Balatro is coming to mobile, and it’s going to ruin my life<p>Beware: The most addictive game of 2024 is coming to a device that’s always within reach. <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/balatro-is-crossing-over-with-witcher-3-and-a-bunch-of-other-games-143222539.html">
Balatro[/url], a clever combination of poker, deck-building and roguelikes, will arrive on iOS — as a standalone purchase and <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/best-apple-arcade-games-140053796.html">Apple Arcade[/url] — and Android later this month. (That’s plenty of time to shop for a <a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/best-power-bank-143048526.html">power bank or battery pack[/url].)</p>
<p>Created by Canadian solo developer LocalThunk and published by Playstack,
Balatro (styled as
Balatro+ on Apple Arcade) is one of Engadget’s <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/the-best-pc-games-150000910.html">picks for best PC games[/url]. It's one of the great <a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/indie-games-have-entered-the-era-of-bespoke-publishing-170639414.html">indie gaming[/url] success stories of 2024.</p>
<span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>Unlike poker,
Balatro’s spin includes magical tarot cards and unique Jokers that can dramatically alter your hands. For example, one might increase the pool of cards to build your hand from, and another could raise your score if your hand hits a particular sequence. Depending on which Joker you draw, you may be forced to rethink your entire strategy. (But play them strategically because you’re limited to five per hand.)</p>
<p>Its presentation adds to the fun. It includes a synthwave soundtrack, trippy animations and a delightfully retro CRT filter.</p>
<div id="e1a65cd7ca2949b093c374d9d1f11af0"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Productivity be damned! Balatro is coming to mobile on September 26th
pic.twitter.com/qNF1d0ArBx</p>— Balatro (@BalatroGame)
September 5, 2024 </div>
<p>If you don’t know much about poker, don’t sweat it. First, poker is only one element of the game — and, even then, it encourages you to break its rules.
Balatro also includes tutorials and help pop-ups to make learning the unique deck game (and throwing away all your free time) as easy as possible.</p>
<p>
Balatro launched in February on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch (and on macOS in March). It arrives on Android and iOS on September 26. It will be a $10 standalone purchase on either mobile platform or free on Apple devices for <a data-i13n="cpos:6;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/best-apple-arcade-games-140053796.html">Apple Arcade subscribers[/url]. Those in the Apple ecosystem can also play it on iPad, Mac, Apple TV and <a data-i13n="cpos:7;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/apple-vision-pro-review-beta-testing-the-future-201430272.html">Vision Pro[/url].</p>
<figure><img src="
https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-09/5a384690-6ba8-11ef-af52-42e3b06b97d4" data-crop-orig-src="
https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-09/5a384690-6ba8-11ef-af52-42e3b06b97d4" style="height:687px;width:1221px;" alt="Screenshot from NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition. Recreation of a vintage game with Vince Carter (Raptors era) rising up for a slam as Chris Bosh runs along the left wing." data-uuid="6ba7d47b-2ff9-3971-b104-512735175539"><figcaption></figcaption><div class="photo-credit">2K Sports / Apple</div></figure>
<p>
NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition, which continues the franchise’s mobile-friendly spinoffs for Apple devices, is also coming soon to Apple Arcade. This year’s version adds The Neighborhood, the open-world, skill-building environment first seen in the standard version of
NBA 2K18. It also adds a revamped version of Greatest Mode, where you can relive iconic moments from NBA legends, past and present. 2K Sports promises new Great Mode players will be added throughout the season.</p>
<p>
NBA 2K Arcade Edition arrives on Apple Arcade on October 3.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/balatro-is-coming-to-mobile-and-its-going-to-ruin-my-life-173039968.html?src=rssSource:
Balatro is coming to mobile, and it’s going to ruin my life
