Balatro is getting a physical edition.
The creator of the viral Poker game, localthunk, confirmed via a note posted to the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that fans will soon be able to pick up a physical copy of the game on PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and last-gen consoles.
Balatro – Short Trailer
As an extra sweetener, each “special edition” will come with a pack of 10 bonus Joker/booster cards.
Localthunk – who recently spoke out about the game’s rating drama, stating “it is what it is” – added, “That PEGI 18 rating is mocking me [though]”.
In an AMA session on Reddit earlier this year, localthunk was asked for comment on how PEGI mishandled the game’s rating after it was pulled from sale in some countries due to a “mistaken belief that the game ‘contains prominent gambling imagery and materials that instructs about gambling'”, as per publisher Playstack’s statement at the time.
“I still believe that the rating is unwarranted, but there is some grey area for interpretation from PEGI and at this point it is what it is,” said localthunk. “I think the one thing I am most disappointed by is the fact that other games with actual gambling mechanics aren’t rated the same way because of their appearance/theme.”
“Over the last few weeks, it has taken over the gaming world completely, and I can see why,” we wrote in Eurogamer’s Balatro review. “A poker roguelike is such a brilliant idea you almost don’t need to make it to see how clever it is. There are a few of these, and Balatro is comfortably the best I’ve played. It really is ingenious – and it’s also ingeniously simple.”
