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 numerous accolades cemented its place as a gaming classic. However, even seasoned players might seek new challenges. While mods offer one avenue, accessing Balatro's built-in developer debug menu provides an alternative method to spice things up, without sacrificing achievements.
This guide will walk you through enabling cheats and mastering the debug menu's functionalities.
Quick Links
Enabling Cheats in Balatro
To activate Balatro's hidden cheat menu, 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, navigate to your Steam library, right-click Balatro, select "Manage," 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, then save the file. If saving proves difficult, extract conf.lua to your desktop, make the change, and replace the original file. Once complete, pressing and holding the Tab key in-game will reveal the debug menu.
To disable cheats, simply revert _RELEASE_MODE to true in conf.lua.
Utilizing the Balatro Debug Menu
Balatro's cheat menu is remarkably intuitive. Unlock collectibles by hovering over them and pressing '1'. Spawn jokers by hovering and pressing '3'. While initially limited to five jokers, pressing 'Q' four times on a joker in your hand transforms it into a negative, effectively allowing unlimited jokers.
