Earlier this month developer LocalThunk and publisher Playstack announced that the hugely addictive poker-inspired indie roguelike Balatro would be coming to mobile devices. The day is finally here, and players can now snag the game for iOS via the App Store and Android via Google Play for $9.99. (Get your important tasks done beforehand, because your productivity at work is about to tank.)
Upon its release in February, the game quickly surpassed all expectations, selling 250,000 copies in its first three days on the market and over one million copies in its first month. To date, it has sold over two million copies worldwide.
Check out the mobile launch trailer for Balatro below:
The goal for players is to beat the Boss Blinds by creating strong poker hands, with over 150 unique Joker cards appearing to help create stronger combos. Balatro recieved an update in April, reducing ‘ante’ scaling in higher difficulty modes and giving Jokers a new ‘Perishable’ mechanic, disabling cards marked as ‘Perishable’ after five rounds.
Last month, the game introduced the free ‘Friends of Jimbo’ update, featuring collaborations with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Vampire Survivors, Dave the Diver, and Among Us.
“Add some visual flair to your game by swapping out the traditional face cards—Kings, Queens, and Jacks—with beloved characters like Geralt, Yennefer, and Jaskier from The Witcher,” the announcement reads.
“This “Friends of Jimbo” surprise is the second of three major announcements about Balatro this summer. The first was the promise of a major content update in 2025, revealed earlier this month. Now, the real question is… what’s our final surprise?”
Balatro was initially released on February 20, 2024 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. The first major update for the game is coming in 2025.
