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Balatro is not an easy game. Getting to Ante 8 will take a while for new players, getting there is just the beginning of your journey. Throw in challenging Stakes, and the deck starts to look more than a little bit stacked against you. But all of this pales in comparison to the chaos that is Challenge Mode.
Balatro has a whopping 20 Challenges to complete, and they warp the game with unique and interesting modifiers. Most of the time this makes the game even more difficult – often requiring specific strategies to overcome. In this guide we are going to break down Challenge Mode, how you unlock it, and what each challenge expects from you.
More Balatro content:
Deck Unlock Guide | Planet Card Guide | Tarot Card Guide | Spectral Card Guide | Legendary Joker Guide | Modifier Guide | Blank Voucher Guide | Best Legendary Jokers | Tag Guide | How To Unlock Cavendish
How To Unlock Challenge Mode
Challenge Mode is teased right from the start as it is a viewable tab when loading into a run. You are not allowed to glance at the Challenge list, let alone play a Challenge until you’ve beaten the game with at least 5 different decks. This is a challenge in and of itself. Once you have done this though, you are well and truly ready for the horrors within.
Once you have been given access to the mode, you will unlock more Challenges by conquering other Challenges.
Every Challenge In Balatro
Here is a list of every Challenge in Balatro, and their modifiers.
| Challenge | Effect |
| The Omelette | – Start with 5 ‘Egg’ Jokers. – No money at the end of a Blind – No Interest generated – No ‘Extra Hand’ money |
| 15 Minute City | – Start with ‘Short Cut’ & ‘Ride The Bus’ Jokers – Both starting Jokers eternal – No Aces, 2’s, or 3’s in starting deck – 2 of every standard Face Card |
| Rich Get Richer | – Start with ‘Seed Money’ and ‘Money Tree’ Vouchers – Start with $100 – Chip can’t exceed money |
| On A Knife Edge | – Start with ‘Sacrificial Dagger’ Joker – Dagger is Eternal and Pinned |
| X-Ray Vision | – 1 in 4 cards are drawn face down |
| Mad World | – Start with ‘Pareidolia’ and ‘Business Card’ Jokers – No Interest or ‘Extra Hand’ bonus – No 10s, Jacks, Queens, Kings, or Aces in starting deck |
| Luxury Tax | – Hand size set to 10 – Hand size decreases for every $5 you have |
| Non-Perishable | – All Jokers are Eternal – All Food Jokers removed – All Jokers that destroy themselves or require selling, removed |
| Medusa | – Start with ‘Marble’ Joker – All Jacks, Queens, and Kings are replaced with Stone cards |
| Double Or Nothin | – All cards in your starting deck have a Red Seal – All played cards become debuffed after scoring – this is no reset between rounds |
| Typecast | – All jokers become Eternal after Ante 4 – Remove all Joker slots after Ante 4 |
| Inflation | – Start with ‘Credit Card’ Joker – Price of all items increases by $1 after every purchase |
| Bram Poker | – Start with ‘Vampire’ Joker – Start with ‘Emperor’ and ‘Empress’ Tarot Cards – Start with ‘Magic Trick’ and ‘Illusion’ Vouchers – Jokers do not appear in the Shop (still available through Packs) |
| Fragile | – Start with 2 ‘Oops! All 6s’ Jokers – All starting cards are Glass |
| Monolith | – Start with ‘Obelisk’ and ‘Marble’ Jokers |
| Blast Off | – Start with ‘Constellation’ and ‘Rocket’ Jokers – Start with ‘Planet Merchant’ and ‘Planet Tycoon’ Vouchers – Only 4 Joker slots – Only 2 Hands – Only 2 Discards |
| Five-Card Draw | – Start with ‘Joker’ and ‘Card Sharp’ Jokers – 6 Discards – 5 Hand size – 7 Joker slots |
| Golden Needle | – Start with ‘Credit Card’ Joker – Discards cost $1 – 6 Discards per round – Only 1 Hand per round – Start with $10 |
| Cruelty | – Small Blinds Big Blinds don’t give reward money – Only 3 Joker slots |
| Jokerless | – Jokers will not appear in the shop – 0 Joker Slots |
That’s all we have on Balatro for now. Be sure to check out our other guides for more tips and tricks.
