| Balatro | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | LocalThunk |
| Publisher | Playstack |
| Composer | Luis Clemente (LouisF) |
| Engine | Löve |
| Platforms | |
| Release |
|
| Genre | Roguelike deck-building |
| Mode | Single-player |
Balatro[a] is apoker-themedroguelike deck-building game developed by solo developer LocalThunk, and published by Playstack. It was released forNintendo Switch,PlayStation 4,PlayStation 5,Windows,Xbox One, andXbox Series X/S on February 20, 2024, with a port tomacOS on March 1. Ports forAndroid andiOS were released on September 26, 2024. In the game, the player must score a certain number of points by playingpoker hands from a starting52-card deck, with a limited number of hands and discards each round.
The game was developed over a two-and-a-half year period by sole developer LocalThunk, inspired by the card gameBig Two and the roguelike video gameLuck Be a Landlord. Initially, LocalThunk had only treatedBalatro as a side project to put on arésumé, not anticipating the success of the game.[1]
Balatro has received universal acclaim from game critics,[2][3] selling more than 5 million copies by January 2025.[4] Along with several other awards and nominations,Balatro was namedGame of the Year at the 25thGame Developers Choice Awards and nominated for the top prize atThe Game Awards 2024, the28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, and the21st British Academy Games Awards.
Balatro is a singleplayerroguelike deck-building game based on the rules ofpoker. The player chooses adeck, each with unique effects and cards, before each playthrough or "run". A run is divided intoantes, each with threeblinds of increasing difficulty. During a "round" against a blind, the player must use their limited number of hands and discards to play poker hands, and attempt to score the required number of chips (points).[5][6] To defeat blinds more easily, the player may purchase various cards which change the rules of the game or provide an advantage.[7][6] These items are bought in a shop in between rounds with an internalin-game currency.[5][8][9]
Blinds, the obstacles the player must defeat in Balatro, have three major types: Small Blind, Big Blind, and Boss Blind. Small and Big Blinds can either be skipped or played. When skipping a blind, the player forgoes the cash rewards of defeating the blind and an opportunity to use the shop but is rewarded with a tag, granting special rewards. Most tags give some benefit upon entering the next shop, such as free cards orbooster packs, but some effects are instant or apply when other criteria are met. Each type of Boss Blind has a special ability, such as disabling certain cards or limiting the player's hands or discards.[10][11] Ante 8—as well as all antes that are a multiple of 8—have a "Finisher Blind" in place of a Boss Blind, which selects from one of five special types which do not appear in any other circumstance.
Each ante consists of three rounds, one against a Small Blind, one against a Big Blind, and the final round against a Boss Blind, which allows the player to progress to the next ante. In each round, the player has a limited number of hands within which they must beat a target score, as well as a limited number of discards with which they may replace up to five cards in their hand with different ones. The game ends if the player runs out of hands or cards to play before reaching the target score.[12][13][14][11][10][9]
During a round, the player draws playing cards from their deck, initially starting with astandard 52-card deck, while cards can be added, modified, and destroyed throughout the run. The player then selects up to five cards, with the objective of forming poker hands to score points.[14][15][16] The hand's base value is calculated and turned into "Chips", which are then multiplied by "Mult", which increases depending on cards, hands, and jokers held by the player.[14]Joker cards affect the game in various ways, such as offering additional Chips or Mult when conditions are met or changing how certain poker hands can be played.[7][17][15][14][9]
Upon defeating a Blind, the player is awarded with in-game cash ($), and presented with a shop. Here, the player may use their cash to purchase items, such as booster packs, Jokers, and avoucher which grants perks and conditions for the remainder of the run.[5][10] It is possible to play until ante 39 in endless mode at which point the amount of required chips, stored underdouble-precision floating-point format, overflows to infinity, which get stored asNaN under such number format.[b] Because all numbers (including NaN) will always be compared asunordered (a relation separate fromless than,equal to, orgreater) against NaN, the player score cannot be equal to or greater than NaN, causing further progression to be impossible.[18][19]
The player wins a run by completing ante 8—defeating the first Finisher Blind—though the player can continue playing in endless mode.[7] Running out of hands or cards without hitting the score required during a round ends the run. If the player has not completed ante 8 when the game ends, the player has lost. In endless mode, these conditions still cause the game to end, though the player still won by completing ante 8.
Jokers, special cards which the player holds separately from their deck, are the primary means by which players can alter their scoring in the game, among other effects. The game was released with 150 Joker cards.[4] Many Jokers provide Chips or Mult bonuses based on certain conditions, and some provide Mult multipliers, multiplying the player's Mult. Jokers have a wide range of abilities including rewarding money, creating or duplicating cards, or modifying the player's amount of hands and discards. Jokers often require certain conditions to be met for their abilities to be triggered, or used to their full potential. Jokers can be found with or upgraded to have variants like Foil,Holographic, Polychrome, which affect the player's Chips or Mult, as well as the Negative modifier which grants an additional slot for Joker storage, effectively making the Joker occupy no space. Part of the strategy ofBalatro is filling one's limited Joker slots with Jokers that have interactions with each other and other cards to greatly increase scoring opportunities.[4]
Players can modify their deck of playing cards through various means, which can be used to improve the odds of drawing specific hands, or improve the score output of certain cards. Additional playing cards can be obtained through booster packs at the shop. Existing cards can also be modified, destroyed or copied using Tarot cards and Spectral cards. Utilizing these, it is therefore possible to play non-traditional poker hands such asFive of a Kind,Flush House (full house of all the same suit), andFlush Five (five of the same suit and rank).[6][10]
Major Arcana from the cartomanticTarot deck provide various one-time effects, such as changing cards to differentplaying card suits, enhancing them to provide bonuses when played, or destroying cards.[7][14] Spectral cards behave similarly, though provide stronger effects, such as creating copies of a card, applying upgrade variants to Jokers and playing cards, or modifying the player's cash in exchange for a negative or positive effect.[14] Planet cards raise the level of a poker hand, increasing their base Chips and Mult values when played. Each planet card applies to a different hand depending on its type, and upgrades that hand for the duration of the run.[20] Vouchers, the most expensive offers in the shop, instantly provide a boost for the rest of the run (ex. An additional hand or discard). One unique voucher appears in the shop once per ante.
The deck of playing cards that the player chooses at the beginning of a run also has its own effects; the player starts out with a "starter" series of decks, and completes runs to unlock new ones.[7] Completing runs also unlocks "stakes" for the deck used, which add more difficult conditions to the run.[7][21] New special cards and vouchers can be unlocked for future runs by meeting certain conditions.[10]
Balatro has significant support for modification primarily through the third-party mod loader Steammodded. Several mods exist for Balatro; one famous example of this is theCryptid mod, which adds over 100 Jokers and is designed to be intentionally unbalanced.[22] Another popular mod forBalatro is theMultiplayer mod, which novelly enables players to face off against another player during a Nemesis Blind, in which whoever scores the highest is able to take a life from their opponent.[23]
Balatro was developed by LocalThunk, an anonymous solo developer based inSaskatchewan, Canada.[24] In an interview, he said that he mostly plays online competitive games, and that he ponders roguelike games more than actually playing them.[25] Despite the game's theme, LocalThunk said he does not play poker, nor does he want the game to be used forgambling by casinos and players.[26]
Development began in 2021, two-and-a-half years before release, initially intended to be one of several small games that were shared with friends.[27][1] The initial idea was an online version of the Cantonese card gameBig Two, which has players playing a number of cards to create poker-like hands.[28] After seeing the number of roguelike deckbuilders onSteam, and watching aTwitch stream ofNorthernlion playingLuck Be a Landlord, aslot machine-themedroguelike,[1][29] he was inspired to turn his Big Two clone into a singleplayer roguelike deckbuilder without online play. According to LocalThunk, he avoided playing deckbuilders to avoid taking ideas from these games, and had only playedSlay the Spire near the end of development to understand how it implemented its control scheme.[1] He at one point considered the nameJoker Poker for the game, before settling onBalatro, anAncient Roman term for a professional jester or buffoon.[30]
On using the standard 52 playing card deck as a base LocalThunk said, "it's this shared cultural game design tool that has evolved over hundreds of years", and on the game's success was quoted as being partly "because you're borrowing from this really tried-and-true tool."[28]
The soundtrack for Balatro was written and produced by LouisF, a freelanceFiverr artist. The composer was contacted in March 2023, and the music was released the same month. In his published timeline of the game's production, LocalThunk noted that it was the only money that he planned to spend during the development of Balatro.[31]
A very early version of the game was circulated among his friends, who gave positive reviews after months of playing.[32] About a year prior to release, LocalThunk quit his day job to focus on finishingBalatro "to put on a résumé".[1] He signed a publishing contract with PlayStack, and with their help developed a launch campaign around beta releases and promotion via major video game streamers.[33] LocalThunk used player feedback from the betas for additional features in the final version of the game, including the addition ofboss battles.[1]
Balatro was programmed inLua with theLöve game framework.[34] LocalThunk's pseudonym derives from thekeyword "local" used to define variables and "Thunk", a common variable name in his partner's projects.[32]
The game is named after theLatin word for "professional jester or buffoon", which is pronounced/ˈbɑːlɑːtroʊ/BAH-lah-troh.[35] Developer LocalThunk said that its pronunciation can be "whatever makes people happy,"[35] though he personally pronounces it/ˈbælətroʊ/BA-luh-troh, as does the narrator in the game's launch trailer.[36] Many players and YouTubers pronounce the titlebuh-LAH-troh with stress on the secondsyllable.[37]
In 2023, prior to release, the game became available as a demo. It was removed by LocalThunk on January 1, 2024, and was brought back on January 25, with the new version containing 40 new Jokers, new bosses, and booster packs. The new version was uploaded alongside a new trailer and a release date for the full version of the game, February 20, 2024.[21] In April 2024, the game was made easier with an experimental balance patch, 1.0.1c.[38]
Shortly after the game's release,Balatro'sPEGI rating was changed from 3+ to 18+ for "prominent gambling imagery" due to PEGI'sstrict rules on portraying gambling, causing the game to be temporarily removed from sale in certain territories. Publisher Playstack stated that they had discussed the game's content with PEGI prior to release (causing its initial 18+ rating to be lowered to 3+) and that, while being based on poker, the game does not portray any form of gambling, and intended to appeal the re-rating.[39] LocalThunk criticised the rating change saying, "Maybe I should addmicrotransactions/loot boxes/real gambling to lower that rating to 3+ likeEA Sports FC".[40] The rating was successfully appealed in February 2025, and along withLuck be a Landlord,Balatro was reclassified with a 12+ rating, recognizing that the fantasy elements of the game distinguished it from gambling. PEGI has stated they will introduce more granular classification rules for future games involving gambling-like elements.[41] AfterYouTube changed its policies in March 2025, manyBalatro videos were marked as 18+ for "depictions or promotions of online casino sites or apps," blocking these videos from child YouTube accounts.[42]
LocalThunk and Playstack confirmed plans for ports toAndroid andiOS mobile devices in March 2024.[43] The ports were released on September 26, 2024, including aBalatro+ version forApple Arcade.[44] The ports grossed $1 million in a week and $4.4 million in 2 months.[45] Various pieces of official merchandise have also released; A physical deck of playing cards usingBalatro's pixel art graphics and a 2025 calendar (Featuring photographs ofBen Starr portraying various jokers) were released byFangamer,[46][47] numerous plushes, pins, and keychains were released byMakeship,[48] and various t-shirts with mascot Jimbo and various other cards are sold by Playstack.[49][50]
Four free "Friends of Jimbo" updates, adding interchangeable cosmetic packs (changing the appearance of theface cards) featuring crossovers with other video games, were released on August 27, October 24, December 12, 2024, and February 24, 2025, respectively. The first update features crossovers withThe Witcher 3,Vampire Survivors,Dave the Diver andAmong Us,[51] the second update features crossovers withCyberpunk 2077,The Binding of Isaac,Slay the Spire andStardew Valley,[52][53] the third update features crossovers withDivinity: Original Sin II,Shovel Knight,Potion Craft,Enter the Gungeon,Cult of the Lamb,Don't Starve,1000xResist andWarframe,[54] and the fourth update features crossovers withCritical Role,Bugsnax,Sid Meier's Civilization VII,Rust,Assassin's Creed,Slay the Princess,Dead by Daylight andFallout.[55]
LocalThunk had planned to release a major update toBalatro during 2025, but by September 2025, opted to push that to 2026, stating his desire to continue to keep the game's development as his hobby and avoidcrunch.[56]
Balatro-themed content has been added to numerous other games through official collaborations, including:
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | PC: 90/100[2] XBXS: 95/100[65] PS5: 90/100[66] NS: 90/100[67] |
| OpenCritic | 100% recommend[3] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Eurogamer | 4/5[9] |
| Game Informer | 9.5/10[6] |
| GameSpot | 9/10[11] |
| Hardcore Gamer | 5/5[68] |
| IGN | 9/10[7] |
| Nintendo Life | 10/10[69] |
| Nintendo World Report | 9/10[14] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 91%[12] |
| Push Square | 9/10[70] |
| Shacknews | 9/10[71] |
Balatro has received "universal acclaim" according toreview aggregator websiteMetacritic.[2][65][66][67]OpenCritic, another aggregator, said that 100% of critics recommend the game.[3]
The game's playability has received praise from critics. Simon Cardy fromIGN described it as "ludicrously fun" and "remarkably approachable,"[7] while Jordan Helm fromHardcore Gamer called it "addictive" and "expertly-crafted".[68] Writing forThe Guardian, Keza MacDonald stated that "Balatro might be the best card game you will ever come across".[72]
In addition, the game's roguelike elements have received positive reviews. Abbie Stone fromPC Gamer described gameplay as "strategizing your way to success,"[12] and Alessandro Barbosa fromGameSpot called each run "surprisingly fresh."[11] Chris Allnutt writing inFinancial Times praised the "wonderfully retroVCR-style visuals,lo-fi music and irreverent sound effects."[73]
Charlie Brooker, the creator ofBlack Mirror, called it "possibly the most addictive thing ever created" and that once it was released for mobile devices, "humankind's activity is going to drop about 25%";[74]Balatro was subsequently briefly shown in the "Hotel Reverie" episode ofBlack Mirror's seventh season, released in April 2025.[75] Film directorJames Gunn calledBalatro a "great game", and spent much of the downtime during production ofSuperman playing the game.[76]
With the success ofBalatro, LocalThunk kept to a low profile, not wanting much attention on his real-world identity and avoiding the stress that would come with it.[32] He has also used the attention drawn toBalatro to highlight other indie titles released near the same time,[77] including namingAnimal Well,Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers,Arco,Nova Drift,Ballionaire, andMouthwashing for his "Golden Thunk Awards".[78] While LocalThunk and his partner had been present at the Game Awards, he told no one else who they were, and opted to allow representatives from PlayStack to accept the awardsBalatro won on his behalf.[4] A similar arrangement was made for the Game Developers Choice Awards, with PlayStack representatives accepting the awards forBalatro while LocalThunk remained anonymous at the event.[79] For the21st British Academy Games Awards, LocalThunk was able to send actorBen Starr, previously having played Jimbo the joker for live-action videos for the game, to accept his award.[80]
Following its popularity, the game has inspired significant activity from the player community, includingmemes,[81] the integration of other games within it,[82] and an unofficial port to theApple Watch developed in January 2025, calledWee Balatro, which is awaiting the author's approval.[83]
Within eight hours of release, the game had made overUS$1 million in gross revenue according to publisher Playstack. Over one million copies were sold within the first month.[84] By January 2025, the game had surpassed 5 million copies, with around half of those coming after the mobile releases in September 2024, and does not account for those who downloaded the game via theirApple Arcade subscriptions.[4]
Balatro received nominations for multiple accolades. In 2024 it wonGolden Joystick Awards' "Best Indie Game" and "Breakthrough" awards.[85] AtThe Game Awards 2024, it won "Best Independent Game", "Best Debut Indie Game", and "Best Mobile Game";[86] it was also nominated for "Game of the Year", the first time a solo game project was nominated for the top honor.[87] It also received awards from theAcademy of Interactive Arts & Sciences for "Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game", "Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year", and "Mobile Game of the Year" at the28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.[88]
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Golden Joystick Awards | Ultimate Game of the Year | Nominated | [89][90] |
| Best Indie Game | Won | |||
| Best Audio Design | Nominated | |||
| PC Game of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Breakthrough (Critic's Choice) | Won | |||
| The Game Awards 2024 | Game of the Year | Nominated | [86] | |
| Best Game Direction | Nominated | |||
| Best Independent Game | Won | |||
| Best Debut Indie Game | Won | |||
| Best Mobile Game | Won | |||
| The Steam Awards | Game of the Year | Nominated | [91] | |
| Most Innovative Gameplay | Nominated | |||
| Best Game on Steam Deck | Nominated | |||
| 2025 | New York Game Awards | Big Apple Award for Best Game of the Year | Nominated | [92] |
| Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game | Nominated | |||
| 28th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards | Game of the Year | Nominated | [93][88] | |
| Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game | Won | |||
| Outstanding Achievement in Game Design | Nominated | |||
| Mobile Game of the Year | Won | |||
| Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year | Won | |||
| Independent Games Festival | Seumas McNally Grand Prize | Honorable mention | [94] | |
| Excellence in Design | Nominated | |||
| Game Developers Choice Awards | Game of the Year | Won | [95][96] | |
| Best Audio | Honorable mention | |||
| Best Debut | Won | |||
| Best Design | Won | |||
| Innovation Award | Won | |||
| Best Visual Art | Honorable mention | |||
| NAVGTR Awards 2024 | Gameplay Design, New IP | Nominated | [97] | |
| Game, Puzzle | Won | |||
| 21st British Academy Games Awards | Best Game | Nominated | [98][99] | |
| Debut Game | Won | |||
| Game Design | Nominated | |||
| New Intellectual Property | Nominated | |||
| Develop:Star Awards | Publishing Star (Playstack) | Pending | [100] | |
| GEM Awards | GEMA Indie 2024 | Won | [101][102] | |
| Best Strategy Game | Won | |||
| Best Mobile Game | Won | |||
| Apple Design Awards | Delight and Fun | Won | [103] |
