Balatro Critic Reviews

Wielding nothing more than a deck of cards and a poker-themed twist on proceedings, developer LocalThunk has conjured something incredible and awe-inspiring with Balatro. What starts as a relatively-novel twist on the deckbuilding format quickly blossoms into an experience that's equal parts methodical, experimental, chaotic but satisfying all the same. A game that rewards clever thinking, mathematical meddling and having the courage to be just that bit braver in uncovering just how far one can push its systems at play. Wherein success and failure alike stand as equally memorable moments to build off. A paradigm for what roguelikes and deckbuilders should aspire towards, Balatro is addictive, expertly-crafted and the new front-runner for what is easily the best gaming experience of 2024.

With its unlockable deck types, tricky economy, advanced joker concepts, challenge runs, and ascension-like “stake” system, Balatro offers countless hours to engage its treacherous machine of diversion. If this was preinstalled with Windows in lieu of Microsoft’s mandatory, productivity-wrecking Solitaire back in the 90s, modern civilization as we know it could have very well ground to a halt. For fans of deckbuilders, Balatro is an addictively delicious, menacing creation which devours hours without mercy. It should be handled with great care.

Balatro is easily one of the freshest roguelites to come out in some time. By loosely applying the rules of poker to a deckbuilding format, developer LocalThunk has managed to forge something special.

Balatro is an astonishingly addictive take on Poker that's utterly impossible to put down. Occasional difficulty spikes aside, it's a piece of simplistic genius that we'll keep on our Steam Deck forever.

Balatro is as good as Slay the Spire was. It's a roguelike deckbuilder, but beginning from a poker deck. The concept is both original and fun. Its modifier cards offer almost unlimited possibilities, making each run unique in its own way. Balatro gives you hours and hours of entertaining and we can just wait for new content in the future. One of the best games of the year so far.

Balatro is a masterfully crafted Roguelike card game, that's easy to learn thanks to its poker mechanics but hard to master.

Balatro is an ingenious and entertaining roguelike and one of my favorite games of the year. Playing it has become a near-obsession; everything feels perfectly designed to encourage you to keep trying because that next run could be the run of your life. Even after hours of play, I still can’t overcome Balatro’s biggest challenge: putting it down.

A roguelike deckbuilder debut already worthy of joining Slay the Spire and Monster Train at the King’s table. Essential.

The wonderful and terrible thing about Balatro is that, unlike with other roguelikes, I never got frustrated getting bounced back to the start. I almost always felt like I’d had the slate wiped clean of the web of synergistic collectables governing my ill-fated moves and this time, I was sure to succeed. Especially as my efforts in the game unlocked new perks or decks I could use when jumping back in. The combination of simple drag-and-drop controls and a continuous flow of numbers-go-up dopamine hits is irresistible. You’ve been warned.

No two games of Balatro are ever the same, which is only one of the reasons why we love this poker roguelike so much. Sure, it’s annoying if your run doesn’t get off the ground — it’s easy to fail early on if you can’t get your hands on a good Joker. But when you’re in the swing of things, scoring tens of thousands with just one hand, you’ll feel like the most powerful card baron there ever was. Simple and devious, Balatro is, quite frankly, brilliant — and I’m going to be playing this for months to come.

Balatro ends up straight and with merit in the strokes of genius category. The recipe from which its sexy gameplay is born is simple and elaborate at the same time, and this is precisely the great strength of an original, charismatic, challenging but also deeply customizable roguelike deckbuilder.

A captivating rogue-like thanks to its simple, yet elegant design that will keep you hooked for days on end.

Balatro is a poker-inspired roguelite that we cannot but recommend to lovers of the genre. Dense with content and challenges to complete, it has a dynamic gameplay, more strategic than you might think for a game also based on luck, and an aesthetically pleasing, if somewhat repetitive. Occasionally bad luck gets the better of you and you have to accept that, but it will make you want to play one more game.

Balatro is a brilliant take on the rogue lite genre. Video poker fans will be grinning ear to ear playing this truly terrific card game that is hard to put down.

Despite all of the playable cards being the standard 52-card pack, the extra systems surrounding it create a gameplay loop just as – if not more – complex, addictive, and downright joyous as Slay the Spire, and I don’t say that lightly.

Go play one of the most addicting Roguelite games in the last couple of years, and don't you dare say that the gaming industry lacks creativity and fun ideas. Much like in the beginning of 2023, the indie scene is outdoing itself.

Balatro is addictive. I’m not much of a poker or deck builder player, but I find the combination of the two irresistible. If you have an interest in either, then this game is sure to entice you. Especially since the game is out on every platform and is available now.

Balatro is a fantastic rogue-like deck-builder. Additionally, the random nature of each round keeps you on your toes. However, it is pretty unforgiving and the repetitive nature of the core concept may put some gamers off.

I never would have expected that a roguelike could work so well in a card game before I played Balatro. It’s simple and guides you in so well, but escalates quickly and is happy to crush your run at any moment with the smallest strokes of misfortune. That’s what makes the variety of jokers and bonus cards so fun to explore. Every new option provides an opportunity to buck the house advantage. It leads to an appealing gameplay loop that kept me wanting to try all sorts of new angles and strategies. Balatro is something far out of the ordinary, and heaven forbid it ever makes its way to mobile because my casual time will powerless against it (please?).

This is one of those games whose simple concept lends itself to almost limitless depth. Even after dozens of hours of play, this roguelite deckbuilder manages to surprise you with strategies you never knew were possible.