After A Formal Appeal, Balatro Is No Longer Considered An 18+ Game

The hit indie gem Balatrojust won its appeal to reclassify the game's age rating, turning it from PEGI 18 to 12. As a deck-building roguelike, this unique entry completely reshapes the way that players look at how to play poker, upgrading their hands and utilizing a wide array of joker cards with individual effects. While relatively simple in what it offers, this addictive game has quickly become a fan favorite for many.

PEGI, also spotted by Eurogamer, has just announced that they'll be amending the age rating for Balatro, re-categorizing it as suitable for players aged 12 and up. As the game was apparently mistakenly rated 18, PEGI has now clarified that "the roguelike deck-building game contained mitigating fantastical elements that warranted a PEGI 12 rating." While its poker themes may have had it miscategorized, to begin with, the game is now accessible for a much wider player base to enjoy.

Balatro Isn't Just For Adults Anymore, As PEGI Amends Age Rating

Anyone Can Enjoy Balatro's Addictive Poker Fun

After hitting five million units sold, Balatro quickly became an indie hit for many, but its PEGI 18 age rating limited its full potential. After the publisher Sold Out Sales & Marketing appealed to have the game's rating reconsidered, the game has now been lowered to PEGI 12, finally making it more accessible to new players everywhere. As the game "contained mitigating fantastical elements", it was deemed to be an unrealistic representation of poker, and thus not truly promoting any form of gambling.

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Video poker and deckbuilding combine in Balatro, an unassuming but obscenely addictive card game that is one of the first indie hits of the year.

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This decision also comes with a larger impact, stating that "PEGI Experts Group will develop a more granular set of classification criteria to handle gambling themes and the simulation." As this ensures that future games won't be immediately flagged as PEGI 18, games that don't "simulate gambling typically played in casinos and betting halls" could now be rated lower. While Balatro does contain true poker elements, its PEGI rating now better reflects what the game actually delivers.

The Age Rating For Balatro Confused Everyone, Including The Devs

Balatro Doesn't Feature Gambling The Balatro logo with an ace of spades in the middle, held up in front of a smiling clown face.

Even the Balatro developers were confused by the hypocrisy of their PEGI rating, acknowledging how other games like EA Sports FC can utilize true gambling elements like loot boxes and still escape higher ratings. While unhappy with the game's rating, it seemed a lot more of the disappointment came from the unfair rules that other games weren't ranked as harshly. But as the game teaches skills that "could be transferred to a real-life game of poker", PEGI previously deemed it to be correctly categorized within PEGI 18.

While this indie gem does contain some real poker plays that gamers could learn and utilize, it also puts a much larger focus on the silliness at hand. Through joker cards, players can gain increased multipliers and chips as well as other benefits while playing, often causing plentiful chaos. With PEGI's newly updated rating, Balatro will now be available to far more players than ever before, giving a whole new audience the chance to enjoy its craziness.