PlayVerdicts

Artwork © LocalThunk, via Steam

Balatro cover
RoguelikeDeck-builderCard Game

Balatro

A poker-themed roguelike deck-builder where special cards change the rules of the hands you play.

Platforms
PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Modes
Single-player
Released
Feb 20, 2024
Developer
LocalThunk
Publisher
Playstack

Overview

Quick facts

Genre
Roguelike, Deck-builder, Card Game
Platforms
PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Game modes
Single-player
Developer
LocalThunk
Publisher
Playstack
Release date
Feb 20, 2024Steam listing: Feb 20, 2024.
Steam Deck
VerifiedRated by Valve, not tested by PlayVerdicts
Playtime
Not availableNo reliable source yet

Supported features

  • Full controller support
  • Steam Cloud
  • Color Alternatives

Source: Steam store page ↗, synced Oct 22, 2026. PC store features only.

Can you run it?

System requirements

Windows PC · as listed by the publisher

OS
MinWindows 7, 8, 10, 11 x64
RecNot listed
Processor
MinIntel Core i3
RecNot listed
Memory
Min1 GB RAM
RecNot listed
Graphics
MinOpenGL 2.1 compatible graphics card, integrated graphics
RecNot listed
Storage
Min150 MB available space
RecNot listed

The publisher lists only minimum requirements for this game.

Source: Steam store page ↗, synced Oct 22, 2026. These are the publisher's figures, not PlayVerdicts measurements: we have not benchmarked this game, and real performance depends on settings, resolution and drivers.

The case for and against

Reasons to buy, and what to know

Reasons to Buy

  1. Exceptionally well reviewed

    Rule-based

    97% of 162,125 Steam reviews are positive (Overwhelmingly Positive).

  2. Steam Deck Verified

    Rule-based

    Valve rates it as working fully on the Steam Deck.

  3. Full controller support

    Rule-based

    Steam lists full controller support.

Things to Know

  1. No recent updates

    Rule-based

    The last recognised patch or update post was 728 days ago. Posts are recognised by their titles, so a missed one is possible.

Computed from Steam reviews, the patch feed, the price history and the store listing by fixed rules, not written by hand. Rules: Reasons: 85%+ positive on 1,000+ Steam reviews; the latest reviews (≥50) just as positive; patched within 90 days; free, or a sale of 50%+, or priced within 5% of its lowest recorded price; Steam Deck Verified; co-op; full controller support; 10,000+ players in game right now (online games). Things to know: below 70% positive; fewer than 500 reviews; the latest reviews 10+ points under the all-time score; no recognised patch for 365+ days; priced 1.5× above its lowest recorded price; an install of 100 GB+; SSD required; Steam Deck Unsupported; no single-player mode with under 500 players in game right now; no single-player mode; in-app purchases; Early Access. At most five of each, in this order. Lines come from Steam's own listing and review counts; no text is written by hand.

Right now

Current game status

AreaSignalSummaryData as of
  • Performance & Stability

    No status signal

    No performance data has been collected for this title yet.

    Not yet checked

    No further detail is available yet.

    Demo data

    No source linked yet.

  • Bugs & Crashes

    No status signal

    Bug and crash tracking is not connected yet.

    Not yet checked

    No further detail is available yet.

    Demo data

    No source linked yet.

  • Recent Updates

    Last patch over a year ago

    Latest patch or update post: “Friends of Jimbo 2 free update is here” on Oct 24, 2024 (728 days ago).

    Oct 23, 2026

    Recognised from official Steam announcement titles. Whether a patch fixed a specific problem is not assessed yet — see the patch history below.

  • Monetization & Content

    1 DLC

    No in-app purchases are listed. Steam lists 1 DLC item.

    Oct 22, 2026

    Taken from the Steam store listing. Whether purchases or DLC affect fairness, and how fairly they are priced, has not been assessed.

  • Player Sentiment

    Overwhelmingly Positive

    Steam: 97% of 162,125 reviews are positive (Overwhelmingly Positive).

    Oct 23, 2026

    Counts come from the public Steam review totals. Theme-level analysis of what players praise or criticise has not been collected yet.

Not shown: Multiplayer Health (not applicable to this game).

Patch history

Verified
  1. updateFriends of Jimbo 2 free update is here ↗
  2. updateBalatro - Friends of Jimbo FREE Update ↗
  3. update2 Million Units Sold + Gameplay Update Announcement ↗
  4. patch1.0.1f - Patch notes ↗
  5. updateBalatro Languages 1.0 Update! ↗
  6. patch1.0.0n - Patch Notes ↗
  7. patch1.0.0L - Patch Notes ↗
  8. patch1.0.0k - Patch Notes ↗

Source: Steam community announcements ↗ · fetched Oct 23, 2026 · titles and links only. Posts are recognised by their titles, so some patches may be missing and non-patch posts can slip in.

What players keep saying

Player feedback

Measured Steam numbers first, then recurring themes (not yet collected). Sentiment is only shown when it has been measured.

Steam · all-time

97% positive

Overwhelmingly Positive · 162,125 reviews

Steam · most recent reviews

No recent reviews returned.

VerifiedSource: Steam user reviews ↗Fetched Oct 23, 2026Counts only; recent figure is a sample of the newest reviews, not a full time window. Steam reviewers are not all players.

No theme-level feedback analysis exists for this game yet.

Buying advice

Price & buying advice

Verified

Current price

$14.99

No discount · Steam store (US)

Historical low (any store)

$10.15

−32% at GameBillet, Jul 12, 2026Steam only: $11.99

Value for money

—

Needs price and playtime data

Steam price, last 2 years

$0$10$20Oct 23, 2024Oct 23, 2026
Lowest in this period: $11.99, Feb 12, 2026 · highest $14.99 · 38 price changes

How it usually goes on sale

On sale 19 times in the last 24 months

  • Typical discount about 15% off; the deepest was 20%.
  • Sales started about every 36 days (between 12 and 74).
  • A typical sale lasted about 7 days.
  • The last sale ended 15 days ago.

A record of earlier sales on Steam (US), not a prediction. A "sale" here is any discount of 10% or more.

Price verdict

Little to gain by waiting

Steam price: $14.99. Waiting could save about $3.00 (20%) at best, which is a small difference. Lowest ever on Steam: $11.99 (−20%). Lowest at any tracked store: $10.15 (−32%) at GameBillet on Jul 12, 2026.

Price data checked: Oct 23, 2026

Lowest over 12 months: $10.15 · 3 months: $10.76 · Price history by IsThereAnyDeal ↗

Check the price at

Plain store links. Any future affiliate links will be disclosed and never influence the verdict.

Price alert

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How it changed

Verdict history

Recorded by the site, never reconstructed
  1. Oct 23, 2026

    First recorded

    Buy now

    98% positive of 200,310 Steam reviews · price $14.99 · a fair price · last patch 728 days ago

No change since it was first recorded.

Recording started on Oct 23, 2026. What happened before that is not known.

A change is recorded only when the new verdict shows up on two checks in a row, so a brief flicker around a threshold does not appear here. Each entry shows the evidence at that moment.

If this isn't quite right

Similar games

Rule-basedGames players tag alike on Steam · not a verdict

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Roguelike · Deck-builder · Card Game

Slay the Spire

Players tag both: Card Game, Roguelike Deckbuilder, Roguelike

Buy now
Inscryption cover

Deckbuilder · Horror · Roguelike

Inscryption

Players tag both: Card Game, Deckbuilding, Roguelike

Buy on sale

Why you can trust this

Sources & methodology

Rule-based

Evidence status

  • Public store & publisher metadataAvailable
  • Patch notes and update historyPartial
  • Performance benchmarksNot collected
  • Player review analysisPartial
  • Price historyNot collected

Linked sources

How the recommendation is formed

This recommendation is computed from measured Steam reviews, patch activity and price history using fixed, public rules. It has not been reviewed by an editor. Rules: Fewer than 500 Steam reviews → Insufficient evidence. Latest-review sample (≥50) below 65% positive and 10+ points under the all-time score → Wait for fixes. All-time score below 40% positive → Not for you. Score 80%+ and a good price (free, deep discount, near a recorded low) → Buy now; a good score at a price that has been much lower → Buy on sale; otherwise Worth considering. An exceptional score (92%+) at a fair price (little to gain by waiting) also → Buy now. Free-to-play games: unless one of the rules above (Insufficient evidence, Wait for fixes, Not for you) applies, the verdict is Free to play — the question is whether to try it, not whether to buy it. Score 40–79% (mixed to positive) → Worth considering at a good price, otherwise Buy on sale. Patch freshness: a Buy now is downgraded to Worth considering when the last recognised patch is over 180 days old AND the game is online-only (no single-player mode, so updates matter) or recent reviews are 10+ points under the all-time score. For Wait for fixes, a patch within 30 days means recent reviews may not reflect it yet; none for 180+ days means a fix may not be coming. An old patch alone never lowers a verdict, and an unrecognised patch history is never treated as stale. Confidence counts available evidence (review volume, recent sample, price history, patch feed) and never exceeds Medium without editor review. The Steam price is compared with the lowest price ever seen on Steam (or, if unknown, the lowest at any tracked store). Price signal: within 5% of the all-time low, within 10% of the 12-month low, or 50%+ off → good. If waiting could save under 25% or under $5 → fair (little to gain). Otherwise: on sale but cheaper before, or never discounted beyond 30% → fair; no sale and much cheaper before → wait.

  1. 1Collect official, store and permitted community sources
  2. 2Check current patch and update state
  3. 3Compare price against history
  4. 4Write a plain-language verdict with a confidence level

Where evidence is missing

  • Steam review totals are collected; theme analysis has not run yet.
  • No hardware benchmark data is connected.
  • No price history feed is connected.