Summary
- Balatro has officially sold five million copies.
- The indie poker roguelike deck builder was first released in February 2024.
- The title won Best Indie, Best Debut Indie, and Best Mobile Game at The Game Awards 2024.
Balatro has sold five million copies as it approaches its first anniversary in February 2025. One of 2024's most unique indie games, Balatro is a poker-based roguelike deck builder that took the gaming world by storm last year. Nominated in five categories at The Game Awards 2024 including Game of the Year, it walked away with three of them: Best Indie, Best Debut Indie, and Best Mobile Game.
Balatro quickly became wildly popular when it was initially released on PC and consoles on February 20, 2024. It came to macOS a few weeks later and made a huge splash when it was finally made available on mobile devices in September. By early October, developer LocalThunk revealed that gamers have spent a whopping 11,000 years playing Balatro across all platforms, with the game surpassing 3.5 million copies sold before Christmas.
Balatro: 10 Best Spectral Cards
Spectral cards in Balatro can change the game when you use them right. Here are the best options to have in your hand.
Now, LocalThunk has even more great news for fans of the poker roguelike. On Twitter, the developer revealed that Balatro has sold five million units and thanked everybody who's jumped into the game following the hype generated at The Game Awards 2024. Five million copies sold within one year is sensational for a solo-developed indie game, and in the same tweet, LocalThunk also urged fans of Balatro to buy more indie games, showing support for fellow small game studios and developers.
Balatro Celebrates Five Million Units Sold
It seems that Balatro's big presence at The Game Awards 2024 may have given the game the extra boost it needed to cross the five million copies sold mark within its first year. Balatro's previous milestone update was 3.5 million just prior to The Game Awards, meaning the game sold 1.5 million copies in a little over a month. There are still other awards ceremonies set to take place, like the DICE Awards, the New York Game Awards, and the Independent Games Festival. While these are a tad smaller than Geoff Keighley's Game Awards, they may still give Balatro another small sales bump if the game shows up in a big way.
Balatro had a wildly successful 2024, but LocalThunk will likely have more in store for fans in 2025. The game has hosted several "Friends of Jimbo" cosmetic crossovers with games like Cult of the Lamb, Among Us, Dave the Diver, and even CD Projekt Red's The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077. Fans should be able to expect more of these fun collabs this year as Balatro barrels toward its next milestone.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 92 /100 Critics Rec: 100%
- Released
- February 20, 2024
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Gambling Themes
- Developer(s)
- LocalThunk
- Publisher(s)
- Playstack
- Engine
- LÖVE
WHERE TO PLAY
Balatro is a poker-inspired roguelike deck builder all about creating powerful synergies and winning big.
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.
Combine valid poker hands with unique Joker cards in order to create varied synergies and builds. Earn enough chips to beat devious blinds, all while uncovering hidden bonus hands and decks as you progress. You’re going to need every edge you can get in order to reach the boss blind, beat the final ante and secure victory
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Android, iOS
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, Digital Card Game, Roguelike
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
