Balatro: Unleash the Power of Cheats and the Debug Menu

Balatro, the 2024 Game Awards sensation, captivated players worldwide with its innovative gameplay and endless replayability. Millions of copies sold and multiple awards won are a testament to its success. However, even seasoned players might seek new challenges to keep the experience fresh. While mods offer one route, accessing Balatro's built-in developer debug menu provides an alternative method for enhancing gameplay without altering achievements. This guide shows you how.

Quick Links

• Enabling Cheats in Balatro
• Using the Debug Menu

Enabling Cheats in Balatro

To activate Balatro's debug menu and utilize its built-in cheats, you'll need 7-Zip, a free, open-source archiving tool. Locate your Balatro installation directory (typically C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Balatro). If you can't find it, access your Steam library, right-click Balatro, select "Manage," then "Browse Local Files."

Right-click Balatro.exe and open the archive using 7-Zip (you may find this option under "Show More Options"). Inside, locate conf.lua and open it with a simple text editor like Notepad.

Modify the line _RELEASE_MODE = true to _RELEASE_MODE = false, then save. If saving proves impossible, extract conf.lua to your desktop, make the change, and replace the original file. Once complete, press and hold the Tab key during gameplay to access the debug menu.

Deactivate the debug menu by reverting _RELEASE_MODE to true in conf.lua.

Using the Debug Menu in Balatro

Balatro's cheat menu is user-friendly. Most functions are self-explanatory. Unlock items by hovering and pressing '1'; add jokers by hovering and pressing '3'. Initially limited to five jokers, pressing 'Q' four times on a joker in your hand transforms it into a negative, effectively allowing unlimited jokers per run.

Balatro Cheat Codes (Hold Tab to Open Menu)