Balatro Nearly Tops $4.4 Million in Mobile Sales Since September

Balatro, this year’s Canadian-made indie darling, has nearly made $4.4 million USD (around $6.1 million CAD) on mobile platforms. Since its launch on iOS and Android, the solo developer LocalThunk has been seeing a ton of success on the App Store and Google Play Store.

According to PocketGamer.biz, Balatro has generated nearly $4.4 million USD in gross revenue since its mobile launch in September. Data from AppMagic highlights that $1 million USD (roughly $1.4 million CAD) of that came from its first week on mobile platforms. On launch day, Balatro made $162,000 USD and then peaked at $200,000 USD (around $227,000 CAD and $281,000 CAD respectively).

What makes this achievement notable is that Balatro doesn’t offer any microtransactions. The game is available with an upfront cost of $12.99 CAD. However, once purchased, there aren’t any additional in-game purchases to be had. Thus, the game’s success on mobile comes purely from player adoption. The other thing to consider is Balatro is available on Apple Arcade as well, lowering the gates to entry for those already subscribed.

Balatro first launched across consoles and PC in February. The game had already been receiving a ton of notable acclaim for its spin on a roguelite. In Balatro, players lay down regular poker hands to accumulate points to get through eight rounds called Antes. Along the way, players can pick up joker cards which add multipliers and other buffs to your hand. As the Antes get progressively more difficult, players will have to leverage booster packs and other cards from the store to help. If defeated, the player must start a brand new run from scratch with only new unlocked joker cards to assist along the way.

On top of success across mobile platforms, Balatro has been recognized in both the 2024 App Store Awards as well as The Game Awards. Apple recently revealed the 45 finalists, which includes the game as a nominee for ‘Apple Arcade Game of the Year’. In The Game Awards 2024, Balatro has been nominated for ‘Best Mobile Game’, ‘Best Independent Game’ and ‘Game of the Year’.