Screen Rant

Balatro

Developed by LocalThunk, Balatro is a deck-building poker roguelike game released on all modern consoles and PCs in 2024. Set up as a unique fusion of deck-building and poker, Balatro tasks players with trying to win escalating games of poker where they can purchase joker cards with unique effects to help win and conquer their opponents.

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Your Rating

Balatro
Strategy
Digital Card Game
Roguelike
10/10
Top Critic Avg: 92/100 Critics Rec: 100%
Released
February 20, 2024
ESRB
E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Gambling Themes
Developer(s)
LocalThunk
Publisher(s)
Playstack
Engine
LÖVE

ESRB
E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Gambling Themes

latest

Balatro and PS Plus Icon
Don't Miss Out On Trying This 2024 GOTY Contender For Free Thanks To PS Plus

One of the most unexpected GOTY contenders from 2024 is available as a monthly dowload on PS Plus, & I'd recommend grabbing it while you can.

Statue of the Game Awards trophy behind the Xbox Game  logo.
Now That It's On Xbox Game , You Have No Excuse Not To Play This 2024 GOTY Contender

With Balatro having been shadow-dropped on Xbox Game , now is the perfect time for players to take a chance on this critically-acclaimed title.

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The Balatro logo with an ace of spades in the middle, held up in front of a smiling clown face.
Highly-Acclaimed Card-Based Roguelike Balatro Is Now Available On Xbox Game

Players will find that Balatro just shadow-dropped on Xbox Game alongside big free DLC, making the deck-building roguelike available to all.

Balatro logo laid over a mid-game Balatro match against boss blind The Goad
After A Formal Appeal, Balatro Is No Longer Considered An 18+ Game

PEGI has finally lowered the deck-building roguelike Balatro's age rating from PEGI 18 to 12, making it much more accessible to players everywhere

The Balatro logo with an ace of spades in the middle, held up in front of a smiling clown face.
Creator Of Highly-Acclaimed Indie Title Balatro Talks About The Future, Including A New Major Update

LocalThunk, the creator of Balatro, discusses how the title came to be and the future of the highly-acclaimed indie game including updates.

A hand containing the Lucky Cat, Credit Card, and Golden Ticket cards from Balatro alongside the smiling Jimbo Joker plushie.
Balatro Has Broken Massive Sales Record, & The Devs Cannot Be More Thrilled About The Title's Success

Balatro has officially hit a major sales milestone, reaching five million units sold across all platforms today. Here’s what its creator had to say.

The Joker from Balatro and Yi from Nine Sols in front of Luck be a Landlord gameplay.
The Inspiration Behind 2024's Best Indie Game Is Finally Coming To Consoles: Here's Why You Should Be Playing

One of the best indie games that inspired a 2024 GOTY nominee is finally coming to consoles, giving players the perfect opportunity to finally try it.

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Characters from Dragon Age The Veilguard and 1000xRESIST with keyart from Biomorph
All 2025 Canadian Game Awards Categories & Nominees

The 2025 Canadian Game Awards will be happening next month to celebrate the previous year's worth of gaming achievements. Here are the games honored.

A burglar and a baron Joker from Balatro, next to a score window showing an incredibly high score and mult.
Balatro: All Cheats & How To Use Them

Balatro cheats can help you beat tough Blinds, unlock rare Jokers, and much more. Here’s how to unlock the debug menu and use cheats in Balatro.

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Titus from Space Marine 2, Cloud from Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and a Helldiver from Helldivers 2 on Balatro Joker cards.
I Finally Played Balatro And It Confirmed Why 2024 Was Such A Good Year For Games

Balatro is an excellent game and one of 2024’s best. However, it is also illustrative of why 2024 was such a phenomenal year for gaming.

Characters from Nine Sols, Neva, and 1000xResist in a row.
10 Best Indie Games Of 2024

2024 was a ground-breaking year for all indie games, as so many critically acclaimed and award-winning titles like Balatro were released.

indie games that won awards at the indie game awards 2024
Indie Game Awards Winner Announced, All Nominees Now On Sale On Steam

The winners for the 2024 Indie Game Awards have been revealed and all nominees and winners can be purchased for a discount on Steam for a limited time

The Balatro logo with an ace of spades in the middle, held up in front of a smiling clown face.
Balatro Creator Points Out The Hypocrisy Of Unexpected PEGI Rating

Balatro creator LocalThunk has pointed out the hypocrisy of the game's 18+ rating from PEGI, drawing comparisons to microtransaction-heavy games.

GOTY 2024 award with question marks.
TGA 2024: This GOTY Nominee May Break A Long-Standing Tradition For Just The Second Time Ever

The 2024 GOTY Awards have had some controversial nominations so far, but one game has a chance to make a moment its mark in gaming history.

Balatro collaboration event shows characters from other games with the Balatro card in the background
Stardew Valley, Cyberpunk, And More Arrive On Indie Card Game In Huge Collab

A huge collaboration event in an indie card game adds new designs of iconic characters and art styles from Stardew Valley, Cyberpunk, and more.

Cloud from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth with imagery from Elden Ring and Destiny 2
10 Best Video Games Of 2024 (So Far)

2024 has already given us some great games, and the second half of the year will have to deliver some serious hits to beat what has already come out.

Balatro-Joker-cards
How To Unlock Every Joker Card In Balatro

To unlock Joker cards, found in Balatro's Collection Menu, complete objectives within your game runs and purchase from the Shop between rounds.

Balatro clown with a deck of cards behind him.
"Overwhelmingly Positive" Steam Game Has 8k Reviews & Costs Less Than $15

Balatro, the recently released roguelike poker game, is making waves on Steam where it's racked up thousands of overwhelmingly positive reviews.

By 
Balatro logo laid over a mid-game Balatro match against boss blind The Goad
Balatro Review: "The Next Great Deckbuilder Roguelite"

Video poker and deckbuilding combine in Balatro, an unassuming but obscenely addictive card game that is one of the first indie hits of the year.