When The Game Awards’ Game of the Year nominees were revealed last week, there were plenty of expected names in the mix, from Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth and Metaphor ReFantazio to Astro Bot. But among the triple-A heavy hitters was the runaway hit indie card game Balatro, which caused some confusion for those yet to take it for a spin. After all, how could a poker roguelike from a solo indie dev beat out the likes of Stellar Blade or Dragon Age: The Veilguard? But, for those who’ve partaken, the reason is clear: Balatro is brilliant. Now, following its GOTY nomination and the subsequent online grumbling, thousands of players are flocking to Steam to see what all the fuss is about, causing its player count to double. Remember though, just as curiosity killed the cat, picking up Balatro will no doubt kill your productivity. You have been warned.
For the uninitiated, Balatro is a roguelike deckbuilder that puts a fresh spin on poker. It quickly established itself as one of the best PC games of the year back at launch in February. As is the way with Balatro, you’ll immediately understand why it’s earned a GOTY nom as soon as you get your hands on it for the first time. Thankfully, that’s exactly what many of the unbelievers have now done.
Following the GOTY nom announcement, Balatro has seen a hearty 50% increase in concurrent players on Steam, rising from around 7,000 to over 15,000 players just days later. Despite the sudden spike in intrigue, the spotlight earned by its GOTY nomination has yet to trump the nearly 38,000-player peak of its launch window. This type of surge in interest (following the unexpected launch success, reaching over 2 million copies sold by August 2024) is a rare and welcome sight for an indie.
Its success isn’t just limited to PC. In fact, Balatro has seen similar growth on mobile, making last week Balatro’s second-most lucrative period on mobile to date, earning $727,000. In fact, I’m among that crowd, having just picked it up on my phone to tank my productivity even further.
Whether Balatro will take home the Game of the Year 2024 crown remains to be seen, especially with such stiff competition. If you’re yet to play one of the best indie games ever, you can remedy that by grabbing Balatro on Steam for just $14.99/£12.79.
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