Balatro
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Balatro Trailers
Balatro - Launch Trailer | THE POKER ROGUELIKE
Balatro - Release Date Trailer | THE POKER ROGUELIKE
Critic Reviews for Balatro
A roguelike deckbuilder debut already worth of joining Slay the Spire and Monster Train at the King's table. Essential.
A deck-building poker roguelike of endlessly satisfying proportions, Balatro is the sort of fun that threatens to derail whole weekend plans.
Balatro is an ingenious and entertaining roguelike and one of my favorite games of the year. Playing it has become a near-obsession; everything feels perfectly designed to encourage you to keep trying because that next run could be the run of your life. Even after hours of play, I still can’t overcome Balatro’s biggest challenge: putting it down.
Balatro's ingenious combination of poker and roguelite gameplay creates an intoxicating combination that's hard to pull away from.
Wielding nothing more than a deck of cards and a poker-themed twist on proceedings, developer LocalThunk has conjured something incredible and awe-inspiring with Balatro. What starts as a relatively-novel twist on the deckbuilding format quickly blossoms into an experience that's equal parts methodical, experimental, chaotic but satisfying all the same. A game that rewards clever thinking, mathematical meddling and having the courage to be just that bit braver in uncovering just how far one can push its systems at play. Wherein success and failure alike stand as equally memorable moments to build off. A paradigm for what roguelikes and deckbuilders should aspire towards, Balatro is addictive, expertly-crafted and the new front-runner for what is easily the best gaming experience of 2024.
Balatro is a roguelike for gamers who don't like roguelikes... and then everybody else on top of that. It utterly nails what it sets out to do, providing an instantly accessible, satisfying, and addictive gameplay loop that anybody can grasp. It's an immensely enjoyable experience from the start, but as you get deeper in, there's really nothing else quite like it. We suspect we'll be hearing a lot about Balatro when conversations steer towards Game of the Year, because this is a clear and obvious frontrunner. Utterly sublime.
Balatro is a masterfully crafted Roguelike card game, that's easy to learn thanks to its poker mechanics but hard to master.
Industry Coverage
Indie Game Awards Winner Announced, All Nominees Now On Sale On Steam
The top indie games of the year are chosen.
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Balatro Developer Calls Out PEGI Over 18+ Rating
LocalThunk calls out PEGI for giving Balatro an 18+ rating, while games with loot boxes are rated 3+.
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Balatro Creator Points Out The Hypocrisy Of Unexpected PEGI Rating
Balatro creator calls out hypocritical PEGI rating.
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More Indie Games Scored A 90+ On Metacritic This Year Than Any Other Year
Balatro, my beloved.
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