Balatro: Unleash the Power of the Debug Menu and Cheats
Balatro, the 2024 Game Awards sensation, captivated players worldwide with its innovative gameplay and endless replayability. Millions of copies were sold, solidifying its place as a gaming icon. However, even seasoned players may seek new challenges to keep the experience fresh. While mods offer one solution, accessing Balatro's built-in developer debug menu provides a compelling alternative, allowing for exciting experimentation without sacrificing achievements. This guide details how to enable and utilize this hidden feature.
Quick Links
Enabling Cheats in Balatro
To unlock the Balatro debug menu and its cheats, you'll need 7-Zip, a free, open-source archiving tool. Locate your Balatro installation directory. For most Steam users, this is typically
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Balatro
. If you can't find it there, access your Steam library, right-click Balatro, select "Manage," then "Browse Local Files."
Right-click
Balatro.exe
and select the option to open the archive with 7-Zip (this might be under "Show More Options," depending on your OS and 7-Zip settings). Locate the conf.lua
file within the archive and open it with a simple text editor like Notepad.
Modify the line
_RELEASE_MODE = true
to _RELEASE_MODE = false
, then save the changes. If saving proves impossible, extract conf.lua
to your desktop, make the adjustment, and replace the original file with your modified version. With this done, press and hold the Tab key during gameplay to access the debug menu.
To disable the debug menu, simply revert the _RELEASE_MODE
parameter in conf.lua
back to true
.
Using the Debug Menu in Balatro
The Balatro cheat menu is intuitive. Most functions are self-explanatory. Unlock collectibles by hovering over them in your collection and pressing '1'. Spawn jokers by hovering and pressing '3'. Initially limited to five jokers, you can transform a joker into a negative by pressing 'Q' four times while hovering over it in your hand, effectively increasing your joker count.
Balatro Cheat Codes (Hold Tab to Access Menu)
Cheat / Key | Effect |
---|---|
1 | Unlock a Collectible (hover over it) |
2 | Discover a Collectible (hover over it) |
3 | Spawn a Collectible (hover over it) |
Q | Change Joker Edition (hover over it in hand) |
H | Isolate Background |
J | Play Splash Animation |
8 | Toggle Cursor |
9 | Toggle All Tooltips |
$10 | Adds $10 to Total |
+1 Round | Increases Round by 1 |
+1 Ante | Increases Ante by 1 |
+1 Hand | Adds an additional Hand |
+1 Discard | Adds an additional Discard |
Boss Reroll | Rerolls the Boss |
Background | Removes Background |
+10 Chips | Adds 10 Chips to Total |
+10 Mult | Adds 10 to Multiplier |
X2 Chips | Doubles Chip Total |
X10 Mult | Increases Multiplier by 10 |
Win this Run | Completes the Current Run |
Lose this Run | Ends the Current Run |
Reset | Resets the Current Run |
Jimbo | Makes Jimbo Appear |
Jimbo Talk | Displays Jimbo Text Box |
Enjoy experimenting with Balatro's powerful debug menu!