The cool kids on Steam are currently playing Balatro. This is a deck-building game based on poker and classified as a rogue-like. In addition to Steam, where it works excellently on the Steam Deck, Balatro has also been playable on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch since February 20, 2024.
What is Balatro?
- In Balatro, you build a deck of playing cards with the goal of winning rounds and expanding your deck with various joker cards.
- The game was created by a solo developer who operates under the label “LocalThunk.”
- It started gaining traction at the Steam Next Fest and has since built a strong reputation.
Critics love it, and players are captivated by Balatro as well
What are the reviews like? On Metacritic, the PC version boasts an impressive 89%. On PS5 and Nintendo Switch, it even reaches 90%.
On Steam itself, the reviews are even more positive: 97% of the submitted user ratings are positive:
- One player writes after 7 hours: “If poker is so great, why is there no Poker 2?” – Balatro.
- Another writes: “The game feeds my gambling addiction, but it doesn’t push me into crippling debt and depression.”
- Another player has already spent 28 hours in Balatro, writing: “The question is not whether you start with Balatro. The question is how you finish with Balatro.”
And is it successful? Yes, Balatro is currently on track to become one of the most successful rogue-likes ever. It is close to “Slay the Spire.” Currently, Balatro has a player peak of 35,018, and that could soon be broken again.
As the developer revealed on February 23, in just 72 hours, 250,000 games were sold – and Balatro is officially “Steam Deck verified.”
On Twitter, LocalThunk is already asking Windows if Balatro can be bundled with Solitaire to install on every computer.
Balatro costs just under €13 on Steam. On PS5 and Xbox, you pay €15, and on Switch, €14.
More on the topic: What are “roguelike” games and why are they called that?
