We finally have a release date for Balatro on Android
-
Balatro is finally coming to mobile after being a hit on consoles, with a release date set for September 26.
-
Concerns about the game translating well to smaller screens remain, but developer Playstack says the controls and UI have been optimized.
-
Based on the pricing, there are likely no ads or excessive in-app purchases in Balatro mobile, despite success requiring skill and luck.
If you've been plugged into the indie gaming scene for the past year, you've probably sunk more than a few hours intoBalatro. If you don't know what I'm talking about, Balatro is a poker-inspired, deck-building roguelite released for Windows, Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch back in February. To call it popular would be an understatement. It surpassed one million units sold less than a month after its release. Shortly after that milestone, publisher Playstack announced in a Reddit AMA that a mobile port was coming but didn't tell us when. Today, we finally have an answer to that question.
When can you play Balatro on your phone?
Only three more weeks!
Earlier today, Playstack uploaded an off-the-wall trailer revealing a release date of September 26 on iOS and Android. If you're already a Balatro fan, it's worth watching a few times because there are some Easter eggs hiding in it seasoned with Balatro developer LocalThunk's unique brand of humor. There's no indication of a price on the Play Store yet, but the iPhone App Store indicates that it will be $10 when it launches. That's a pretty good deal because it currently lists for $15 on Steam/Xbox/PlayStation/Switch.
Playstack
CARD
Price: Free
When we first covered this story back in April, we had some concerns about how a game designed for big screens would translate to the smaller screens on our phones. As far as size goes, our biggest concern was the legibility of the in-game text. Based on the screenshots available on the Play Store, things look pretty close to the original, but we'll have to wait until launch to see if the card descriptions are legible on smaller devices.
According to the Play Store description, the controls have been optimized for touch-screen interfaces, but it's not clear what that will look like. Based on the promotional images and the Play Store trailer, the UI has been simplified. Notably absent are the Play Hand, Sort Hand, and Discard buttons normally present beneath your current hand. Of course, we haven't actually seen any gameplay. Instead, Playstack has shown snippets of game mechanics which aren't quite the same.
Our final concern with any potential mobile port of Balatro had to do with monetization. Playstack isn't a predatory publisher, but every other game it's released on the Play Store has either in-game ads, in-game purchases, or both. To excel at Balatro definitely requires skill, but you also need a lot of luck. A less scrupulous developer would monetize that luck, but given the likely $10 price tag, it seems like Balatro is going to be free of in-app ads and purchases.
All hail Jimbo!
There are still a bunch of details we don't know about Balatro, but at least we can rest assured that our questions will be answered this month. And for those of you who have yet to experience Balatro but are ready to dip their toes in the water, make sure you set aside some time to play, because Balatro will steal hours from you. Don't say I didn't warn you.
