| Balatro | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Balatro is a deck builder where you need to score bigger and bigger blinds using a bunch of standard and not-so-standard cards. Read on to learn about the game's latest news and developments!
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Balatro News
2025
October 29
⚫︎ Balatro dev Localthunk has just playfully teased a Vampire Survivors x Balatro collab, posting the new Ante Chamber & Update 1.14 launch trailer. The hit auto-battler from Poncle now lets players dive into a Balatro-flavored mode packed with Jokers and chaotic card energy.
September 15
⚫︎ Developer Localthunk has confirmed that Balatro’s free 1.1 update will no longer release in 2025 as planned. Instead, the update will arrive when it’s ready, with the studio emphasizing the importance of maintaining a healthy development pace.
Originally announced in August 2024 by publisher Playstack, the update is set to add new jokers and rework the Matador card, which rewards players with cash when activating a boss blind’s ability.
June 22
⚫︎ Balatro developer Localthunk has announced that he has fully completed his own game, achieving the challenging Completionist++
milestone. In a social media post, he described the process as a fun part of his daily routine, often playing “a few runs before bed.”
Localthunk noted that reaching 100% completion has better prepared him to design the upcoming 1.1 update, stating he’s pumped to do it over again with the new content
once it's released.
June 9
⚫︎ As shared on the official Balatro X page, Balatro has won the Delightful & Fun Games award during WWDC 2025 event.
May 28
⚫︎ Only 0.1% of players have earned the coveted Platinum trophy in indie card roguelike Balatro—and PlayStation hardware architect Mark Cerny is now one of them.
Cerny, known for his work on multiple PlayStation consoles including the upcoming PS5 Pro, shared his achievement on social media, stating it took seven months and hundreds of hours
to accomplish. He also praised developer @LocalThunk for the game’s incredibly deep gameplay.
April 15
⚫︎ Turns out one of Balatro’s most ruthless card sharks isn’t a YouTuber, speedrunner, or esports prodigy—it’s Wout van Halderen, communications director at publisher Playstack.
Speaking during GDC, van Halderen revealed he not only beat gold stakes at every level, but also managed to clear the notoriously punishing Jokerless challenge, which involves completing a full run without using a single joker. That’s no jokin’ matter.
April 6
⚫︎ Balatro developer LocalThunk is speaking out once again—this time over YouTube’s decision to age-restrict videos of the hit poker-inspired roguelike. Despite the game’s recent PEGI reclassification to 12+, YouTube has been flagging Balatro content due to its tangential ties to gambling mechanics, frustrating both content creators and the developer.
Taking to Bluesky, LocalThunk sarcastically criticized YouTube’s policy shifts, stating: “Good thing we are protecting children from knowing what a 4 of a kind is and letting them watch CS case opening videos instead.”
March 26
⚫︎ The correct pronunciation of Balatro has been confirmed as BAH-la-tro
, according to Playstack’s head of video marketing, Naman Budhwar. The clarification comes via journalist Stephen Totilo’s Game File newsletter, where Budhwar noted that this is how developer LocalThunk says it.
March 20
⚫︎ Despite Balatro’s massive success and millions of copies sold, developer LocalThunk has made it clear he isn’t seeking the spotlight. Far from a deliberate anonymity stunt, his preference to remain out of the public eye stems from simply wanting to focus on making his game without distractions.
March 13
⚫︎ Following a debate on the Balatro subreddit over the acceptance of AI-generated art, developer LocalThunk has taken a firm stance against it, stating that such content does real harm to artists of all kinds
and will not be allowed.
The controversy began when a former subreddit moderator, DrTankHead, announced a policy permitting AI art if properly labeled, a decision reportedly made in consultation with publisher PlayStack.
This sparked pushback from the community and eventually prompted LocalThunk to clarify his opposition, emphasizing respect for human artists and banning AI-generated submissions on the official Balatro subreddit.
March 10
⚫︎ Despite growing pre-launch buzz around Balatro, developer LocalThunk says he didn’t fully realize how enjoyable the game was until just a week before release. In a retrospective blog post outlining the game’s development, he shared that the final months leading up to launch were intense, filled with publisher coordination, media attention, and community feedback.
It wasn’t until playing the game himself shortly before launch that he had “a pretty emotional moment,” realizing Balatro was “actually fun.” The experience marked a rare chance to step back and appreciate the result of years of hard work.
March 7
⚫︎ LocalThunk has shared new insights into the game's development, revealing he deliberately stopped playing other roguelikes for over two years to avoid unintentionally copying ideas.
In a detailed development timeline posted on his blog, the former Canadian IT worker explained that he made a very conscious effort not to play any more roguelike games
starting in December 2021, shortly after beginning work on a prototype.
February 27
⚫︎ LocalThunk, particularly the Klondike variant—was arguably the most important influence on the game's design. In the first post on his newly launched blog, LocalThunk noted that if a Balatro vision board existed, solitaire would be right in the middle.
He described the game as technically a solitaire game
and aimed to capture the nostalgic feel of solitaire while layering in modern design elements to create something both new and familiar.
February 24
⚫︎ Balatro, the poker-themed roguelike, has been officially reclassified from PEGI 18 to PEGI 12 following a successful appeal by publisher Sold Out Sales & Marketing. The Pan European Game Information (PEGI) organization confirmed the change on its website, reversing the original rating that had drawn criticism for citing the game's use of poker mechanics.
⚫︎ Publisher Playstack and developer LocalThunk have released a free update for Balatro titled Friends of Jimbo (Pack 4). The update includes crossover content featuring Assassin’s Creed, Bugsnax, Critical Role, Dead by Daylight, Fallout (Vault-Tec), Rust, Sid Meier’s Civilization VII, and Slay the Princess. Additionally, Balatro is now available on Xbox Game Pass.
January 4
⚫︎ LocalThunk, creator of Balatro, has shared praise for fellow indie titles by launching the “very prestigious Golden Thunk award for Game of the Year 2024” on social media. The inaugural award went to Animal Well, a critically acclaimed metroidvania known for its layered secrets and atmospheric design.
LocalThunk called it “an engrossing experience” and praised developer Billy Basso’s work as a “true masterpiece.” In response, Basso humorously returned the favor by naming LocalThunk the recipient of his own “Nicest Most Humble Dev of the Year award.”
2024
December 16
⚫︎ Balatro developer LocalThunk has publicly criticized PEGI for assigning the game an 18+ rating due to its use of poker mechanics. In a post on X, the developer sarcastically remarked, Maybe I should add microtransactions/loot boxes/real gambling to lower that rating to 3+ like EA Sports FC.
PEGI's justification cites that the game teaches—by way of images, information and gameplay—skills and knowledge that are used in poker,
suggesting a potential link to real-life gambling.
November 19
⚫︎ Balatro, the poker-inspired roguelike from solo developer LocalThunk, has earned five nominations at The Game Awards, including Best Game Direction, Best Independent Game, Best Debut Indie Game, Best Mobile Game, and Game of the Year.
September 27
⚫︎ The deck-building roguelike Balatro by LocalThunk and PlayStack is now available on Google Play, the App Store, and Apple Arcade. The release comes ahead of the game’s first major gameplay update, set to launch in 2025. According to the developers, the update will introduce new ideas and strategies and will be available for free as a gesture of appreciation to the game’s community.
August 27
⚫︎ The acclaimed roguelike deckbuilder Balatro is getting a free content update titled Friends of Jimbo, featuring collaborations with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Vampire Survivors, Dave the Diver, and Among Us. The update introduces new cards inspired by each title, original artwork, additional jokers, illegal poker hands, and expanded combo possibilities. Friends of Jimbo will be available at no extra cost to all existing Balatro players.
