Balatro: Unleashing the Power of Cheats and the Debug Menu
Balatro, the 2024 Game Award-winning phenomenon, captivated players worldwide with its innovative gameplay and endless replayability. While mastering its mechanics is a rewarding journey, some players might seek ways to spice things up. This guide details how to access and utilize Balatro's built-in developer debug menu, offering a cheat-enabled experience without resorting to external mods. This approach preserves achievements, making it ideal for players who want to experiment without compromising their progress.
Quick Links
To unlock Balatro's hidden cheat menu, you'll need 7-Zip, a freely available 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 on Balatro, select "Manage," and then "Browse Local Files."
Right-click Balatro.exe and choose to 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, save the file, and you're ready to go! If saving proves difficult, extract conf.lua to your desktop, make the change, and then replace the original file. With this adjustment, pressing and holding the Tab key during gameplay will activate the debug menu. To disable cheats, simply reverse the change in conf.lua, setting _RELEASE_MODE back to true.
Utilizing the Debug Menu in Balatro
Balatro's cheat menu is user-friendly. Most functions are self-explanatory. Unlock collectibles by hovering over them 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, effectively allowing for an unlimited number of jokers.
Complete List of Balatro Cheats (Hold Tab to Access Menu)
| Cheat / Key | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | Unlock Collectible (while hovering) |
| 2 | Discover Collectible (while hovering) |
| 3 | Spawn Collectible (while hovering) |
| Q | Change Joker Edition (while hovering 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 Mult to Total |
| X2 Chips | Doubles Chip Total |
| X10 Mult | Increases Mult by 10 |
| Win this Run | Completes Current Run |
| Lose this Run | Ends Current Run |
| Reset | Resets Current Run |
| Jimbo | Makes Jimbo Appear |
| Jimbo Talk | Displays Jimbo Text Box |
Enjoy experimenting with Balatro's enhanced capabilities!
