Black Spades launches on Xbox Series X|S, bringing the cookout card game to console

Black Spades, developed by independent Black-owned studio Konsole Kingz, is out today on Xbox Series X|S for $19.99 — marking the first dedicated spades game on Xbox in nearly two decades.

The game is built around the house rules most players already know: Jokers and Deuces trump card ranking, Reneg calling, partner strategy, competitive bidding, and the trash talk that comes with the territory. Online matchmaking, voice chat, competitive leaderboards, and cross-platform multiplayer are all in. Konsole Kingz designed it to skip the gimmicks and get players straight into the action, whether they're picking up the game for the first time or have been running tables at family reunions for years.

Spades has always been a game passed down through tradition rather than rulebooks — learned by watching older relatives, absorbing house rules that vary by city and family, and earning your seat at the table. Konsole Kingz founder and team drew directly on that experience, and the studio was featured in Xbox's Black History Month campaign earlier this year for their work as Black creators in gaming. Black Spades is positioned as both a preservation of that cultural tradition and an on-ramp for a new generation of players.

The game is live on Xbox Series X|S now. Cross-platform multiplayer means players on supported devices can jump in together, so the cookout doesn't have to end when everyone goes home.