Balatro is officially one year old, which means Jimbo has been tormenting players for 12 months. Players continue to fuel their addiction to this roguelite deckbuilder. With over 100 thousand reviews on Steam alone, it remains in the Overwhelmingly Positive state. Players ended up loving the game so much that it led to almost historic wins during the biggest gaming award shows. That means the game definitely deserves some cheers for reaching its first anniversary.
Balatro: The Ultimate Poker-Inspired Roguelike
Balatro is a poker-inspired roguelike where players are challenged to create dominant decks and overcome increasingly formidable foes. The gameplay is pretty straightforward. Players need to build the best poker hands but with a twist. By building valid poker hands with special Joker cards, players can achieve explosive combos and develop unique builds based on their play style.
Players must earn enough chips to defeat devious “blinds,” which are the game’s equivalent of bosses. While doing so, they uncover hidden bonus hands and unlock new decks as they progress. But beware, each run is a high-risk-for-high-reward game, and only the most calculated players will be able to emerge victorious in the end.
A Rewarding Experience
Balatro offers a very full campaign mode with a variety of difficulty levels, so both new and experienced players will be able to find a challenge appropriate for them. To offer even more variety, the game includes challenge runs and seeded runs so players can go all out and test their abilities in unique scenarios or replay favorite setups.
As players progress, they can improve their collection by unlocking new cards, decks, and secrets with every run. The game’s in-depth stats screen lets players analyze their performance by tracking their best hands, most-used Jokers, and more. That way, players can refine their strategies and push their limits even further.
Big Wins Scored by Balatro
In the past 12 months, Balatro has won an abundance of awards at several different game awards ceremonies. At The Game Awards in 2024, it took home Best Debut Indie Game, Best Mobile Game, and Best Independent Game. While it didn’t win Game of the Year, it still made an impact by being an indie game that was nominated for that category.
However, Balatro did take home the Game of the Year award during The Indie Game Awards, along with the award for Gameplay Design. During the Golden Joystick Awards, the game took home the Best Indie Game and Breakthrough awards. Those are all impressive feats for a game created by LocalThunk, an anonymous solo developer. The accolades that Balatro has earned prove how much indie games deserve to be in the mainstream media space.
One Year of Deck-Building Obsession
One year after Balatro‘s release, the game has kept a pretty solid player base. When only counting PC players, tens of thousands of players are always in the game. That’s according to SteamDB. It comes as no surprise for those who know just how much replayability the game has. When paired with just how addicting the game can be, it can be firmly said that people will still be playing for years to come. Of course, the card collaborations created for the game also help. Fans of Stardew Valley, The Witcher, The Binding of Isaac, and more have reason to dive into this addictive deckbuilder.
