| Balatro | |
| Developer: | LocalThunk |
| Publisher: | Playstack |
| Engine: | Löve |
| Composer: | LouisF |
| Released: | macOSAndroid, iOS |
| Genre: | Roguelike deck-building |
| Modes: | Single-player |
Balatro ([1]) is a poker-themed roguelike deck-building video game developed by LocalThunk and published by Playstack. It was released on Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 20, 2024, with a port to macOS on March 1. Ports for Android and iOS were released on September 26, 2024. In the game, players play poker hands to score points and defeat "blinds", while improving their deck and purchasing joker cards with a variety of effects.
Balatro was a critical and commercial success, reaching over 2 million copies sold in August 2024, less than a full year after release.[2]
First, the player must choose a deck. Only the Red Deck is available at the beginning of the game. After winning runs and discovering certain number of items, the player can unlock new deck types such as the Blue Deck, the Yellow Deck and the Magic Deck. Different decks have different effects, such as the Blue Deck that gives +1 hand every round and the Black Deck that gives +1 Joker slot in exchange for one hand every round. After the player chooses their deck, it's time to start the run.
To defeat blinds more easily, the player may choose to buy various cards which change the rules of the game. These items are bought in a shop in between rounds. As with other games in the roguelike genre, the player wins through a mix of "strategy, risk and reward, and a bit of luck."[3]
During gameplay, players draw cards from a deck that starts at 52, and can be improved with more cards. The objective is to form poker hands of up to five cards in order to score points.[4] [5] Points scored from each hand are determined by "Chips" multiplied by "Mults", which are earned based on the type of hand played and the value of the cards scored. (Example: a Two Pair formed of two 4s and two 6s will score a total of 80pts (20 + 8 + 12 Chips x 2 Mults).) Throughout the game, however, players can obtain Joker cards that affect the game in various ways, such as offering additional Chips or Mults when conditions are met or changing how certain poker hands can be played.[6]
The goal of each run is to clear at least 8 exponentially more difficult "Antes", with each Ante consisting of three rounds: Small Blind, Big Blind, and the Boss Blind, which provide additional challenges which increase difficulty, such as debuffing the effects of certain cards or requiring the player to clear the round in only one hand.[7] In each round, players have a limited number of poker hands within which they must beat a target score, as well as a limited number of discards in which may replace up to five cards in their hand with different ones. The game ends if the player runs out of hands before reaching the target score.[8] [9] [10] [11]
Once a Blind has been defeated, players are awarded with cash based on their performance, after which they are taken to a shop. Here, the player may use cash earned by clearing Blinds or selling unwanted cards to purchase individual cards, packs containing a random set of cards to choose from, and vouchers which add additional perks and conditions for the remainder of the run. Players may alternatively choose to skip Small and Big Blinds, along with their respective cash rewards and shop visits, to receive "Tags" with their own rewards such as free cards on the next shop visit. In addition to Jokers, players can obtain additional playing cards, allowing for unique poker hands such as "Five of a Kind" to be played, along with various consumable cards. Tarot cards provide various one-time effects, such as changing cards to different suits or enhancing them to provide bonuses when played. Planet cards raise the level of select poker hands, increasing their base Chip x Mult value when played. Spectral cards, which can only be found in packs, provide more effects beyond what Tarot cards can offer, such as providing finishes to cards that automatically apply bonuses when in play.
After the player wins 8 antes, completing a run, they can continue the game in an endless mode where they see how many points they can get. The types of card decks that the player chooses at the beginning of a run also have their own effects; the player starts out with a "starter" series of decks, and completing runs can unlock new ones. Clearing runs also unlocks "stakes" for the deck used which add more difficult conditions to the run.[12] New special cards and vouchers can be unlocked for future runs by clearing certain conditions.
The one-person developer LocalThunk is based in Canada.[13] LocalThunk had developed Balatro over the two-and-a-half years prior to release, one of several small games he had developed over the previous ten years and shared with friends.[14] Development had started based on an idea of the Cantonese card game Big Two, which has players playing a number of cards to create poker-like hands, while adding elements to play it online. He then saw the number of roguelike deckbuilders on Steam, and while he did not play, he looked at videos of Luck Be a Landlord, a roguelike built around a slot machine concept in which the player has limited spins to reach a target value on each round. He was inspired to transition his Big Two approach to be a single-player roguelike deckbuilder, removing the online play, and consciously avoiding playing any of the other deckbuilders to avoid taking ideas from these games. He had only played Slay the Spire near the end of development to understand how that game implemented its control scheme. He at one point considered the name Joker Poker for the game.[15]
About a year prior to release, LocalThunk quit his day job to focus on finishing Balatro "to put on a resume." He uploaded an early build to Steam, which eventually led to major streamers playing the game and providing pre-release publicity. As a result of this publicity, LocalThunk incorporated some player feedback into the final version of the game, such as adding boss battles, though he also rejected many ideas. 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, the new version containing 40 new Jokers, new bosses, and the ability to buy booster packs. The new version was uploaded alongside a new trailer and a release date for the full version of the game, February 20. In April 2024, the game was made easier with an experimental balance patch, 1.0.1c.[16]
Shortly after the game's release, Balatros PEGI rating was changed from 3+ to 18+ for "prominent gambling imagery" due to PEGI's strict rules on portraying gambling, causing the game to be 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.[17]
Two free "Friends of Jimbo" updates, adding interchangeable cosmetic packs featuring crossovers with other video games, were released on August 27 and October 24, 2024, respectively. The first update features crossovers with The Witcher 3, Vampire Survivors, Dave the Diver and Among Us,[18] while the second update features crossovers with Cyberpunk 2077, The Binding of Isaac, Slay the Spire and Stardew Valley.[19] [20] Additionally, content based on Balatro was added to Dave the Diver via a free update released on October 24, 2024.[21]
LocalThunk and Playstack confirmed plans for ports to Android and iOS mobile devices in March 2024.[22] The ports were released on September 26, 2024, including a Balatro+ version for Apple Arcade.[23] Following the release on mobile, Balatro had risen to #1 in the top paid games section of the App Store in the same day.[24]
Localthunk partnered with Fangamer to produce physical deck of playing cards using Balatro pixel graphic arts, including four of the game's Jokers, to be released in 2025.[25]
Balatro has received "universal acclaim", according to Metacritic. 100% of critics recommend the game according to OpenCritic.
Alex Orona from Nintendo World Report called it "a smart game" with "deep mechanics" and "fast paced". Jordan Helm from Hardcore Gamer called it "addictive" and "expertly-crafted". Charlie Brooker, the creator of Black 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%".[26]
Within eight hours of release, the game had made over $1 million in gross revenue according to publisher Playstack, their fastest-selling game to date. Over 250,000 copies were sold in the first three days,[27] 500,000 copies in the first ten days,[28] one million within the first month,[29] and two million within the first six months.[30]
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Golden Joystick Awards | Ultimate Game of the Year | [31] [32] [33] | |
| Best Indie Game | ||||
| Best Audio Design | ||||
| PC Game of the Year | ||||
| Breakthrough (Critic's Choice) | ||||
| The Game Awards 2024 | Game of the Year | [34] | ||
| Best Game Direction | ||||
| Best Independent Game | ||||
| Best Debut Indie Game | ||||
| Best Mobile Game | ||||