Balatro: Hit Poker-Style Video Game Loses 18+ Rating in Europe

• PEGI, the European video game rating agency, reassessed its classification of Baltaro
• The popular, poker-inspired game is now rated at 12+, down from 18+

The poker-inspired video game Balatro has had its 18+ age rating dropped to 12+ by PEGI, the European video game content-rating body.

Balatro, which challenges players to build poker hands while using special joker cards to boost scores, was one of the biggest hits of 2024. But PEGI’s decision to slap an adults-only rating on the game – while US equivalent ESRB rated it a 10+ – left many scratching their heads.

Gambling Imagery

The reasoning was that Balatro features “prominent gambling imagery,” according to PEGI, and imparts “knowledge and skill [that] could be transferred to a real-life game of poker.”

EA Sports FC allows users to purchase loot boxes using in-game or real-world currency to give themselves a randomized chance to win soccer players or items that will help them progress. This element of the game is banned in Belgium under the country’s gambling laws.

EA Sports FC was specifically called out by Balatro’s publisher, Sold Out Sales and Marketing, and its anonymous creator, “LocalThunk,” as an example of inconsistency when they challenged the rating with the PEGI Complaints Board.

‘Granular Approach’

On Monday, the Complaints Board granted the appeal, concluding that “although the game explains the various hands of poker, the roguelike deck-building game contained mitigating fantastical elements that warranted a PEGI 12 rating.”

PEGI’s rating system “continuously evolves in line with cultural expectations, and the guidance of independent experts,” it added.

‘Unfairly Punished’

Balatro uses a system where players can earn chips by forming poker hands. These chips are used to meet or exceed target scores in each round but aren’t wagered in any form.

Between rounds, players can visit an in-game shop to purchase cards and upgrades using the chips they’ve accumulated. The mechanic serves to enhance gameplay strategy rather than simulate gambling.

The low-budget indie game quickly became a sensation after its release last year, winning multiple awards.

“This is a good step from PEGI, bringing nuance to their ratings criteria that used to be 18+ or nothing. I hope this change will allow developers to create without being unfairly punished,” LocalThunk wrote in a post on X following the age reclassification.