Balatro Switch 2 Review

Balatro Switch 2 Review
Version Reviewed: Nintendo Switch 2

Balatro was one of the most unique games I have ever played when it released a couple of years ago, combining poker mechanics with roguelite progression and an addictive deck-building formula that made it hard to put down. What started as a modest indie project quickly proved to be a runaway success, selling over 500,000 copies in its first ten days on sale and surpassing one million units sold less than a month after launch across all platforms, which are impressive numbers for any independent title. Since then, Balatro has gone even further, hitting millions of sales worldwide and earning multiple awards along the way, making it one of the standout indie hits of the last couple of years. This week, Balatro on Nintendo Switch 2 decided to play its hand with a surprise drop on the eShop, reshuffling my review schedule and demanding that I go all in on a re-review. What’s It Like? Pick your deck, build your multi, and all bets are off as we review Balatro for Nintendo Switch 2.

For those new to the card table, Balatro is a roguelite card game that drops the betting aspect of poker and instead challenges you to build a deck capable of achieving the highest possible score across a limited number of hands. While poker forms the foundation, Balatro is surprisingly accessible. The game clearly explains each hand before you play it, showing a preview of the chips you will earn and the base multiplier attached to that hand. It does not account for your Joker cards in that preview, but it does reflect upgrades from Planet cards, which permanently increase the value of specific hands and make them far more lucrative as your run progresses. Beyond Planet cards, you can purchase Tarot cards that permanently modify individual playing cards, Spectral cards that add powerful and sometimes risky effects, and standard cards to refine your deck. Then there are the Jokers, the backbone of every successful run. There are a lot of systems interacting at once, and while it may seem overwhelming at first, they are implemented in a way that feels intuitive. The more you play, the more you understand how to build combinations that suit your strategy.

Runs begin relatively simple, easing you into the core gameplay loop. Early blinds have modest score requirements, and you will likely rely on basic hands like Two Pair or Three of a Kind. As you progress through the antes, you earn money to invest in buying packs of cards or Jokers, and that’s where things get interesting. Some provide straightforward multipliers, while others introduce specific conditions, such as rewarding you for playing only three cards, focusing on even-numbered cards, or building around certain suits. In one run, I stacked multipliers for even cards, spades, Two Pair, and specific ranks like fours and tens. If I managed to land a Two Pair made up of fours and tens in spades, my score skyrocketed. If I did not, the run could fall apart instantly. This is the main strength of Balatro, as no two runs feel the same. What begins as a simple scoring strategy can evolve into a targeted build that either awards astronomical scores or collapses if the heart of the cards isn’t in your favour.

After clearing a small blind and big blind within each ante, you face a challenge blind that introduces special conditions. Some might debuff certain suits, others may restrict how many hands you can play, and some completely alter how scoring works. These challenges will defeat you, especially in the early hours, but over time, you begin to recognise patterns and prepare for the tricks the game throws at you. Failure rarely feels punishing. Most losses teach you something. You unlock new Jokers, new decks, and new possibilities as you go. I failed repeatedly during my first few hours, often falling at Ante 6 or 7 when the challenge blinds ramped up in difficulty. Surprisingly, I was never discouraged in the face of defeat; I simply restarted telling myself that “This is going to be the run!”

So while the core gameplay remains as addictive as ever, what is actually new with the Switch 2 version?

There is good news and bad news.

The good news is that Balatro looks sharper on Switch 2 and now supports mouse mode, which, in my opinion, is an absolute game-changer. Handheld touch controls have always worked well, but docked play on the original Switch could feel slightly fiddly when navigating menus or selecting cards quickly. Mouse mode completely transforms that experience. Selecting cards, dragging hands into place, navigating the shop, and cycling through Jokers feels great. It brings the console version much closer to the feel of playing on PC, and it suits Balatro perfectly. I genuinely lost track of time clicking through runs, with everything feeling smooth and immediate. For players who prefer docked mode, this is a fantastic addition.

Now for the bad news.

Upgrading to the Switch 2 version is free for digital owners, and it installs as a separate application from the original Switch release. However, physical owners are currently required to purchase the game again at full price to access the Switch 2 version. That is a difficult pill to swallow for those who supported the game on cartridge. The second issue is that save data does not transfer between versions. Even if you already own the game digitally, your progress stays behind on the original Switch release. That means unlocking decks, building up your Joker pool, and clearing your first run must all be done again from scratch. It is a real shame that these caveats slightly dampen what is otherwise an excellent upgrade. Mouse support and sharper presentation genuinely enhance the experience, but physical owners and long-time players may feel like they have been dealt a rough hand. Hopefully, we see save transfers and a clearer upgrade path for physical owners addressed sooner rather than later.

For my jokers looking into accessibility, I’m pleased to report that Balatro offers a few options to make life a little easier. You can turn off the CRT filter, reduce screen shake, adjust or disable bloom effects, and enable high-contrast cards for improved visibility. The main potential issue is that some of the text on card effects in the UI can be rather small. In those cases, the built-in screen zoom function comes in handy, allowing you to read all the status effects clearly before making a play. Thankfully, Balatro imposes no time restrictions, so you can take as long as you need to plan your moves. The mouse pointer can be difficult to see for vision-impaired players, and there’s currently no option to make it stand out more, so as always, I recommend further research into finding out if Balatro suits your needs.

At just under $22 AUD, or free for digital owners, Balatro still offers a fun and rewarding experience that will keep you engaged with its intricate and well-implemented mechanics, as well as its ability to slowly reveal its secrets the more you play. The core gameplay remains thoroughly entertaining and will consume hours of your time. Despite being a free upgrade for digital owners, there’s still a price to pay in terms of progression, which will be a deciding factor for who the upgrade is for. Mouse mode delivers a slick, fast, and fluid experience, but players will need to carefully consider if that alone is worth going all in.

So, What’s It Like? Balatro is like Hearthstone crossed with a game of Texas Hold ’em Poker.

Balatro is still a What’s It Like Certified Exceptional Game.

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