Published on

Indie phenomenon Balatro is one of the most-played games on Steam Deck this year, beaten only by Stardew Valley and previous GOTY winners Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate 3

Balatro, a poker roguelike indie game, is a surprise hit, ranking highly on Steam Deck and winning Golden Joystick Awards, competing with gaming giants like Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate 3. Available on PC, mobile, and consoles, it's a viral sensation despite being a solo developer's project.

Cover

Balatro is the fourth most-played game on Steam Deck in the last 12 months, beaten only by Elden Ring, Baldur's Gate 3, and Stardew Valley. That's an impressive caliber of colleagues it's got.

Is there nowhere we can hide from the viral sensation that is Balatro? No, is the short answer. It's on consoles, PC, Steam Deck, and mobile – GamesRadar+'s Oscar swears he doesn't play Balatro on his phone during meetings, but we don't believe him. To be fair to solo developer LocalThunk, they did say "I'm sorry" when they released it on mobile.

By now, we should all be used to Balatro going up against gaming juggernauts. It won two Golden Joysticks last week, Critics Choice and Best Indie, so it's not surprising it's selling well. What is impressive is that two indie games made by solo devs are on par with two of the most critically acclaimed RPGs to come out this decade, with Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate 3 both being previous Game of the Year winners at The Game Awards. Balatro is also up for Game of the Year this year, so it's already proven to be tough competition.

It’s been a big year for Balatro on the Steam Deck! https://t.co/geMB4dfpmm pic.twitter.com/hiZSD29y2NNovember 27, 2024

LocalThunk shared a screenshot of the Steam Deck charts on their Twitter account, showing that while Elden Ring had climbed three places on the leaderboard and Stardew Valley had gained eight, the poker roguelike was a new entry entirely. So, it got just shy of the podium in its first year of release. Not bad for a "fun little project" started during a few weeks of vacation.

At the moment, I only have it on my laptop, but my phone is calling to me like the Green Goblin's mask, begging me to make myself even less productive.

If you're weaning yourself off of Balatro and want something else to play, why not check out some of the best upcoming indie games? One of them could be the next big hit.