Is Balatro worth it?

Yes. Balatro looks simple at first, but it quickly reveals itself as one of those games that completely takes over your brain once the systems click.

What it is

Balatro is a deck-building roguelike built around poker hands. You play rounds by forming hands, earning points, and upgrading your deck with Jokers, modifiers, and rule-bending effects that radically change how the game is played.

What it does right

• Core design: The way poker hands interact with roguelike progression is incredibly clever. Familiar rules make it approachable, while the modifiers keep things constantly surprising.
• Build variety: Jokers completely reshape how you think about hands, scoring, and risk. Discovering broken synergies is a huge part of the fun.
• Pacing: Runs move quickly and always feel meaningful. It is easy to start a run, and very hard to stop after just one.
• Clarity: Despite its depth, the game explains its systems well and keeps the interface clean and readable.

Caveats

• Learning curve: The game assumes some awareness of poker hands, which may slow down new players at first. The tutorialization is solid, but it takes a few runs for everything to fully click.
• Hidden complexity: Beyond basic poker hands, there are deeper mechanics, like how card order and Jokers interact, that are not clearly explained in the game. This can make some runs feel unpredictable until you learn those subtleties.

Who should buy

• Fans of deck-building or strategy-focused roguelikes.
• Players who enjoy discovering overpowered synergies.
• Anyone who likes games that reward planning and clever risk-taking.

Who should skip

• Players looking for a narrative-driven experience.
• Anyone who dislikes card-based mechanics or heavy number crunching.

Verdict

Balatro takes a simple idea and pushes it to surprising depths. It is smart, endlessly replayable, and dangerously addictive once everything clicks.