The chaotic poker adjacent deck builder game Balatro has been such a smash hit, the developers plan on offering a free gameplay update in 2025 as a “token of huge appreciation to the game’s brilliant and passionate community.”
The update promises to bring new ideas and strategies to a game that’s already considered by many to be perfectly balanced and downright addicting. That’s on top of Friends of Jimbo 3, a third batch of free cosmetics released recently that brings altered face cards to the game inspired by 1000xRESIST, Cult of the Lamb, Don’t Starve, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Enter the Gungeon, Potion Craft, Shovel Knight, and Warframe.
An exact release date for the gameplay update hasn’t been yet announced, but in the meantime, people have already been making their own tweaks to the game through Nexus mods. Some of them change the game entirely with new mechanics and cards. Others offer small but appreciated quality-of-life upgrades.
We’ve tried out dozens of mods on Nexus to narrow down 10 of the best to try while waiting for the next official update
Stickers Always Shown
This mod provides a visual aid for players going for the Completionist++ achievement. Balatro slaps a Stake Sticker on every Joker bought before Ante 8 and that stays with you until you complete a run. It’s a way to mark which Jokers you’ve used to beat certain Stakes with, but typically they are only visible in the Collection page of the Main Menu. Since there are 150 Jokers and 8 Stakes in the game, that means there are 1,200 Stickers to earn. “Stickers Always Shown” makes it so they are visible during gameplay, making it easier for completionists to track their progress.
Fancy Decks
If you’ve grown tired of Balatro’s pixel-art style, check this mod out. “Fancy Decks” blings out your deck by overhauling the card backs with thematic, high-contrast designs. All 15 Balatro decks get a psychedelic new makeover. The new looks for the Magic Deck and the Plasma Deck alone make this mod worth installing.
Deck Jokers
This mod opens all new avenues for gameplay and decision making in Balatro by adding 5 new Jokers that are drawn directly from your deck, as opposed to being bought in the store or opened in packs. They are aptly called “Deck Jokers” and they don’t even count toward your official Joker count. Their effects offer upgrades based on the Jokers already in your hand or deck like the new legendary Joker Homie which gives players x3 Mult when it’s on the top of your deck.
This mod also offers 2 new Spectral cards, three new challenges, a new Joker Deck, and the Joker-exclusive Green Seal, which moves the Joker to the top of the draw pile when starting a round.
Uncap Hermit
Playing Balatro is a blast but there’s also fun to be had in breaking the game and growing your economy to an absurd degree. There’s potential to do that here simply by altering one Tarot card, the Hermit. This mod lifts the $20 cap on the Hermit, doubling your cash no matter how high that value is. With such a large infusion of cash, players can more aggressively hit Rerolls, shop like crazy and combo-off with Jokers like Bull and To the Moon. While this mod certainly can make the game too easy, players are enjoying it as a way to experiment with builds and to see how far they can get in a run while buying everything in sight.
Big and Bold
“Big and Bold” offers a welcome accessibility feature by making the numbers and letters on Balatro cards appear very large. Face cards don’t feature faces anymore and instead the letter corresponding to their rank (J, Q or K). While some might miss the original art style, I could see this mod helping players who have poor eyesight and want to make sure every move they make is crystal clear.
Pokermon
This delightful mod adds all 151 Generation 1 Pokémon to the game as Jokers as well as Energy cards to upgrade them. Legendary Jokers can spawn. Arcana Packs can contain Great Balls and Pokéballs, which create more “Pokermon” cards.. Many of the “Pokermon” can also Evolve into upgraded versions of themselves. Certain ones can even offer additional buffs if another “Pokermon” is present. Grubbin for example is typically +3 Mult but scores triple its Mult if you have a Lightning Joker. The mod smartly balances Balatro’s existing mechanics with new thematic ones and is a must-have for any Pokémon fan.
Mika’s Mod
This is one of the biggest, most sophisticated mods you can download for Balatro. The base game has 150 Jokers, but considering how most players are easily hitting 60+ hours with the base game, the Jokers can get stale after a while. This mod spruces up gameplay by adding a whopping 60 new Jokers that build on existing mechanics. Take the Batman for example, which gains +1 Mult for every non-lethal hand played, which incentivizes players to take a slower approach. There are new Jokers that reward card enhancements like Fishing License which copies their effects, or Blue Moon which creates a random negative Joker if 3 Lucky Cards trigger in one hand. Some of the new Joker designs are quite creative and I wouldn’t be surprised if some version of their art or effects show up in an official update.
There are new decks too. One in particular, the Jokers for Hire decks, enables wild interactions by essentially giving you unlimited Joker slots.
Hidden Aces Edition
“Hidden Aces” completely rebalances Balatro’s core systems and puts the player in complete control. Nearly everything gets more powerful or easier to use. Players start with 4 discards instead of 3. There are 4 consumable slots instead of 2. Blinds give twice as much more money when they’re beaten. The Popcorn Joker drains slower. Spectral Cards don’t come with any negative effects. Tarot cards get stronger, and yes that includes the likelihood of Wheel of Fortune triggering. It’s no wonder the developer likens this to a “cheat mod.” It may not be for veteran players who enjoy the challenge but it’s perfect for players who want better odds in their favor and a chance to discover all the unique ways the Jokers interact with all the other cards.
Black Seal
This mod offers a small update in the form of a new seal that I could see enabling players to unlock a staggering amount of Joker slots. The “Black Seal” adds Negative to a random Joker if only that card is played. It also removes all Black Seals from your deck once played because otherwise that would be too broken.
Choose First Shop Joker
Balatro fans know how important the first shop is in setting you up for success in the later rounds. With this mod, players can choose whatever Joker they want to appear in the first shop, making it much easier to force a specific strategy. You can even pick Jokers you haven’t unlocked! It gets better. That first Joker will always be Negative giving players another small degree of control.
#mods #Balatro #Nexus
