of that. So here’s what we’re watching right now to judge whether we’re on the right track.
We shipped Cards because we want to learn how players actually interact with them. Especially in places where the Jetpack Joyride Racing loop isn’t available yet.
We’re reading the sentiment around Cards, the Hub, Season Pass pacing, Premium value, and how this lands in regions without JJR yet. If something is confusing, we want to know. If something feels great, we want to know that too.
This is the beginning. 2026 is going to be about making this ecosystem feel genuinely cool.
This is the foundational dev work that makes universal progress real. As more games get the updated SDK:
We’re exploring collectible card game concepts built around this collection, and we’re moving from “ideas and prototypes” into “lets build this properly.”
The exciting part about an ecosystem-level collection is that it doesn’t need to be just one card game. There’s a ton of design space here. The same collection can power multiple experiences, and cards can mean different things in different contexts.
This is the fun design problem, and it’s the one we care about a lot.
“What do Cards do in Dan the Man” is exactly the right question.
We don’t want cards to feel pasted on top. We want them to feel like they belong to each game’s personality while still being part of a shared ecosystem. That could mean cosmetics unlock paths that feel more intentional than random drops, long-term collection goals that encourage mastery, and themed challenges/events that make your collection feel alive.
We’re excited to explore this in public and keep iterating with you. We don’t even know the answers to some of these questions yet.
If you want to be part of shaping this, the most helpful thing you can do is engage with the system like a real player and tell us what felt good and what felt weird.
Halfbrick has been around for a long time, and we’re building the next era of Halfbrick+ with the people who have been with us. Cards are the foundation. The ecosystem is the goal. And this is just the start.
I’m not in a Jetpack Joyride Racing soft launch country. Why did the Hub change so much?
Because we wanted everyone to start from the same place. This is the first set of Cards, and we didn’t want only one part of the world to get a head start on collecting.
What is the Free Daily Card Pack?
A free pack you can claim in the Hub on a timer (currently every 16 hours). It’s the simplest way to start building your collection.
Do I have to use the Hub?
No. You can just play games. The Hub is where the ecosystem layer lives, so if you want Cards, the Season Pass, and cross-game unlocks, the Hub is where that comes together.
What do Cards do right now?
Today, Cards are collectible, and the first major utility is forging Cards into cosmetics for Jetpack Joyride Racing. More cross-game uses will roll out as we connect more games.
Is this pay-to-win?
No. Premium and purchases are about progression speed and cosmetics. XP multipliers are Season Pass XP, not gameplay stats. Competition stays fair.
What is the Season Pass, and how do I progress it?
The Season Pass is a rotating progression track with a free path and a premium path. Today it’s anchored to the Jetpack Joyride Racing launch. As we update more games with the new Halfbrick+ SDK, you’ll earn Season Pass XP across more of the ecosystem.
What happens if I miss a pack timer?
Nothing bad. Just claim it when you’re back. Checking in more often helps you build your collection faster, but you’re not punished for missing a timer.
When will this be in more games?
As we roll the updated Halfbrick+ SDK into the catalog. It’s active dev work and one of our top priorities after this launch.
Can Cards be used for more than one card game?
Yes. That’s part of what makes an ecosystem-level collection exciting. The same collection can power multiple experiences, and cards can mean different things in different contexts.
I'm already subscribed to Halfbrick+. What happens for me?
You'll automatically be rolled into our silver Premium subscription tier. You'll keep access to all games with no ads, and start receiving new bonuses, too.
To manage your sub, visit the app store where you first started the subscription. You can contact us in-app for more help with this.
Can I play older games like Colossatron, Age of Zombies and Fish Out of Water for free yet?
Not yet, this is a part of the updated Halfbrick+ SDK, so more work is being done before those games receive updates. We'll share more on this the moment we're able to.
