Balatro ▶ Trailer
Balatro screenshot 1Balatro screenshot 2
CasualIndieStrategyCard GameRoguelikeRoguelike DeckbuilderDeckbuildingSingleplayer

8,096 playing

Peak in the last 24 hours: 8,791

Peak in the last 7 days: 9,495

Balatro Steam store

Game description

The poker roguelike. Balatro is a hypnotically satisfying deckbuilder where you play illegal poker hands, discover game-changing jokers, and trigger adrenaline-pumping, outrageous combos.

Basic info

DeveloperLocalThunk
PublisherPlaystack
PlatformsWindows · macOS
Steam DeckVerified
Release dateFeb 20, 2024
Price

Prices by IsThereAnyDeal

Minimum specs

OSWindows 7, 8, 10, 11 x64
ProcessorIntel Core i3
Memory1 GB
GraphicsOpenGL 2.1 compatible graphics card, integrated graphics
Storage150 MB
steamyze

Review Analysis Score

Based on 343 reviews from the past 1 year

89.4/ 100
Top 20%

Steam rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (98%)

Metacritic: 90 /100

Review analysis summary (Reviewed Oct 13, 2026)

192 reviews say they love Balatro, and it scores 89.4, top 20% of games we analyzed. This summary draws on 343 Steam reviews that we analyzed in detail.

👍 Strengths

Gameplay ranks 139th of 1396 and Content Volume 72nd of 1351. The most upvoted review even says it taught them poker. 50 reviews praise its strategic depth, with a wide variety of synergies and builds, and 30 praise its replay value, some calling it the best roguelite they have played. Players enjoy a beautiful art style, humor in the card designs and satisfying effects, and some call it the best introduction to card games.

👎 Where it falls short

The complaints are small. 25 reviews raise balance issues, the most upvoted saying some joker combinations make runs unbeatable, and 15 find it repetitive, the most upvoted saying decks play alike after the first rounds. 8 criticize progression, saying runs can slip away to bad luck. A few warn that its loop can feel compulsive, and others note that the tutorial appears only once and that some translated card text is confusing.

Representative reviews Original reviews ↗

“game taught poker and inspired positive life changes” · 192 reviews
“incredible variety of synergies and builds” · 50 reviews
“every run feels different, best roguelite ever played” · 30 reviews

How it holds up

−50+5

Controls, difficulty, progression and depth
Mentioned in 54% of reviews · Top 10% of the games we've analyzed

Strategy +3.30 · Depth of builds, tactics, and meaningful choices
Positive “incredible variety of synergies and builds” · 50 reviews
Negative “only one path forward, fewer meaningful decisions than expected” · 4 reviews

Progression 16% · Difficulty 15% · Onboarding 17% · Freedom 1% · Controls & feel 4%

Plot, characters and the world

Not enough data — only 2% of reviews mention this.

World +2.20 · Lore, atmosphere, and how immersive the setting is

Story 1% · Characters 0%

How much there is to do, variety and replay value
Mentioned in 43% of reviews · Top 10% of the games we've analyzed

Replayability +3.94 · Reasons to play again — runs, randomness, New Game+
Positive “every run feels different, best roguelite ever played” · 30 reviews
Negative “no replayability or incentive after 100% completion” · 5 reviews

Volume 14% · Variety 12%

Graphics, art style, music and sound
Mentioned in 16% of reviews · Top 40% of the games we've analyzed

Visuals +3.67 · Graphics, art style, and animation
Positive “beautiful art style, ironic humor in card designs, satisfying visual effects” · 13 reviews

Audio 12%

Playing with others, the community and servers

Not enough data — only 2% of reviews mention this.

Community +3.80 · Who you play with — how many, and how friendly

Playing together 1% · Servers & Connection 0%

Pricing, cheaters, balance and matchmaking
Mentioned in 18% of reviews · Top 50% of the games we've analyzed

Balance -0.28 · Whether classes, weapons, and builds are evenly matched
Negative “specific Joker combinations create unbeatable run scenarios” · 25 reviews

Anti-cheat 0% · Pricing 7% · Matchmaking 0%

Bugs, performance and developer support
Mentioned in 6% of reviews · Top 20% of the games we've analyzed

Performance +0.09 · Frame rate, optimization, and loading times
Positive “best game to play on low-spec laptop” · 1 review

Stability 1% · Developer support 3%

Grey means too few reviews mention it to trust. — means almost no reviews mention it.

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