Balatro has become the little indie game that could. Developer LocalThunk has confirmed the poker roguelike has surged past 5 million copies sold since its release in February 2024.
On January 21, Thunk expressed his gratitude towards the people who ended up giving Balatro a chance. The game rose in popularity after its shocking (but well-deserved) inclusion in the Game of the Year category at The Game Awards.
Initially released for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, Balatro would receive ports for iOS and Android on September 26, helping the game reach an even wider audience.
Back when he started developing Balatro, LocalThunk didn't think it would amount to anything more than a side project he'd share with friends.
As he saw the potential behind the game, Thunk started pouring more time into the project. He even hired a musician from the freelancer site Fiverr to compose music for the game: LouisF.
LocalThunk and Louis could only imagine how popular the game would become. Eventually, Thunk revealed that he would give 100% of his share from the sales of Balatro's soundtrack on Steam to LouisF. A massive gesture of gratitude towards the musician who helped build the unique feeling of eeriness the game oozes.
Being nominated for several awards at TGA including Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, and winning Best Independent Game, Best Debut Indie, and Best Mobile Game, meant Balatro's soundtrack was played by The Game Award's orchestra next to titles like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.
If you've never given Balatro a chance, we highly recommend you check out the minidocumentary on its development created by ThatGuyGlen on YouTube. It's the perfect window into LocalThunk's process and what makes the poker roguelike so incredibly addicting.
The elevator pitch is simple: you choose a unique poker deck with a special perk to tackle different antes with multiple blinds.
You'll be using poker hands to accrue points. The twist is that different modifiers such as Jokers and other types of buffs will take what you know of the classic card game and throw it out the window in favor of an unpredictable, easy-to-pick-up, addictive chaos.