Balatro
Xbox Series X|S · PlayStation 4 · Nintendo Switch 2 · Android · PC (Microsoft Windows) +5 more
Recent coverage
Ultrapool brings some Balatro-like brain teasing to the baize
Regular readers will know that the Balatro-like has become a supreme sub-genre since LocalThunk's hypnotic roguelike captured everyone's attention back in 2022. On an almost weekly basis, it feels like we see something new that's reading from that particular playbook. Ultrapool is the latest effort...
Pocket Gamer
Playstack CEO: new owner will keep it separate from its games media brands including GamesSpot and Fandom
Harvey Elliott, the CEO of Balatro and Abiotic publisher Playstack, has said the firm's sale to the owner of Fandom and GameSpot will not impact either, telling GamesIndustry.biz that new owner Integrated Media Company (IMC) had committed to maintaining Playstack separately from its media...
GamesIndustry.biz
Top five mobile games like Balatro
It’s rare for an indie game to kickstart its own subgenre, but certainly not unusual. We’ve seen it with everything from the iconic Slenderman, all the way to more recent examples such as Vampire Survivors. But I don’t think we’ve seen one so speedily spawn as many spiritual successors as indie...
Pocket Gamer
Aether Dawn is an upcoming indie ARPG from an all-star team of ex-Genshin and Arknights devs
The anime ARPG genre is one which, like platformers and Balatro-likes, has become increasingly saturated on mobile. Amidst heavy hitters such as Genshin Impact or upcoming projects fuelled with star power like Limit Zero Breakers, it can seem virtually impossible for a new entrant to make their...
Pocket Gamer
Ultrapool is Balatro but for pool, unsurprisingly, and it's coming soon to iOS and Android
At this point, I think the Balatro-like has definitely joined the Survivors-like in being a genre unto its own, with so many different developers and publishers offering their own spins and seeking them out to bring to players. And the latest to take a swing at it are Offbrand Games and their...
Pocket Gamer
Lexispell is Balatro for people that love spelling bees and hate gambling
Game gets popular, games gets clones, that's just how the cookie crumbles. Vampire Survivors, Buckshot Roulette, Lethal Company; as soon as those games blew up, derivatives were a guarantee. This is true of Balatro too of course, a game which has produced so many clones that wildly swing between...
Rock Paper Shotgun
Return to Pixhell is out now for iOS, promising a Survivors-like spin on Dark Souls' difficulty
Just like Balatro, ever since Vampire Survivors released, we've seen innumerable spins on the core concept that tweak or change it to fit a new format. However, all of them usually share the power-fantasy of 'becoming the bullet hell'. Not so with the newly released Return to Pixhell, which instead...
Pocket Gamer
Balatro's latest crossover lets you design your very own deck of medieval Jimbo cards
Balatro’s Jimbo has taken a trip back in time to Scriptorium: Master of Manuscripts, though I don’t know how his jousting will hold up.
PCGamesN
Balatro publisher Playstack is being acquired by investment firm IMC
After gaining popularity thanks to releasing the likes of Balatro and Raccoin, publisher Playstack is set to be acquired by VantageCO under investment firm IMC. Balatro publisher Playstack is being acquired by investment firm IMC first appeared on KitGuru.
KitGuru
Balatro publisher Playstack only discovered it because they had a guy checking all the new releases on Steam every day: 'I saw the game the day it went up on Steam'
"I went to Twitter at the time and contacted LocalThunk. I think he had maybe two or three followers."
PC Gamer
Balatro publisher Playstack to be sold to GameSpot parent company for around $151 million
Playstack's parent company TruFin is selling its 84.5% stake in the publisher to VantageCo, which is a subsidiary of GameSpot owner Integrated Media Company.
Shacknews
Balatro publisher Playstack could soon belong to the same private equity firm that owns Fandom and GameSpot
Playstack CEO Harvey Elliott says "for now, it's business as usual."
PC Gamer
Fandom and GameSpot owner set to buy Balatro publisher Playstack
Playstack, the publisher behind games including Balatro, Abiotic Factor, and The Rise of the Golden Idol, is set to be purchased by Integrated Media Company (IMC), the owner of Fandom and Gamespot, among numerous other brands. The news was initially reported by Game Developer. Read more
GamesIndustry.bizBalatro owner Playstack sold to parent company of Fandom, Gamespot
Playstack will be sold for $151m, subject to shareholder approval
VGC
The owners of Fandom and Gamespot want to acquire Balatro publisher Playstack
Playstack who published the likes of Balatro, Abiotic Factor and VOID/BREAKER are about to be sold off to the Integrated Media Company group. Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/05/the-owners-of-fandom-and-gamespot-want-to-acquire-balatro-publisher-playstack/
Steam NewsThe owners of Fandom and Gamespot want to acquire Balatro publisher Playstack
Playstack who published the likes of Balatro, Abiotic Factor and VOID/BREAKER are about to be sold off to the Integrated Media Company group. Read the full article on GamingOnLinux.
GamingOnLinux
Balatro Publisher To Be Sold To Same Private Equity Firm That Owns GameSpot
Integrated Media Company owns GameSpot, Fandom, Curse, Screen Junkies, and a number of other media and entertainment brands
Kotaku
Balatro publisher Playstack is being sold to GameSpot and Fandom parent company
The proposed majority takeover values the UK publisher at around $169 million.
Game DeveloperSwitch Digital Games: Solar Ash $10, ASTRONEER $7.50, Slay the Spire $6.25 & More
Nintendo eShop [nintendo.com] has select *Switch 1 & 2 Digital Games* on sale for the prices below. *Switch 2*[list][*]Balatro [nintendo.com] *$12.74*[*]Brotato [nintendo.com] *$3.49*[*]Hollow...
Slickdeals Gaming
Tomb Busters offers up a more supernatural take on the Lethal Company formula
Much like Balatro, after its release, Lethal Company saw a huge number of imitators and developers putting new spins on the extraction-exploration formula. Be that Repo, This is the Press or in this case, mobile versions such as Tomb Busters! Now, with its release date confirmed for May 27th, it's...
Pocket Gamer
Subnautica 2 exec is tired of Balatro-likes, says devs pitched "maybe 250 roguelike deckbuilders in the last 12 months"
Gaming trends are just getting shorter
GamesRadar
"Roguelike can be anything": Krafton exec is very tired of being pitched "Balatro with different cards"
At Digital Dragons this year I somehow found myself attending a panel about games industry investment and publishing deals, featuring various senior M&A people gathered under the dread banner of "Capital Reality". It felt like visiting another planet, occupied by towering creatures of gold and...
Rock Paper ShotgunPokermancer Is a Poker-Puzzle Roguelite, Out on Android Now
Another Balatro-inspired The post Pokermancer Is a Poker-Puzzle Roguelite, Out on Android Now appeared first on Droid Gamers.
Droid Gamers
Void Poker takes a Balatro-like approach to turn-based RPGs, coming soon to iOS
Earlier this week, I reviewed Gambonanza and, to say the least, I had mixed feelings. Ultimately, what was a well-designed and made game failed to live up to the same epoch as Balatro for me. But it also showed that you can take the same ideas as Balatro and do something different and interesting...
Pocket Gamer
Gambonanza beginner's guide - 7 tips for getting started with this chess-themed Balatro-like
Ahhh, Gambonanza. A Balatro-like by any other name would be just as sweet. But as you've probably seen in my review, this grinds my gears as much as it excites me. However, in the time that I've put in, I think I'm starting to 'get' what Gambonanza is all about. And, if you're interested, hopefully...
Pocket Gamer
Gambonanza review - "Checkmate (or is it?)"
Nowadays, the Balatro-like has become a genre all to itself. After Localthunk's massive smash-hit roguelike deckbuilder took the world by storm, many others have been inspired to create their own spins on popular tabletop pastimes. And the latest that hopes to make their mark is Blukulele and the...
Pocket Gamer
I'm tired of everything getting turned into a roguelite, but I'll make an exception for pinball
Game developers are burning through genres, high concepts, and even annoying machines that scammed you on the boardwalk as a child to fuel quick-hit Balatro-likes or Vampire Survivors-likes at the same rate the smartphone industry's sucking down rare earth minerals. I get why: compulsive play is...
Steam News
Summer Games Done Quick Returns This July And The Full Schedule Features Speedruns For Balatro, Super Mario 64, And More
Games Done Quick (GDQ) has announced that its flagship speedrunning marathon, Summer Games Done Quick, will return to Minneapolis this July to benefit Doctors Without Borders. The full schedule has been released and will feature a wide range of speedruns from July 5 to July 11, including a...
Game Informer
Balatro Joker tier list - It's not a joke
Updated by May 15th, 2026 - Version 1.3 If you ever feel like rolling the dice on something to do, check out any gaming marketplace and the top games. Whether they're the highest rated or the ones raking in the most money, you're guaranteed to find something you never expected. You'll be drawn to...
Pocket Gamer
