Balatro

Released 20 February 2024 Developer LocalThunk Publisher Playstack

Roguelike deck-builder
Card game
Switch
PS5
PS4
Xbox Series
Xbox One
PC
Mac
iOS
Android

A single-player roguelike deck-building game built around poker hands. You play hands to score enough chips to beat each round, and collect Joker cards that change the scoring rules in surprising ways. There is no real-money gambling or betting in the game, but the poker and casino theme is why several rating boards give it an older rating.

Money health FairPay clearly, know the ceiling

Addictive design None0 of 5 — counts the hooks designed in

Average price A$19.05average of 6 store prices

Spending ceiling Has a ceilingEverything costs A$21.95

Australian rating ACBMSimulated gambling

How it makes money

Fair: pay clearly, know the ceiling

A one-off purchase: A$21.95 on Steam and the Nintendo eShop, A$17.95 on PlayStation, A$22.45 on Xbox, and A$14.99 on the App Store and Google Play. On Steam and Nintendo Switch we found no ads, loot boxes or in-game currency bought with real money, and Steam lists only a separate soundtrack (A$4.50); we did not check the mobile versions for in-app purchases. The 'chips' and 'money' in the game are points you earn while playing, not purchases.

How you pay

Our verdict

Fair · Pay clearly, know the ceiling

You know what you are paying for before you pay, and there is a limit to what the game can take.

Set by the worst badge central to how it makes money (minor extras count only if rated Caution or worse). How we rate

Addictive design

None

The 'one more run' loop is the main pull: runs are short, outcomes vary, and there are many decks and difficulty levels to unlock by playing. There are no timers, daily rewards or purchases.

Not a medical measure. It counts the engagement hooks deliberately built into the game — timers, streaks, limited-time pressure, paid randomness. How it's scored

Spending ceiling

There is a ceiling: you can buy everything the game sells.

What it costs

Price: A$19.05 · everything A$21.95

What	Where	Price	Checked
Standard	Steam (AU) · PC	A$21.95	Oct 2026
Standard Regular price; on sale at A$18.65 when checked.	Nintendo eShop (AU) · Switch	A$21.95	Oct 2026
PS4 & PS5	PlayStation Store (AU) · PS5	A$17.95	Oct 2026
Standard	Xbox Store (AU) · Xbox Series	A$22.45	Oct 2026
Standard	Apple App Store (AU) · iOS	A$14.99	Oct 2026
Standard	Google Play (AU) · Android	A$14.99	Oct 2026

Store prices change often and sales are common; we record the regular price on the date shown.

Reviews from across the web

What the critics said

92OpenCritic
Mighty 90Metacritic
Metascore

Overwhelmingly PositiveSteam
player reviews

9/ 10

IGN

Simon Cardy · 8 March 2024 · PC

Finds the poker-based roguelike so enjoyable it could swallow a weekend.
91/ 100

PC Gamer

Abbie Stone · 19 February 2024 · PC

Calls the debut a must-play that belongs alongside the best roguelike deck-builders.
9.5/ 10

Game Informer

Marcus Stewart · 28 February 2024 · PC

Names it one of the year's best and admits to finding it hard to stop playing.
10/ 10

Nintendo Life

Oliver Reynolds · 1 March 2024 · Switch

Says it can win over people who usually dislike roguelikes and is a clear contender for game of the year.

Scores belong to the outlets that published them; follow the links to read the full reviews. Summaries are ours.

Age ratings & content

What's in it

Content labels

Classification

ACBM

Australian Classification · record

Simulated gambling

ESRBE10+

ESRB (North America) · record

Gambling Themes

PEGI12

PEGI (Europe) · record

Gambling (originally rated 18; reduced to 12 on 24 February 2025 after an appeal)

Age ratings judge content (violence, language, gambling themes), summed up in the content labels above. They say little about how hard a game pushes spending — that's what the money badges are for. About rating boards

Safety & parental controls

Who can talk to your child, and what can they buy?

No chat
No contact with strangers
No user-made content
No account needed

Single-player and playable offline, with no chat or user-made content. The theme is poker with casino-style chips and cards, but nothing is wagered and no real money is involved. Australia classifies it M for simulated gambling (a recommendation for 15 and over, not a legal restriction); the ESRB says E10+ for gambling themes; PEGI lowered it from 18 to 12 in February 2025 after an appeal, although the 18 rating reportedly remains on physical collector's editions.