Balatro Reclassified to PEGI 12 After Publisher's Appeal

Frequent readers (and why wouldn't you be?) might remember the peculiar story from last year about Balatro, the roguelike deckbuilder, initially being slapped with a PEGI 18 rating. This placed it in the same category as heavyweights like Grand Theft Auto, which left many scratching their heads, including the game's developer.

In a welcome turn of events, PEGI has reassessed and reclassified Balatro as PEGI 12, a rating that feels much more fitting. Developer Localthunk shared the update on Twitter, revealing that the reclassification came after an appeal by Balatro's publisher to the ratings board.

Balatro has had its share of run-ins with external bodies before. It was temporarily removed from the Nintendo eShop due to concerns over its gambling-like content. Yet, it's worth noting that the game doesn't involve real money or betting; in-game currency is merely an abstract tool for purchasing cards during gameplay.

The house always winsThe initial PEGI 18 rating stemmed from the game's use of gambling-adjacent imagery. The irony is that the game was considered as severe as vehicular homicide in GTA simply because it might teach someone about a straight flush or a flush.

This misclassification has also affected Balatro's availability on mobile platforms, despite the widespread presence of in-app purchases in mobile gaming. While it's good to see the rating corrected, one can't help but feel it should never have been an issue in the first place.

If this news piques your interest in trying out Balatro, why not check out our tier list of Jokers? It'll help you figure out which of these game-changing cards are worth your while and which ones to skip.