Balatro it was one of the most popular games of the year. After taking home three awards at The Game Awards and selling a staggering amount of copies, Balatro proved to be an independent success. The deck-building roguelike card game was made by a solo developer known only as LocalThunk. Although the Canadian developer wishes to remain anonymous, LocalThunk has been very vocal on social media, especially regarding how the PEGI rating system has given Balatro an 18+ rating.
Whereas PEGI seems to be the only rating system to be given Balatro an adult rating, is surprising, as those who have played the game understand that it does not feature overtly adult themes. However, according to PEGI, the gameplay of Balatro is itself the reason why the card game received such a harsh rating.

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Baltro's gameplay led to its PEGI rating for adults
PEGI claims that Balatro teaches gambling
While Balatro may not contain adult content, PEGI's reasoning behind the 18+ rating is due to the game's similarity to poker. According to PEGI, the mechanics of Balatro could potentially teach children how to play poker, which could lead to gambling. LocalThunk disagrees with this reasoning. In a recent post on EA Sports FC.” I dig it EA Sports FC is a direct challenge to the PEGI rating, as some of the game features mentioned above could be considered much closer to gambling than Balatro. The gameplay of Balatro It may be similar to poker at times, but it is not marketed as a gaming experience.
PEGI is a shortened version of pan-European gaming information. The PEGI rating system is used to rate games in 40 European countries, including Israel. With such a broad reach, an 18+ rating can really affect a game's sales, as it limits its audience.
Balatro does not feature real gambling games
In an interview with PC Gamer earlier this year, LocalThunk even said, “I don't care much about poker.” In Balatroplayers are not even able to place real bets, further supporting the argument that this does not promote gambling. Despite the PEGI rating, Balatro has managed to rack up massive sales, but sales numbers aren't exactly LocalThunk's biggest issue with the rating system. Ultimately, he just wants the valuation to make more sense. Further applause for some games that PEGI has rated as suitable for children, despite having loot boxes and microtransactions, LocalThunk posted: “I'm much more annoyed by the 3+ for these games with actual gameplay mechanics for children than I am Balatro have an 18+ rating.”
Comparison of Balatro's PEGI rating with its other ratings
- ESRB – All 10+
- USK (Germany) – 12+
Considering that Germany is usually stricter than the PEGI system, it does BalatroThe 18+ rating is much more shocking. 2024 has seen its share of great games and Balatro it was a pleasant surprise for many. The similarities to poker can teach the basic mechanics, but it is difficult to understand PEGI's reasoning for the classification Balatro this way when LocalThunk provides solid arguments against why the evaluation is not accurate.
I'm much more annoyed by the 3+ of these games with actual gameplay mechanics for kids than I am
Balatro
have an 18+ rating.
Since its launch in February,
Balatro
it sold 3.5 million copies.
At the moment there appears to be no clear indication that PEGI will backtrack on its decision to grant Balatro an adult assessment. PEGI is known for standing its ground, and while it's frustrating for LocalThunk, Balatro it was still one of the strongest matches of the year, worth celebrating.