Balatro sees a huge boost in sales after being nominated for the Game Awards

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Key things

  • Balatro saw a big jump in sales after receiving five nominations at The Game Awards 2024.
  • The title earned $727,000 in the last week alone.
  • Balatro is nominated for Best Game Direction, Best Mobile Game, Best Indie Game, Best Debut Indie Game, and Game of the Year.



After five nominations at The Game Awards 2024, indie poker is a roguelike Balatro saw a massive jump in sales, earning over $700,000 in the week following the announcement. Originally released for PC and consoles in February, Balatro expanded to mobile in late September, grossing nearly $4.4 million on iOS and Android devices.

Immediately upon its release in early 2024, Balatro became a hit and attracted players with its fast and accessible gameplay. Developed exclusively by independent developer LocalThunk, BalatroThe game revolves around making poker hands to reach specific point goals, with over 150 unique Joker cards that add special abilities and multipliers to the mix. The game is notoriously easy to pick up and put down, perfect for those with a few spare minutes in the day. As 2024 draws to a close, this addictive title continues to see big wins, both in cash and award nominations.


A screenshot from the Cyberpunk and Balatro Friends of Jimbo crossover game

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According to PocketGamer, Balatro it has grossed nearly $4.4 million since its mobile release on September 26. The indie card game managed to earn $1 million in its first week on Android and iOS, and after a slew of nominations at The Game Awards 2024 announced on November 18, Balatro quickly saw a jump in sales, earning $727,000 in the last week alone. The poker roguelike was nominated for Best Game Direction, Best Mobile Game, Best Indie Game, Best Debut Indie Game and, incredibly, Game of the Year. Against heavy hitters like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Black Myth: Wukongfans will have to tune in on December 12 to see if LocalThunk's massively popular indie title can strike gold.


Balatro earned more than $700,000 in the week after being nominated for Game of the Year


Since the game's release, Balatro has seen several updates, with the May patch adding more Joker cards and the Perishable and Rental Joker mechanics. The game has also collaborated with some popular titles in its “Friends of Jimbo” updates, allowing players to customize the face cards in their deck to include memorable characters from other games. For now, fans can choose from inspired illustrations The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Cyberpunk 2077, Between us, The Binding of Issac, The surviving vampires, Kill the tower, Dave the diverand Stardew Valley. Understandably, LocalThunk has expressed interest in further collaboration in the future.

Balatro will see its first major update in 2025, though specific content has yet to be revealed. According to LocalThunk, the free update will introduce new strategies and ideas to the game “as a huge tribute to the game's brilliant and passionate community.” From August 2024 Balatro has sold over 2 million copies and the hit indie title shows no signs of slowing down.

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