Balatro is a poker-inspired roguelike, which means every attempt, called a run, starts fresh and ends when you fail a round. You begin each run by choosing a Deck, which sets the rules and starting setup for that attempt. The game is available on PC, consoles and mobile, and each run also helps you discover new cards for your collection.
The game is split into rounds called Blinds, and each one asks you to reach a score target. In a round, you choose up to five cards from your hand of eight cards and play them as a poker hand. That hand's Chips, the points it earns, are multiplied by its Mult, the multiplier that boosts them, and the result is added to your round total. Both plays and discards are limited, and a discard lets you throw cards away for new ones, so every move has to count.
Blinds are grouped into Antes, and each Ante has a Small Blind, a Big Blind and a Boss Blind, played in that order. The Boss Blind carries a special rule that changes how you play that round. Beating a round pays money and opens a shop, where you can spend it on Jokers (special cards with their own effects), consumables you use up, and Vouchers that give lasting boosts to your run. Clear the Boss Blind at Ante 8 to win a standard run, and then Endless mode lets you keep going, with Stakes setting how hard each run is.
- Developer
- LocalThunk
- Publisher
- Playstack
- Release
- macOS (Steam): 2024-03-01 · iOS, Android, Apple Arcade: 2024-09-26 · Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S: 2024-02-20
- Platforms
- Windows (Steam), macOS (Steam), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, iOS, Android, Apple Arcade (Balatro+)
Game data
Consumables
Consumables are one-use Tarot, Planet and Spectral cards that you hold in a shared area until you use or sell them. Tarot cards mostly change playing cards, money or Jokers, Planet cards level up a poker hand for the rest of the run, and Spectral cards make bigger changes that often come with a cost. You can get them from the shop, from booster packs and from other effects.
Collectibles
Jokers
Jokers are run cards in Balatro that sit in a row above the table and change how your hands score or how the run plays out. They come in Common, Uncommon, Rare and Legendary rarities, and you can find them in shops, Buffoon Packs and through certain tags. Some only unlock after specific goals, such as winning a run or reaching Ante 4, so building a full collection takes time.
Vouchers
Vouchers are upgrades you buy in the shop during a run, and their effects last for the rest of that run. Each one is either a Base, which you can buy from the start, or an Upgrade, which builds on its Base once it's unlocked. Together they change the shop, your money, your hands and discards, and more, so they shape how a run goes.
Decks
Decks are the starting setups you choose before each run in Balatro. Each one changes how you begin, whether through extra hands or discards, starting cash, Joker slots, hand size, or the mix of cards you start with. Red is open from the start, and the others unlock by reaching Collection milestones, winning runs with certain Decks, or winning on a Stake. Stakes are difficulty settings and are separate from Decks.
Balatro gameplay tips
- Read the Boss Blind rule before you spend. A Boss Blind shows its special rule before the round starts, and some rules punish a single suit, a hand type, face cards or your Joker setup. Check it first, so you can plan your hands and buy any answer in the shop before the round begins, rather than finding out mid-round.
- Clear each Blind in as few hands as you can. The round ends the moment your total reaches the target, and every hand you didn't use pays $1 when you cash out. Choosing plays that score big enough to finish quickly turns spare hands into money for the next shop.
- Put Planet cards into hands you can make often. A Planet card raises the level of one poker hand, improving its base Chips and/or Mult. Spend it on a hand your deck and Jokers can produce consistently, because a boost to a hand you rarely play barely shows up in your scores.
- Check what a Tarot card changes before you use it. Tarot cards change your playing cards, such as their rank, suit or chips, and consumable slots are limited. Read the exact target and effect first so the change lands on the card you want.
- Weigh a tag against the shop before you skip. Skipping a Small or Big Blind gives you a tag, such as a free Uncommon Joker in your next shop, but you lose that round's money and the shop that would have followed. The Boss Blind can't be skipped, so this choice only comes up in the first two rounds of each Ante. Take the skip when the tag helps your run more than that shop would.
- Line up your Jokers from left to right with care. Jokers trigger in the order they sit in your row, so the order changes the result. If one Joker's effect depends on another's trigger or on the final multiplier, move them so they trigger in the order you need.