The Game Census
Balatro cover art

Balatro

LocalThunk · Playstack · 2024-02-20

SteamPlayStation StoreMicrosoft Store

CasualIndieStrategy

Modes: Single player

Releases: Mar 01, 2024 (Mac), Feb 20, 2024 (Xbox One), Feb 20, 2024 (Xbox Series X|S), Feb 20, 2024 (PC (Microsoft Windows)), Feb 20, 2024 (PlayStation 5), Sep 26, 2024 (iOS)

The poker roguelike. Balatro is a hypnotically satisfying deckbuilder where you play illegal poker hands, discover game-changing jokers, and trigger adrenaline-pumping, outrageous combos.

Balatro is a Casual, Indie, and Strategy game released in 2024, priced at $11.99, with an Overwhelmingly Positive review sentiment (98% of 196640 reviews) and an owner estimate of 2,000,000 .. 5,000,000.

7,557
playing now
98%
positive of 198k reviews
Overwhelmingly Positive
steam rating
2,000,000–5,000,000
owners (SteamSpy est.)
197
twitch viewers (latest)
91/100
critic score (5 outlets, IGDB)
86/100
IGDB user rating (383 ratings)
92/100
opencritic · mighty · 100% recommend
46h
to beat · rushed 4.5h · completionist 175h
platinum
deck/linux tier (ProtonDB)
$11.99
steam price (US)

7,557 players in-game as of 2026-08-30 00:00 UTC (census sample)

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, 2026. In the game, the player must score points by playing poker hands from a starting 52-card deck, with a limited number of hands and discards each round.

Trailer

Balatro trailer thumbnail

Balatro - Official Launch Trailer

≈153,055 YouTube results for this game's trailer search

Health check

Healthy
  • · 7,557 players in-game at the last census sample.
  • · 18,396 reviews in the last 8 weeks (~2,300/week).
  • · Review velocity down 39% vs the prior 8 weeks.
  • · Top 1% of 9,503 Casual games in the census by review count.

Health tier since 2026-08-29

Estimated sales: 4.0M–8.9M copies

Review-multiple estimate from 197,694 total reviews — how this is computed.

Current store prices

lowest across shops (ITAD)$13.49-10%
Microsoft Store$14.99

Deal snapshots via CheapShark, refreshed daily.

All-time low: $10.15 at GameBillet (2026-07-13)via IsThereAnyDeal

12-month high $14.99 · on sale 58 of 121 observed days (census price snapshots)

Review momentum

PositiveNegative
22k22k20242026Week of 2024-02-01: 10,148 positiveWeek of 2024-02-01: 236 negativeWeek of 2024-03-01: 12,715 positiveWeek of 2024-03-01: 395 negativeWeek of 2024-04-01: 6,404 positiveWeek of 2024-04-01: 227 negativeWeek of 2024-05-01: 4,272 positiveWeek of 2024-05-01: 113 negativeWeek of 2024-06-01: 2,348 positiveWeek of 2024-06-01: 61 negativeWeek of 2024-07-01: 2,855 positiveWeek of 2024-07-01: 78 negativeWeek of 2024-08-01: 2,153 positiveWeek of 2024-08-01: 52 negativeWeek of 2024-09-01: 1,861 positiveWeek of 2024-09-01: 27 negativeWeek of 2024-10-01: 1,727 positiveWeek of 2024-10-01: 45 negativeWeek of 2024-11-01: 22,108 positiveWeek of 2024-11-01: 172 negativeWeek of 2024-12-01: 19,976 positiveWeek of 2024-12-01: 383 negativeWeek of 2025-01-01: 11,619 positiveWeek of 2025-01-01: 309 negativeWeek of 2025-02-01: 6,646 positiveWeek of 2025-02-01: 182 negativeWeek of 2025-03-01: 7,064 positiveWeek of 2025-03-01: 213 negativeWeek of 2025-04-01: 5,018 positiveWeek of 2025-04-01: 169 negativeWeek of 2025-05-01: 4,977 positiveWeek of 2025-05-01: 125 negativeWeek of 2025-06-01: 4,937 positiveWeek of 2025-06-01: 118 negativeWeek of 2025-07-01: 4,699 positiveWeek of 2025-07-01: 140 negativeWeek of 2025-08-01: 2,775 positiveWeek of 2025-08-01: 85 negativeWeek of 2025-09-01: 2,302 positiveWeek of 2025-09-01: 81 negativeWeek of 2025-10-01: 2,315 positiveWeek of 2025-10-01: 76 negativeWeek of 2025-11-01: 2,444 positiveWeek of 2025-11-01: 75 negativeWeek of 2025-12-01: 2,557 positiveWeek of 2025-12-01: 76 negativeWeek of 2026-01-01: 2,902 positiveWeek of 2026-01-01: 84 negativeWeek of 2026-02-01: 2,472 positiveWeek of 2026-02-01: 91 negativeWeek of 2026-03-01: 2,343 positiveWeek of 2026-03-01: 77 negativeWeek of 2026-04-01: 1,983 positiveWeek of 2026-04-01: 81 negativeWeek of 2026-05-01: 2,054 positiveWeek of 2026-05-01: 85 negativeWeek of 2026-06-01: 1,610 positiveWeek of 2026-06-01: 61 negativeWeek of 2026-07-01: 1,849 positiveWeek of 2026-07-01: 71 negativeWeek of 2026-08-01: 355 positiveWeek of 2026-08-01: 14 negative
Weekly review counts (Steam review histogram). Positive above the line, negative below.

Players online

9.8k5.5k2026-08-06 16:00 — 8,665 players2026-08-07 07:00 — 6,069 players2026-08-07 22:00 — 8,538 players2026-08-08 13:00 — 8,318 players2026-08-09 04:00 — 8,387 players2026-08-09 19:00 — 9,822 players2026-08-10 10:00 — 6,411 players2026-08-11 01:00 — 8,589 players2026-08-11 16:00 — 9,122 players2026-08-12 07:00 — 6,115 players2026-08-12 22:00 — 8,287 players2026-08-13 13:00 — 7,899 players2026-08-14 04:00 — 7,507 players2026-08-14 19:00 — 8,857 players2026-08-15 10:00 — 6,664 players2026-08-16 01:00 — 8,018 players2026-08-16 16:00 — 9,521 players2026-08-17 07:00 — 5,668 players2026-08-17 22:00 — 8,443 players2026-08-18 13:00 — 7,792 players2026-08-19 04:00 — 7,390 players2026-08-19 19:00 — 8,721 players2026-08-20 10:00 — 5,832 players2026-08-21 01:00 — 7,960 players2026-08-21 16:00 — 8,862 players2026-08-22 07:00 — 6,259 players2026-08-22 22:00 — 8,645 players2026-08-25 09:00 — 5,563 players2026-08-26 00:00 — 7,782 players2026-08-26 15:00 — 8,440 players2026-08-27 07:00 — 5,497 players2026-08-27 22:00 — 7,856 players2026-08-28 13:00 — 7,336 players2026-08-30 00:00 — 7,557 players
Concurrent players, hourly average, last 30 days (census samples).

Chart history

#82#1002026-08-062026-08-292026-08-06 — #822026-08-07 — #822026-08-08 — #822026-08-09 — #822026-08-10 — #822026-08-11 — #822026-08-12 — #822026-08-13 — #972026-08-14 — #972026-08-15 — #972026-08-16 — #992026-08-17 — #992026-08-18 — #962026-08-19 — #942026-08-20 — #942026-08-21 — #942026-08-22 — #942026-08-23 — #992026-08-25 — #962026-08-26 — #952026-08-27 — #942026-08-28 — #942026-08-29 — #100
Best Steam most-played rank per day (census top-100 snapshots).
PositiveNegative
86862026-08-072026-08-302026-08-07: 74 new positive2026-08-07: 1 new negative2026-08-08: 60 new positive2026-08-08: 3 new negative2026-08-09: 70 new positive2026-08-09: 1 new negative2026-08-11: 72 new positive2026-08-11: 2 new negative2026-08-12: 86 new positive2026-08-12: 2 new negative2026-08-14: 79 new positive2026-08-14: 5 new negative2026-08-16: 71 new positive2026-08-17: 57 new positive2026-08-17: 4 new negative2026-08-18: 61 new positive2026-08-18: 1 new negative2026-08-19: 67 new positive2026-08-20: 45 new positive2026-08-21: 36 new positive2026-08-21: 4 new negative2026-08-22: 55 new positive2026-08-22: 3 new negative2026-08-23: 49 new positive2026-08-24: 44 new positive2026-08-24: 6 new negative2026-08-25: 47 new positive2026-08-27: 55 new positive2026-08-27: 1 new negative2026-08-28: 47 new positive2026-08-28: 2 new negative2026-08-29: 44 new positive2026-08-29: 1 new negative2026-08-30: 69 new positive
New Steam reviews per day (census review snapshots). Positive above the line, negative below.

Price history

$14.99$9.592024-02-162026-08-262024-02-16 — best price $14.992024-03-01 — best price $13.492024-04-13 — best price $13.412024-04-25 — best price $12.232024-05-11 — best price $12.492024-06-06 — best price $14.992024-07-04 — best price $14.992024-07-29 — best price $14.992024-08-15 — best price $12.492024-10-03 — best price $13.492024-11-24 — best price $13.422024-12-18 — best price $13.692025-01-14 — best price $11.492025-02-12 — best price $10.472025-03-10 — best price $14.992025-04-10 — best price $13.492025-05-19 — best price $13.492025-06-11 — best price $12.292025-07-10 — best price $10.482025-08-09 — best price $14.992025-08-29 — best price $13.492025-10-24 — best price $14.992025-11-29 — best price $13.492026-01-05 — best price $14.992026-02-17 — best price $10.742026-03-12 — best price $13.492026-04-04 — best price $14.992026-05-09 — best price $13.922026-05-28 — best price $14.992026-06-19 — best price $11.992026-07-12 — best price $11.992026-07-30 — best price $11.992026-08-15 — best price $14.992026-08-26 — best price $14.99
Lowest recorded price across tracked stores, per day (census snapshots).

Attention

1.1k5752026-05-28 — 853 pageviews2026-05-31 — 832 pageviews2026-06-03 — 676 pageviews2026-06-06 — 800 pageviews2026-06-09 — 750 pageviews2026-06-12 — 655 pageviews2026-06-15 — 702 pageviews2026-06-18 — 629 pageviews2026-06-21 — 676 pageviews2026-06-24 — 602 pageviews2026-06-27 — 746 pageviews2026-06-30 — 616 pageviews2026-07-03 — 623 pageviews2026-07-06 — 780 pageviews2026-07-09 — 718 pageviews2026-07-12 — 813 pageviews2026-07-15 — 808 pageviews2026-07-18 — 712 pageviews2026-07-21 — 725 pageviews2026-07-24 — 660 pageviews2026-07-27 — 822 pageviews2026-07-30 — 727 pageviews2026-08-02 — 727 pageviews2026-08-05 — 713 pageviews2026-08-08 — 637 pageviews2026-08-11 — 708 pageviews2026-08-14 — 693 pageviews2026-08-17 — 700 pageviews2026-08-20 — 667 pageviews2026-08-23 — 702 pageviews2026-08-25 — 638 pageviews
Daily Wikipedia pageviews (attention proxy, census-recorded).

Twitch viewers

3.8k452026-08-26 19:15 — 1,626 viewers2026-08-26 21:34 — 3,366 viewers2026-08-27 01:34 — 120 viewers2026-08-27 04:34 — 105 viewers2026-08-27 07:33 — 113 viewers2026-08-27 10:34 — 48 viewers2026-08-27 13:34 — 105 viewers2026-08-27 16:34 — 611 viewers2026-08-27 19:34 — 1,478 viewers2026-08-27 23:34 — 2,807 viewers2026-08-28 02:34 — 498 viewers2026-08-28 05:34 — 191 viewers2026-08-28 08:34 — 64 viewers2026-08-28 11:34 — 74 viewers2026-08-28 14:34 — 428 viewers2026-08-28 17:34 — 341 viewers2026-08-28 20:34 — 3,849 viewers2026-08-28 23:34 — 1,363 viewers2026-08-29 02:34 — 79 viewers2026-08-29 05:34 — 184 viewers2026-08-29 08:34 — 48 viewers2026-08-29 11:34 — 170 viewers2026-08-29 14:34 — 244 viewers2026-08-29 17:34 — 163 viewers2026-08-29 20:34 — 1,030 viewers2026-08-29 23:34 — 921 viewers2026-08-30 02:34 — 399 viewers2026-08-30 05:34 — 430 viewers2026-08-30 08:34 — 96 viewers2026-08-30 11:34 — 45 viewers2026-08-30 14:34 — 216 viewers2026-08-30 15:34 — 197 viewers
Hourly Twitch viewers (census snapshots).

Completion

31
achievements tracked
90%
earned "Ante Up!"
22.4%
median achievement earned by

Global achievement rates from Steam.

Details

WindowsmacOSFull controller supportSingle-playerSteam AchievementsFull controller supportSteam Trading CardsColor AlternativesCustom Volume ControlsMouse Only OptionPlayable without Timed InputDualSense Controller SupportDualSense Controller Support1 DLC

12 supported languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Dutch, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese - Brazil, Simplified Chinese, Spanish - Latin America, Traditional Chinese

Console footprint

PlatformPlayers trackedCompletionTrophies/achievements
Steam (Steam)90,3072%31
PS5 (PlayStation)31,0573%32
Xbox Series, Xbox One, Windows (Xbox)22,5481%31
PS4 (PlayStation)7,9464%32
Switch (Nintendo)2,7910%0
Switch 2 (Nintendo)9180%0
PS5 (PlayStation)3915%32

Players tracked by Exophase (achievement/trophy trackers) — a sample of the player base, not total sales.

Where its players are

Share of Steam reviews by language (top languages measured) — a proxy for where the player base lives.

Player tags

2DCasualStrategyCard GameDifficultRogue-likeRogue-liteTurn-BasedCard BattlerDeckbuilding

Census log

Computed from census-recorded observations only — dates are observation dates.

Recent updates

Players also track

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Similarity via IGDB.

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