Stay Informed
Get Industry News In Your Inbox…
Sign Up Today
Roguelite indie card game Balatro has been reclassified by European video game content rating system PEGI from 18 to 12.
Balatro was rated 18+ by PEGI in December after the ratings board said it taught players the skills and knowledge used in poker.
The game’s solo developer LocalThunk joked at the time that if he added features like gambling, loot boxes, or microtransactions, he could reduce the rating to 3+.
LocalThunk took to X (formerly Twitter) to share the news of the title being recategorised.
“This is a good step from PEGI – bringing nuance to their ratings criteria that used to be 18+ or nothing,” he wrote. “I hope this change will allow developers to create without being unfairly punished.”
The Pan European Game Information (PEGI) organisation also updated the game’s rating on its website.
“The PEGI 18 rating for the game Balatro has been changed to a PEGI 12 following a successful appeal submitted by publisher Sold Out Sales & Marketing,” read a statement from PEGI.
“The Complaints Board concluded that, although the game explains the various hands of poker, the roguelike deck-building game contained mitigating fantastical elements that warranted a PEGI 12 rating.”
Continues success
Balatro has sold over five million copies across all platforms, as revealed by Harvey Elliott, CEO of the game’s publisher PlayStack, at Pocket Gamer Connects London last month.
The roguelike indie card game also won Mobile Game of the Year at the 28th DICE Awards, beating titles like Halls of Torment, Monument Valley 3, Paper Trail, and Wuthering Waves. At our own Pocket Gamer Awards, Balatro won Best Digital Board Game of the Year and Best Mobile Port.
Balatro is available on iOS and Android, and is also part of the Apple Arcade subscription service. The game revolves around building strong poker hands, creating card combos, finding Jokers, and defeating Boss Blinds. Players earn currency to purchase stronger cards for future battles.
Playstack’s Wout van Halderen will be a speaker at Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco, which takes place on March 17th to 18th. He’ll be live on stage to offer insights on Balatro’s launch and success.
