Kitsmith / Utilities / Balatro
A poker-inspired roguelike deckbuilder that became one of 2024’s breakout indie hits — a native Mac release via Steam, one-time purchase.
Our take
Editorial-override inclusion (docs/PIVOT.md rule 5): the approved-candidate pool for this section had almost nothing beyond Minecraft, but Balatro is one of the most decorated indie games of the last two years — Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam across 100,000+ reviews — and it genuinely runs native on Mac, Apple silicon included, not through emulation.
- Price
- $14.99 one-time
- License
- Proprietary
- Requires
- macOS 11 (Big Sur) or later · Apple silicon or Intel · via Steam
- Get it via
- Direct
- Developer
- LocalThunk (published by Playstack)
Do you use Balatro?
Who made this
Balatro is developed by a single pseudonymous designer working as LocalThunk, who blogs about the game’s development under that name on his own site — Playstack published the game but did not develop it.
What it does
Poker-hand deckbuilding
Combine poker hands with Joker cards to build synergies across an escalating run.
150 Jokers, 15 decks
A large pool of modifiers and starting decks for replay variety.
Native Apple silicon build
Runs natively on Apple silicon and Intel Macs via Steam, no emulation required.
The deal
- $14.99 one-time purchase
- No subscription or in-app purchases
Worth knowing: Distributed through Steam, so it requires the free Steam client to install and play.
Balatro — questions people ask
Is Balatro available on Mac?
Yes — a native macOS build (Apple silicon and Intel) is available through Steam.
How much does Balatro cost?
$14.99, one-time purchase, no subscription.
Who makes Balatro?
Solo developer LocalThunk, published by Playstack.
Is Balatro free?
Balatro costs $14.99 one-time.
Does Balatro work alongside a notch app like Alcove?
Yes — Balatro lives in the screen, so it runs happily alongside any Dynamic Island hub or notch app.
Where can I download Balatro?
Balatro is available via Direct.
Reviews
No public ratings yet. Reader reviews are coming to Kitsmith soon.
Listing hand-verified August 20, 2026 from the developer's site and public sources.
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