Balatro Reclassified to PEGI 12 After Publisher's Appeal

Frequent readers of our site (and why wouldn't you be?) might recall one of the more peculiar stories from last year: the roguelike deckbuilder game, Balatro, was initially classified as PEGI 18 by rating boards. This placed it in the same content category as games like Grand Theft Auto, which baffled many, including the game's developer.

However, it appears that PEGI has recognized their mistake and has reclassified Balatro to a more fitting PEGI 12 rating. Developer Localthunk announced this change on Twitter, attributing it in part to an appeal made by Balatro's publisher to the board.

This isn't the first time Balatro has faced scrutiny from external organizations. The game was briefly removed from the Nintendo eShop due to concerns over its perceived gambling content. This is despite the fact that players cannot win real money or place bets, and the use of cash in the game is purely an abstract mechanic to purchase more cards within each run.

As mentioned earlier, one of the primary reasons for Balatro's initial high rating was its depiction of gambling-adjacent imagery. Essentially, the concern was that players might learn about poker hands such as a straight flush or a flush from the game.

This classification issue has also affected the game's availability on mobile platforms, despite the prevalence of in-app purchases across numerous apps. While it's better late than never for this correction, it's frustrating that the misclassification occurred in the first place.

If this news has piqued your interest in trying out Balatro, why not check out our tier list of Jokers? It will help you determine which of these game-changing cards are worth using and which ones to avoid.