Balatro Reclassified to PEGI 12 After Publisher's Appeal

Frequent readers of our site (and why wouldn't you be?) might remember the peculiar story from last year about Balatro, the roguelike deckbuilder, being initially classified as PEGI 18 by rating boards. This classification put it in the same category as games like Grand Theft Auto, which left many, including the developer, puzzled.

However, it appears that PEGI has recognized their mistake and has reclassified Balatro to the more fitting PEGI 12 rating. Developer Localthunk shared the news on Twitter, explaining that this change came after an appeal from Balatro's publisher to the ratings board.

This isn't the first time Balatro has encountered issues with external organizations. It was briefly removed from the Nintendo eShop due to concerns over its perceived gambling content. This was despite the fact that players cannot win real money or place bets; the game only uses cash as an abstract means to buy 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 concepts like a straight flush or a flush. This is frustrating, especially since Balatro's classification has also affected its presence on mobile platforms, despite the commonality of in-app purchases in mobile gaming. It's a case of better late than never, but it shouldn't have happened 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 your attention and which ones aren't.