Balatro has captured the attention of gamers across the United States with its innovative blend of poker-inspired mechanics, deck-building strategy, and rogue-like gameplay. Since its launch in February 2024, the game has become a breakout hit on platforms like PC, consoles, Android, and iOS — resonating strongly with American players who enjoy strategic, replayable card games.
If you’re a U.S.-based game developer, indie studio owner, or entrepreneur inspired by Balatro’s success and looking to build a similar card-based experience in 2025, you’re in the right place. In this blog, we’ll guide you through the entire process — from game concept and design to development, launch, budget considerations, challenges, and expert tips — to help you create your own Balatro-style card game tailored for the American market.
Let’s Get Started
Balatro is a card game inspired by poker. This game requires the players to build decks using a standard deck of 52 playing cards. In this game, the players have to combine valid poker hands with unique joker cards to create different builds. As you progress, you uncover several hidden bonuses and decks and also get to earn chips to beat blinds. Blinds are nothing but obstacles that must be defeated to progress in the game. You need to defeat the blind and beat the final ante to win the game.
There is one Ante which is made of three blinds. To secure victory, you have to win a run of all 8 antes by scoring enough chips which are earned through playing high-score hands. Additionally, the players can improve their decks with several items that can change the rule of Balatro. These items can be bought from the shop during rounds.
Balatro is a game that combines a deck-building strategy with dynamic and different gameplay. Its unique card mechanics allow players to make powerful combos while adapting to randomized challenges, ensuring no two games feel the same. Balatro also boasts stunning graphics, an eye-catching art style, and an engaging storyline that immerses casual and hardcore gamers. Balatro with its focus on innovation, socio-driven updates, and replayability, carves its gaming category as a perfect mix of creativity and challenge that keeps players hooked for hours.
Here’s a list of the top 10 games similar to Balatro that focus on deck-building mechanics and unique card-based gameplay:
| Game Title | Release Year | Platforms | Genre | Core Mechanics | Unique Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balatro | 2024 | PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch, Mobile | Deck-builder, Poker-roguelike | Poker hand rankings + deck-building + roguelike | Joker cards alter game rules drastically |
| Slay the Spire | 2019 | PC, Mobile, Switch, Console | Deck-builder, Roguelike | Turn-based combat, card upgrades | Map-based progression and relic system |
| Poker Roguelike | 2022 | PC | Roguelike, Card Strategy | Poker hands to defeat enemies | Procedural levels based on hands dealt |
| Luck Be a Landlord | 2023 | PC, Switch | Roguelike, Slot machine deck-builder | Symbol combos like slots + strategy | Economics-driven mechanics with randomness |
| Nowhere Prophet | 2019 | PC, Console, Mobile | Card Battler, Strategy | Deck-building + grid-based combat | Indian-inspired sci-fi setting |
| Dicey Dungeons | 2019 | PC, Console, Mobile | Roguelike, Dice-building | Dice rolls to trigger card effects | Multiple classes with unique mechanics |
| Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales | 2018 | PC, Console, Mobile | Card RPG | Story-driven card battles | Gwent-based combat with narrative decisions |
| Griftlands | 2021 | PC, Console | Deck-builder, Roguelike, RPG | Negotiation and combat decks | Dual-deck system for talk vs fight mechanics |
A striking deck-building balatro like game where players ascend a spire filled with enemies. Players need to upgrade their deck as they strategize with each card and relic to survive progressively harder levels.
A balatro alternative that has a multi-layered battlefield challenging players to defend a train carrying the last burning pyre of hell against enemies.
An auto-battleer mode of the highly popular card game Hearthstone. Here players draft minions and strategically position them to outlast opponents in rounds of combat.
Griftlands is a narrative-driven deck-builder game with combat gameplay where every decision and card played affects your relationship and survival.
An alternative to the balatro game with a mysterious storyline and unique gameplay elements.
This game combines deck-building activity with roguelike mechanics. Here players strategically place cards to shape the path, enemies, and resources for their hero’s endless loop.
A fast game combining dice-rolling mechanics with deck-building. Players use their skills and strategies to navigate dungeon challenges.
A collectible card game where deck-building and roguelike gameplay go mixed with the iconic card battle mechanics from The Witcher series.
A deckbuilding game like balatro where players lead a party of anthropomorphic warriors through a city under siege balancing combat strategy with deck management.
One last balatro alternative on this list features diverse character classes and strategic depth that offers different playstyles and challenges for endless replayability.
You can develop games like balatro listed above. Let us know in the below section how you can develop these.
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Creating a Balatro-like game is a challenging task and requires several steps. Various steps are needed to build the game from conceptualization to implementation to deployment. Let’s explore the step-by-step development process.
It is a pre-development phase that includes target market analysis and the making of a blueprint for the game.
The first step is to analyze the target market to know your competitors and their offerings. With proper market research, you can identify the strong and weak points of the competitors and the demands of the customers in the market. This will help you make informed decisions in developing your own game like Balatro.
The next step after analyzing the market is to create a blueprint, also known as the whitepaper. It is basically a document that rules the complete development process of the application software. It’s just like comparing it to the blueprint of the construction of a building. Here the blueprint contains the necessary information on Balatro-like game development including features, cost, and more that guide the game developers throughout the development process.
Development stage which includes designing and developing the game akin to Balatro and its testing.
In the production phase, the first step involves creating the game’s user interface. The difference between UI and UX is that UI refers to the interactivity, overall look, and appeal of the game, on the other hand, user interface (UI) refers to the interactivity, look, and feel of a game’s interface while user experience refers to the overall experience with the game.
The second step in the production phase after UI/UX design is to create the game app by leveraging modernistic tools and tech stack, advanced programming languages. The game developers integrate the features into the game as per the documentation and make the Balatro game-like app live. When the app is live to use, it is then checked by the game tester team.
The game testers check the newly developed app to identify bugs in the app that can deteriorate the game’s performance. For testing, the team uses advanced testing tools and strategies like functional testing, regression testing, functionality testing, combinational testing, play testing, etc. When the testing part is complete, a similar app like Balatro will be ready for launch.
A stage after development including game deployment on the market and marketing for increasing the reach to a wider audience.
The final step is to launch your games similar to Balatro in the market like Android’s Play Store, and Apple’s App Store. You also need marketing for your game to enhance its reach to a large audience across the world. For marketing, there are various marketing strategies such as digital content marketing, social media marketing, advertising, etc which boost the game’s user base.
Post-deployment support is a necessary part of the game development process. It is important to hire a developer who provides maintenance and support after game deployment. This benefits you in the long run as you will get timely app updates, bug identification and removal, and the addition of new features to the game akin to Balatro as per the latest trends.
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Balatro like game development requires a balance between innovation and accessibility. Creating unique mechanics requires extensive testing to ensure fairness and functionality. Creating a randomized gameplay adds complexity to design and debugging. Moreover, designing visual arts and smooth animations demands skilled and talented professionals and resources. These are the challenges that make creating a standout game like Balatro more rewarding.
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Cost is one of the prominent factors when you are developing a similar game. Several factors make up the overall cost of Balatro like game development. The average cost of building games similar to Balatro starts from $5,000 to $11,000 with optimum features and functions for any platform like Android, iOS, and Windows. The cost can go up to $20,000 or more with high-end features. It is important to note that these costs are an average estimation. If you want to know the exact cost of your project then contact BR Softech and share your business idea with them.
Also, several factors affect the cost of creating games like Balatro. Here is the list of top factors affecting the cost:
Here is the cost of developing games similar to Balatro with basic features for different platforms:
| Platform | Cost Range |
| Android | $5,000 ~ $8,000 |
| iOS | $7,500 ~ $11,000 |
| Windows | $6,000 ~ $ 9,500 |
BR Softech is a leading card game development company with years of experience in creating top-notch card games like Balatro for various platforms. Our highly skilled team of designers and developers is well-versed in using modern tools and technologies to create best-in-class card games for gaming platforms across the globe.
If you are inspired by the concept of this game and want to have your own game that is highly matching to Balatro, then look no further than BR Softech. Share your idea with us and we will make the best game app for you. Choose us and get the best perks:
Are you ready to develop card games like Balatro to thrive in this lucrative niche? Don’t wait anymore!
Ans. Balatro is a poker-style game where players have to create decks with the objective of winning the game by scoring sufficient points (chips) with the help of high-scoring hands. Additionally, the players can also improve their decks with several items that can alter the game rules. These items can be bought from the in-game shop during the game.
Ans. The player has to build a beck that can make a strong hand with enough score to defeat the blind. Here blind is the major obstacle that the player must overcome to progress in the game. In every round, the player must score enough points to defeat the blind, if failed to do so the player may lose the game.
Ans. Our diverse range of card game development solutions for various platforms including Android, iOS, and Windows includes games similar to Balatro with customizations available.
Ans. Developing games similar to balatro can take around 2 to 3 months. However, the timeframe depends on the game project’s complexity.
Ans. You can customize your balatro game by including your features.
Ans. Yes, we offer multiplayer support for balatro-like games providing a seamless gaming experience to users.
Ans. Balatro mixes poker hand rankings with deck-building and rogue-like progression, offering a dynamic and strategic experience far beyond standard card games.
Ans. Depending on features, platforms, and team location, the cost can range from $30,000 to $150,000+.
Ans. Ideally, aim for cross-platform release—PC (Steam, Epic), consoles (PS5, Xbox), and mobile (iOS & Android)—to maximize reach.
