The Outlast Trials
The Outlast Trials
Game
Game2024
Balatro
Developer LocalThunk
Balatro is a 2024 poker-themed roguelike deck-building game developed by solo developer LocalThunk and published by Playstack. It was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 20, 2024, with a port to macOS on March 1. Ports for Android and iOS were released on September 26, 2024. A dedicated Nintendo Switch 2 version was released on February 25,… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
926 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Nov 5, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
97
LovedLoved
592 positive · 18 negative
95% range 95–98%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 592 | 18 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 69 | 14 | 166 |
| Mastodon * | 13 | 1 | 20 |
| Lemmy * | 4 | 0 | 29 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Overwhelmingly Positive
121,579 of 124,003 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
96% recommend · 292 yes, 11 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 303 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (195,442 of 199,775 positive).
Players describe Balatro as highly addictive, often comparing it to a drug. [1][2][3] Many reviewers note the game is not actually poker but a roguelike deckbuilder. [4][5][6] Some players warn that the game can consume many hours and disrupt sleep. [1][7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [1]
Don't buy this game, you’ll lose hours of your life and keep coming back. Suddenly it’s 3 AM, you’re calculating poker hands like a casino accountant, and you’re convincing yourself that this run will be the last one (it won’t). Once you will start getting decent jokers and stacking them like DNA or Blueprint you will want to play more and more and more
- [4]
Balatro is a roguelite deckbuilder pretending to be a pixel-art poker game. I know everyone's at least heard of it at this point, but I've 100%'d it 2.5 times on mobile and wrote this to figure out where my life went wrong. Gameplay Balatro eases you into madness: You start with a basic deck of 54 cards, score points on traditional poker hands, and earn money. Spend that money on upgrades: joker cards that alter …
- [5]
Balatro looks like poker. It isn’t. It’s a spreadsheet that learned how to hurt people. You don’t lose to random chance. You lose because you believed in yourself. Every run feels illegal. Every win feels accidental. This game gaslit me. I keep coming back.
- [2]
This game is so addicting its like crack cocaine but laced with crack cocaine ---{ Graphics }--- ☐ You forget what reality is ☐ Beautiful ☐ Good ☑ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS ---{ Gameplay }--- ☑ Very good ☐ Good ☐ It's just gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Watch paint dry instead ☐ Just don't ---{ Audio }--- ☐ Eargasm ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I'm now deaf ---{ Audience }--- ☐ Kids ☑ Teens ☑ …
- [3]
Idk how they managed to make crack digital but it's just as addictive and somehow perfectly legal.
Summarised from 34 of the 469 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
96% of the 303 Steam reviewers we collected recommend Balatro. The complaint that keeps coming up: can be too addictive, leading to lost time. Deal-breaker or nitpick?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Balatro has received "universal acclaim" according to review aggregator website Metacritic. OpenCritic, another aggregator, said that 100% of critics recommend the game. The game's playability has received praise from critics. Simon Cardy from IGN described it as "ludicrously fun" and "remarkably approachable," while Jordan Helm from Hardcore Gamer called it "addictive" and "expertly-crafted". Writing for The Guardian, Keza MacDonald stated that "Balatro might be the best card game you will ever come across". In addition, the game's roguelike elements have received positive reviews. Abbie Stone from PC Gamer described gameplay as "strategizing your way to success," and Alessandro Barbosa…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 926 · most liked firstBalatro launched one year ago today I often say I made this game for myself and friends, but seeing so many people connect with Balatro has filled this past year with joy. Thank you players, your love and support have kept Balatro thriving! I appreciate you all naneinf! 🍌
positive · AI labelView post →Honestly fuck the Game Awards for nominating Balatro. Ever since they did it got me interested enough to play it and now I'm so addicted to it that it's impossible to do anything productive. This is all their fault for nominating a game so good
positive · AI labelView post →Crazy crazy day, so many messages of love and support from amazing people I have had the pleasure to meet these past couple years. In total disbelief Balatro Game Awards nominations for: Best Mobile Game Best Independent Game Best Debut Indie Best Game Direction, AND Game of the Year
neutral · AI labelView post →Now imagine my game yells BALATRO at you on startup but every person has a different pronunciation of Balatro depending on their user ID to sew chaos
neutral · AI labelView post →This is 100% a fucking 2000's game magazine ad for Balatro
neutral · AI labelView post →Balatro is a fun card game ( @playbalatro.com @localthunk.bsky.social )
positive · AI labelView post →GOTY nominees for The Game Awards -Astro Bot -Balatro -Black Myth Wukong -Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree -Final Fantasy VII Rebirth -Metaphor: ReFantazio Vote: thegameawards.com
neutral · AI labelView post →Yeah so Balatro is just like a dumb card game or whatever, but have you considered:
positive · AI labelView post →Balatro wins the Game of the Year award at GDC Awards. Winners: Best Audio - Astro Bot Best Debut - Balatro Best Design - Balatro Best Narrative - Metaphor: ReFantazio Best Technology - Astro Bot Best Visual Art - Black Myth: Wukong Audience Award - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
neutral · AI labelView post →GDC was dope Highlight for me was playing the first ever card game using the Balatro playing cards with a bunch of really awesome indie dev friends I had met over the past couple years!
positive · AI labelView post →Game of the Year nominees at #TheGameAwards • Astro Bot • Balatro • Black Myth: Wukong • Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree • Final Fantasy VII Rebirth • Metapahor: ReFantazio
neutral · AI labelView post →One of the most nerve-wracking, astonishing gaming feats I've seen performed live. Somehow makes Balatro into an actual gambling game and then, through sheer knowledge of the mechanics, forces the house to lose. youtu.be/A7Go7IXlYLg?...
neutral · AI labelView post →"Balatro" (also known as Windows Joker) was a scrapped roguelite deck-building game slated to be one of the Premium Games included in the Ultimate and Home Premium editions of Windows Vista. (concept)
neutral · AI labelView post →Honestly just skip Balatro, go to the Arco page and buy that game twice instead Have I mentioned how good Arco is recently? Arco is amazing. Go play Arco
negative · AI labelView post →PRINCESS IN BALATRO??? (REAL?) GAME IS 25% OFF ON STEAM TO CELEBRATE
neutral · AI labelView post →Balatro has me in a chokehold what crack did they put in that game
positive · AI labelView post →Balatro has made the long list in 5 categories for the BAFTA Game Awards: - Best Game - Debut Game - Game Design - Music - New IP Thank you BAFTA for letting us continue the BALATRO SWEEP into 2025 🃏 www.bafta.org/stories/best...
neutral · AI labelView post →This week's video is about how game investors want "The Next Balatro" but are doomed to never find it because they have no foresight, no imagination, and a parasitic aversion to actually investing in games: youtu.be/9JO3xKbzcuA
neutral · AI labelView post →It's left card into right card man @rtgame.bsky.social #rtgamefanart #balatro #art
neutral · AI labelView post →Balatro won Best Independent Game in the PlayStation Blog GOTY 2024 Awards! 🃏🔥 blog.playstation.com/2024/12/17/p...
neutral · AI labelView post →A few nominations for the Indie Game Awards for Balatro!!! Love the celebration of indie games, some absolute bangers in these nominations
neutral · AI labelView post →BREAKING: Local Idiot Plays Worst Recorded Game of Balatro in History; "Absolute Dogshit" Exclaim Observers
negative · AI labelView post →Balatro has been shortlisted for Pocket Gamer People’s Choice award in the Mobile Game Awards! Throw your (hanging chad) vote here: www.pocketgamer.com/peoples-choi...
neutral · AI labelView post →Game taught me how to play Poker. Never actually learned. Didn't have a father growing up. Went to the casino after playing Balatro and made a bunch of money. Donated said money to orphanage for kids without fathers—hopefully they'll learn how to play Poker some day too.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My Wife Asks Me to Play Balatro Every Night I've recently started playing Balatro on my phone. She first noticed when she said, "Hey that music's pretty good. What is it?" So I started showing her the game. She got hooked. In fact, she started asking me if I could play Balatro in bed so she could watch it before she fell asleep. She claims it's relaxing. From here, she started asking questions. "Why do you keep picking flush? Pick something else, it's boring." "OOO that joker's…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Have you played Balatro yet? Everybody's playing it. Cmon, just one game
positive · AI labelView post →#GuiltyGear x #Balatro is now a real-life game you can play at Frosty Faustings.
neutral · AI labelView post →Imagine if Balatro was an arcade game and you had to pay money to play a round.
neutral · AI labelView post →Balatro Joker idea: Mahjong Turns the game into Mahjong with Balatro rules You instantly either win or lose because you don't know how to play Mahjong
neutral · AI labelView post →Jokers wild. Congratulations to @localthunk.bsky.social on taking home Game of the Year for Balatro at The Indie Game Awards 2024! Category Breakout: youtu.be/HHXjy-KSi1k
neutral · AI labelView post →I really enjoyed chatting with Balatro designer @localthunk.bsky.social for @crossplayblog.bsky.social about whether he's okay with kids playing his poker-inspired game (he is), what card games he played growing up, and more. patrickklepek.substack.com/p/is-balatro...
neutral · AI labelView post →Peak game. Please add progress compatibility with other platforms, i.e. mobile
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Balatro is just another number go up game and I’m addicted to the dopamine
positive · AI labelView post →To the Joker, Balatro is just a normal card game
neutral · AI labelView post →Your favorite game that didn't get nominated is worse than Balatro. Hope this helps.
positive · AI labelView post →Don't buy this game, you’ll lose hours of your life and keep coming back. Suddenly it’s 3 AM, you’re calculating poker hands like a casino accountant, and you’re convincing yourself that this run will be the last one (it won’t). Once you will start getting decent jokers and stacking them like DNA or Blueprint you will want to play more and more and more
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I know it’s just code for monetizing everything but I like how it’s always put in terms of “engaging the player for long periods of time” and “becoming a lifestyle”, you know what game does that? Balatro. You can just make a good normal videogame like Balatro that people enjoy.
positive · AI labelView post →“what if we made a racing game as addictive as Balatro”. aha. you have found a way to ruin me
positive · AI labelView post →What's Game of The Year, and why is it Balatro?
neutral · AI labelView post →Balatro is a roguelite deckbuilder pretending to be a pixel-art poker game. I know everyone's at least heard of it at this point, but I've 100%'d it 2.5 times on mobile and wrote this to figure out where my life went wrong. Gameplay Balatro eases you into madness: You start with a basic deck of 54 cards, score points on traditional poker hands, and earn money. Spend that money on upgrades: joker cards that alter scoring, "tarot cards" that upgrade your deck, and "celestial" cards that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I can safely say, especially after finally getting this achievement, that Balatro is easily in my top 5 games all time. Just a remarkable game, man.
positive · AI labelView post →Balatro looks like poker. It isn’t. It’s a spreadsheet that learned how to hurt people. You don’t lose to random chance. You lose because you believed in yourself. Every run feels illegal. Every win feels accidental. This game gaslit me. I keep coming back.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Can’t stop playing the stupid Balatro style slot machine video game
positive · AI labelView post →Yesterday was productive. I went back to Balatro and actually completed a run. Quite the game, that Balatro.
positive · AI labelView post →This game is so addicting its like crack cocaine but laced with crack cocaine ---{ Graphics }--- ☐ You forget what reality is ☐ Beautiful ☐ Good ☑ Decent ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS ---{ Gameplay }--- ☑ Very good ☐ Good ☐ It's just gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Watch paint dry instead ☐ Just don't ---{ Audio }--- ☐ Eargasm ☐ Very good ☑ Good ☐ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I'm now deaf ---{ Audience }--- ☐ Kids ☑ Teens ☑ Adults ☐ Grandma ---{ PC Requirements }---…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My friend gifted me this game for my birthday 2 days ago It was the beginning of my downfall... I am no longer the same person I hear whispers of "just one more run" every time i try to close my eyes SEND HELP!!! Great game btw 10/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Balatro on Xbox Game Pass starting today 🐐
neutral · AI labelView post →Watching a guy play real life Balatro while I play video game Balatro.
neutral · AI labelView post →Somebody should make a game that's like Balatro except for the Monty Hall problem
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is Balatro with horsegirls. Straight up.
neutral · AI labelView post →LIVE: Vinesauce Game Awards, Big Natural Balatro twitch.tv/vinesauce
neutral · AI labelView post →At first I played Balatro on my phone for months. After I bought it on steam I kept playing. During the boring classes or my free times I played Balatro so sorry mme Bottero in advance. My girlfriend is a poker nerd and she started to watch me play Balatro while complaining ''This is not Poker!'' ''You cannot do that in Poker!!'' ''Poker is not like this, this game does not make any sense its stupid''. Later on I caught her playing Balatro and she was constantly rage quitting because she kept…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →👎 Balatro SUCKS 👍 5/3 game
negative · AI labelView post →Game idea: Balatro, but im not addicted to ivermectin
neutral · AI labelView post →Idk how they managed to make crack digital but it's just as addictive and somehow perfectly legal.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game made me go to school and get a masters in mathematics. Very cool!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Why Is Balatro So Good? Balatro might genuinely be one of the best games ever made. But what exactly makes this game so damn good? Before I actually try to answer that, there is one thing I want to get out of the way. You do not need to know anything about poker to play Balatro. In fact, that was probably the first thing that came to my mind when I first saw the game. I thought I would need to understand poker hands, strategies and all the rules that come with it. You really don't. So…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It took me only 244 hours to 100% the game , yes i played at work , no i don't feel bad about it . THAT ONES FOR YOU JIMBO
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So we now have a Balatro but chess game, a Balatro but solitaire, a Balatro but pool/billiards, a Balatro but pinball, scrabble, roulette, golf, so on so forth. At some point we might need to create a Balatro but Balatro that infinitely recurs...
neutral · AI labelView post →ONE OF THE BEST DRUGS YOU COULD BUY UNDER 10$ + OST.... IT JUST WORKS + Pure Dopamine - Will get you in trouble for running late for work (happened twice) i suggest not to play before going to work - This game ♥♥♥♥♥ with time and space so be very careful and always keep an alarm so that you don't get lost in the game Retrigger 4 life Recommeded for everyone 2.310e17/10
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
Posts are quoted from public profiles with links to the original. Want yours removed? Contact us.
