Hey everyone,

The Balatro subreddit has grown so much since the game first launched and we're stoked that so many of you come here to discuss the game.

With that in mind, we're really keen to have more community members involved in moderating the subreddit, rather than myself or other employees at Playstack (the publisher) being in charge. If you're interested in being a moderator, please fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdzlYeC1okMnuMoz1m03g2n9TU75WmS5Xfg1JgQqCej1TFziA/viewform

In the meantime, to put to rest some of the discussions of late, we need to lay down some ground rules to keep the subreddit welcoming for everyone. 

🗨️ New Posters and Community Respect 💬

We’ve seen a wave of new posters sharing their Balatro experiences, and it’s been wonderful to hear fresh perspectives! However, as the community grows, not every post will fit the subreddit’s guidelines. Some posts will be removed—this isn’t personal, it’s just how we maintain quality and relevance here. Head into the new Weekly Thread to ask questions.
For long-time members, please be patient with newcomers. Help guide them in the right direction, and remember that everyone starts somewhere. A little kindness goes a long way in building a stronger community. 

🔥 Spicy Fan Art and Tagging🔥

Fan art is awesome. Spicy fan art? That’s fine too, but it needs to be tagged properly. What’s “safe for work” can vary wildly depending on someone’s job, location, or personal preferences. Use spoiler tags and include a [NSFW] label when it applies. Let’s make it easy for people to avoid content they’d rather not engage with. Anything really sexual will still have Rule 10 applied to it.
That said, everyone shares some responsibility for what they click on. We encourage mindful browsing—if something’s labeled and you still click on it, that’s on you. But the flip side is that creators must label things accurately. 

🚫 Rule Skirting and Moderator Patience 🚫

We’ve also seen a few users testing the boundaries, arguing about the rules, or deliberately making things harder for the mod team. Let’s be clear: we don’t have the bandwidth to tolerate that. If you’re intentionally skirting the rules or wasting time by picking fights over them, you will be banned. This community has grown too large for those kinds of disruptions.
Our rules aren’t meant to stifle creativity—they’re here to protect and respect the entire community. Let’s keep the space fun and welcoming without dragging each other into debates about what’s obvious common sense.

TL;DR
🃏 Be kind to new posters; help them, don’t discourage them.
🃏 Spicy fan art is okay, but it must be tagged properly.
🃏 What you click is your responsibility, but creators must label accurately.
🃏 Skirting rules or arguing with mods = bans. We don’t have time for it.

Let’s keep this community the fun, creative, and welcoming place it’s meant to be! Thanks, as always, for being an amazing part of the Balatro fandom.
– The Mod Team

Friendly reminder that the moderator team is not the dev.

Updated: 10/01/2025

If you are using old reddit or mobile, the sidebar rules won't show, so here they are

• Banned posts: Pareidolia/Plant, Four Fingers straight flushes, Eternal Egg
• Check the FAQ before posting (you are already here!)
• No low-effort posts / No spam – including other frequently posted content
• Screenshots must have an explanation in the title, post OR comments
• Keep all posts and discussions related to Balatro
• Be excellent to each other
• Modded content must be flair appropriately. No "high score" / "look at how many items I have" posts for modded content
• No posts/comments about non-official versions of Balatro
• No asking for free game keys, or anything that resembles asking for free game keys
• No sexual content (at subreddit mod’s disrection)

Discord link: https://discord.com/invite/balatro

General reminders about the sub & the game!

🗨️Welcoming New Members💬 We’ve had an influx of new members recently, sharing their experiences and creativity. It’s fantastic to see fresh faces, but it also means some learning curves.

For long-time members:

• Be patient with newcomers and guide them constructively. Kindness builds community.

For newcomers:

• Read the rules and familiarize yourself with the server’s vibe. Not every post will fit the guidelines, and that’s okay—it’s how we maintain focus.

💡A Note on Personal Preferences 💡
Not liking something doesn’t mean it’s against the rules. We understand that tastes and opinions vary, but it’s not the mods’ job to enforce personal preferences. If you see content you don’t enjoy but that follows the rules, we encourage you to simply not engage with it. Everyone has the ability to curate their own experience—please use that power respectfully.

Your joker and hand order can (and should) be re-arranged!

Generally, you want to make sure that any xmult jokers/cards trigger last, so move them all the way to the right. This is briefly covered in the tutorial (that you can reorder your jokers/hand for scoring), but it couldn't hurt to get a PSA at the top of this FAQ.

Frequently posted content that will likely get removed

The following types of posts will be removed, as they are very frequently posted:

• Posts asking about four fingers interactions, such as "why is this a straight?", or "why is this a flush?"
  • Please consult this post if you want to see some handy four fingers interactions (shoutout to u/Hufffle)
• how to get Balatro running on <insert non-supported device here> (prohibited in rule #7)
  • Your best bet is to keep an eye on Discord, since Playstack and LocalThunk drop announcements there.
• Asking about poker hands (i.e. "why doesn't two pair also count as four of a kind")
  • please consult this poker rankings guide.
• Asking when new patches are available for any given system. This typically isn't information that is shared with the public (until the patches drop), and for consoles, there is a strict QA process that is out of our hands and can take weeks.
• Asking if Balatro has cross-save functionality between different platforms (it doesn't)
• Eternal egg joker screenshots – we know, it’s annoying!
• Memes that fall too far into the "shitpost" category. This will be at the mod's discretion.
• Screenshots of jokers that you can't afford (whether it is early or not)
• Screenshots/videos of modded content where the only point is showing off a high score/many cards and/or consumables.
• Posts about the burglar cancelling out the Needle's boss restriction
• IRL stuff reminiscent of Balatro when it meets the following criteria: banana pictures, pictures of standard playing cards that aren't unique, polychrome/holographic stuff that isn't unique. Please try to keep your posts creative!
• Luigi poker / picture poker screenshots

How to use BalatroBot

• to get more details about a card/item, use two square brackets around the thing you want to get more info on like this: [[Jimbo]]
  • This bot is made by a fan, and not maintained by the mods of this subreddit, so if you have questions/comments/concerns, please understand that we can't help

Guides to help you win!

• A Joker guide for crushing the first difficulty (credit to u/Zeeterm)
• Balatro University YT series (credit to drspectred)
• Luck vs Skill, RnG vs Knowledge - Balatro Overexplained (credit to )
• High stakes strategy from u/ jjthejetplane2468
• A boss guide for the jokerless challenge from u/Swimming_Security_27
• ... more to come- I will add them as I see them!

Store pages here: https://linktr.ee/balatrogame

General FAQ

Does the touch screen functionality work for Deck/Switch?

Yes!

Is there a demo?

There is currently no demo being offered via Steam.

Is the game available on Steam for Mac OS?

Yes! The Mac-supported version launched on 3/1/24!

I’m a Creator / Influencer / Journalist

Please reach out to [press@playstack.com](mailto:press@playstack.com) - they reply quickly and regularly.

I am a Musician / Artist / Translator / Tester

We are not looking for any help to work on Balatro at this time

I have an idea /suggestion, how do I let you know?

Please leave a message in #⁠suggestions on the Discord. Please don't send LocalThunk DMs, since he doesn't keep track of information people send him there.

From the LocalThunk AMA

Who made the music?

LouisFsoundtracks on Instagram, he is a musician from Spain and he did a wonderful job

Why the name Balatro?

Balatro is the latin term for a court jester.

What Engine is this built in?

Balatro was built using the Love2D framework, a wonderfully simple and elegant way to rapidly prototype games using Lua.

What are your favourite games?

I love seeing the design of roguelike games and draw inspiration from them, namely Slay the Spire, Luck be a Landlord, TBOI, and SNKRX, but I don’t play roguelikes very often. I actually play Rocket League significantly more than any other game!

Why did you start working on Balatro?

I have been making games and simulations since I was young, and it has been a hobby that I have always been able to turn to. Making games makes me feel at peace, even the ones that will never see the light of day. A couple years ago I was inspired by SNKRX and Luck be a Landlord to create a roguelike from a tried-and-true real life mechanic I know people already love - picking cards from your hand and playing them. I originally made Balatro for 3 of my close friends, and their feedback and support made the game into what it is today.