Balatro Mobile is a threat to my free time and productivity

Balatro Mobile is a threat to my free time and productivity

As a seasoned gamer with years of experience under my belt, I must say that Balatro Mobile has truly outdone itself. Having played this captivating roguelike poker game for months on various platforms, I can confidently attest that its mobile iteration is a testament to the developer’s commitment to excellence.


From the moment it debuted in February, Balatro was a strong candidate for Game of the Year, and since then, this innovative roguelike poker game has only grown. Now, it’s set to arrive on mobile devices, and I had an early glimpse at the game prior to its official launch. Essentially, it’s the same outstanding game I’ve been engrossed in for months, but now, it offers greater portability than before.

Balatro Mobile is designed primarily for landscape viewing and maintains all the mechanisms and elements from the original version, with minor adjustments to optimize its functionality on mobile phones and similar devices. The user experiences a gentle tactile feedback when tapping cards, pressing buttons, or receiving rewards, which provides a satisfying clicky sensation without the need for a keyboard or physical controls.

Balatro Mobile is a threat to my free time and productivity

In the mobile version of Balatro, Developer LocalThunk has made an adjustment to how players interact with items. Instead of tapping a card and then choosing an action, you can now pick up and move the item to specific zones on the screen. For instance, when purchasing a Joker card pack, I moved it to the top of the screen to confirm the purchase. When acquiring a Planet card, I dragged it to the right side of the screen to buy and use it straight away. Similarly, selling cards requires moving them to the upper-right corner of the screen. This modification seems practical as standard Balatro’s individual buttons might be too small for a phone screen.

One advantage of using Balatro on a mobile device is its mobility and ease-of-use. During this preview, I’ve enjoyed playing Balatro Mobile in various settings like while waiting in line, visiting a friend’s house, and even during movie theater trailers. The ability to pick up and play whenever I had spare moments made it fun to quickly pull out Balatro whenever I needed to pass the time.

Using Balatro on my mobile device led me to play in shorter gaming spurts compared to my PC and Steam Deck. Occasionally, after I paused my game, there was a prolonged period before the app resumed, which unfortunately ended my gaming session. Although this problem might be specific to iPhones rather than the game itself, it’s still important to note since it doesn’t happen when you pause your game on the Switch or Steam Deck.

It’s almost certain that Balatro will rank among my top five favorite games of 2024, and being able to play it on my mobile device will just deepen my affection for it. And honestly, I find myself often saying “One more round” when I should be tending to my responsibilities or working – but that’s just the allure of Balatro!

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2024-09-25 18:27