The Mobile Release of Balatro
Balatro was released on Feb. 20 on Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X — but it’s always felt like the perfect game to play on your phone.
You’ll be able to play Balatro if you’re an Apple Arcade subscriber, or purchase the game for $4.99 on Apple’s App Store or the Google Play store. On Apple Arcade, the game is called Balatro+, but a representative from publisher Playstack clarified to Polygon that it’s the same game. The biggest change, in general, is that Balatro is now playable on mobile with touch controls. Being able to swipe and touch cards feels like it’ll be quite natural for the game; a dangerous combination for anyone who’s already been stuck in Balatro’s easy “one more round” hold.
The thing about Balatro is that it’s got an excellent, unique game loop that takes the scoring of Poker — making high-scoring hands — and throws it into chaos. Instead of a typical deck of 52 playing cards, you get increasingly nuts Joker cards (and others) that modify the scoring system to rack up high scores.
Basically, it’s been the summer of Balatro. Though it was a breakout hit in February when it was released, developer LocalThunk announced in August that he was adding a gameplay update in 2025, and that several surprises were coming. Those surprises, of course, turned out to be the mobile release date and a bunch of new crossover Balatro cards.
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