Balatro Accessibility Report - PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox X|S

Android

iOS

Mac

Switch

Wii

Wii U

PS4

PS5

Xbox One

Xbox X|S

Balatro

Accessibility Report

21 Accessibility Features

We've documented 21 accessibility features for Balatro, including Select Difficulty, No Button Combos, No Repeated Pressing, No Holds and One Tap Targeted. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Visual but it also has features in Audio, Difficulty, Getting Started and Reading to reduce unintended barriers.

This report is created with input from accessibility experts and the player community to help people find games that have the accessibility features they require. Once you have found potential games on the database, there are excellent specialist accessibility sites that offer in-depth reviews to guide your purchasing decisions.

Balatro is a card-battle game where you build poker hands using special cards that turbo-charge your chances to beat an increasing score target. Play involves combining classic poker hands with Jokers, Tarot and Planet cards that create combos and enhancements to your cards. It stands out for the simple premise and more-ish fun of finding combinations of cards and deck-adjustments that stack up for big points.

Our accessibility examiner, Jo Robertson, first checked Balatro accessibility 7 weeks ago. It was re-examined by Andy Robertson and updated 7 weeks ago.

Accessibility Notes

You can increase the difficulty by opting for a higher stake once you have finished a round on the lower level of difficulty. You can use the Unlock All option on a save to access all the cards and decks without having to earn them - although this does disable achievements. The game is turn-based, but you can also make it easier to follow by adjusting the speed at which things happen once you make your selections.

You can disable Screenshake and opt for High Contrast cards. You can also turn off Shadows and the CRT effects. High Contrast cards change the colour for each suite:

Diamonds: Orange.
Clubs: Blue.
Spades: Black.
Hearts: Red.

On Switch, you can play with just the Touch Screen. You can change on-screen position of the play/discard buttons.

You can remind yourself what cards remain in the deck by using the Peek Deck option that shows you a layout of what is remaining. You can also bring up a reminder of the current value of different Poker hands.

Game Details

Release Date: 20/02/2024

Out Now: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox X|S

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Players: 1

Genres: Brain Game, Sequencing (Collecting, Puzzle, Simulation and Strategy)

Accessibility: 21 features

Components: 2D Overhead, Board, Cards and Pixels

Developer: Local Thunk (@LocalThunk)

Costs: Purchase cost

Controls

We've documented 9 accessibility features for Controls in Balatro which deal with how you control the game, different options for alternative inputs and whether you can remap these settings to suit your needs.

Gamepad

Can play with the following:

Multiple Buttons & Single Stick: Can play with multiple buttons and a stick.

Mouse And Keyboard

Can play with the following:

Mouse Alone: Can play with just the mouse/mouse-button/mouse wheel.

Mouse and Keys: Can play with mouse and multiple keys.

Touchscreen

Can play with the following. Additional gestures may be required for games played with a screenreader like VoiceOver.

One Tap Targeted: Can play with touchscreen, tap in specific locations.

Button Combinations

Specific button operation required to play

Holding Down Buttons Optional: Holding down buttons for prolonged periods (a second or more) is not required or can be switched to toggling the action on and off. This is in addition to the movement stick/button which is not considered a hold for this purpose.

Rapid Repeated Pressing Optional: Quick, repeated button pressing (more than 2 times a second) is not required, can be skipped or switched to holding a button to trigger a repeated action.

No Simultaneous Buttons: Only one button or key required at a time, in addition to direction stick(s).

Controller Vibration

Vibration Optional: Controller vibration not used in the game or you can disable it.

Informative Vibration: Controller vibration indicates events or interactions in the game, echoing visual and audio cues. This can provide additional information about progress, approaching enemies or hitting a target.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls

If you want to play Balatro, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:

Paquerette Down the Bunburrows (15 Controls Features)
Luck Be A Landlord (11 Controls Features)
Gubbins (10 Controls Features)
Iris and the Giant (10 Controls Features)

Difficulty

We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Difficulty in Balatro which deals with how you can adjust the challenge of play, and whether this is locked once chosen or can be adjusted as you play.

Difficulty Options

Select Difficulty: Select the level of difficulty from a range of presets. This not only offers a way to adjust the challenge of a game but enables you to do so without dealing with individual criteria.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Difficulty

If you want to play Balatro, but it doesn't offer the Difficulty accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Difficulty accessibility:

Griftlands (2 Difficulty Features)

Getting Started

We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Getting Started in Balatro which deals with what support is offered to get started with the game. This includes customising the experience when you first open the game via any onboarding processes it provides as well as tutorials and other assistance when you first start playing.

Assistance Getting Starting

These features aid your play of the game in terms of cognitive load on learning controls, dealing with pressure and coping with the environment and challenges.

Tutorials: There are helpful tutorials and instructions on how to play. Information is provided in a timely manner, with appropriate level of detail.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started

If you want to play Balatro, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:

Paquerette Down the Bunburrows (8 Getting Started Features)
Gubbins (7 Getting Started Features)
Bomb Club (7 Getting Started Features)
Fidel Dungeon Rescue (6 Getting Started Features)

Reading

We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Reading in Balatro which deals with how much reading or listening comprehension is required, how well the game provides visual and audible access to the text and whether subtitles and captions are a good fit for purpose.

Subtitles

All Speech Subtitled (Or No Speech In Game): All spoken content has subtitles, or there is no speech in the game. This means there is no requirement to hear spoken dialogue or narrative to play the game.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Reading

If you want to play Balatro, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:

Iris and the Giant (6 Reading Features)
Paquerette Down the Bunburrows (5 Reading Features)
Luck Be A Landlord (5 Reading Features)
Bomb Club (5 Reading Features)

Navigation

We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Navigation in Balatro which deal with how the game provides guidance and assistance to navigate its worlds. These are only for games that have traversal and exploration in 2D and 3D spaces. The following games are similar to Balatro, and offer accessibility features for Navigation:

Monster Train (7 Navigation Features)
Slay the Spire (6 Navigation Features)
Signs of the Sojourner (5 Navigation Features)
Paquerette Down the Bunburrows (4 Navigation Features)

Visual

We've documented 7 accessibility features for Visual in Balatro which deal with how you can adjust the visuals to suit your needs, and offer additional information if you can't hear the game.

Interactive Elements

Large Game Elements: Game characters and other elements are large and distinguishable. Enemies and player characters are at least 1/6 of the height of the screen. Or there is a zoom feature to make them larger.

Outline Interactive Elements: Characters, platforms and enemies can be outlined or highlighted for visibility. This can be with a large border around the character or a special visual mode that adjust the colour to make characters more visible.

Visual Distractions

No Screen Shake: No screen shake effect or it is included but it can be disabled. This includes the absence of screen shake for dramatic effect as well as to indicate hits on a target.

No Busy Backgrounds: No distracting backgrounds or you can make them static or blank. This includes the absence of other movement elements in the background that might distract or confuse the action. Where foreground contrast is high, this includes games with some movement in the background that doesn't make it overly difficult to distinguish what is happening.

Audio Cues for Visual Events

Audio Cues for Visual Events: Audio is provided to indicate visual events. Game events or progress highlighted by visual icons, effects or animations are also accompanied by audio to signify that progress. This is useful for blind players.

Motion Sickness Friendly

Motion Sickness Friendly: Doesn't have 3D movement elements that may trigger motion sickness, like motion blur, depth of field and field-of-vision. Or includes the ability to disable motion blur, depth of field and field-of-vision effects.

Colour Options

Colour Blind Friendly: Game doesn’t rely on colour or can switch to colour blind friendly mode with double coding or similar way to avoid colour dependance.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual

If you want to play Balatro, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:

Iris and the Giant (9 Visual Features)
Neurodeck (9 Visual Features)
Slay the Spire (9 Visual Features)
Paquerette Down the Bunburrows (8 Visual Features)

Audio

We've documented 2 accessibility features for Audio in Balatro which deal with how you can adjust the audio of the game and whether audio cues compensate for aspects of the game that are hard to see.

Adjustable Audio

Balance Audio Levels: Set music and game sound effects separately. This enables you to select your preference as well as ensure critical game sounds aren't obscured by other audio.

Play Without Hearing

Play Without Hearing: No audio cues are necessary to play the game well.

Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Audio

If you want to play Balatro, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:

Paquerette Down the Bunburrows (3 Audio Features)
Fidel Dungeon Rescue (3 Audio Features)
Loop Hero (3 Audio Features)

System Accessibility Settings

In addition to the accessibility features provided in the game, you can also use system-wide accessibility settings:

Nintendo Switch
Nintendo Switch has some built-in features, including a lockable zoom, that can be used on all games.

PC
Windows has extensive accessibility features. Some, like colour correction, work with games. Lots of accessibility software can be used with PC games, from voice recognition to input device emulators.

PlayStation 4
PlayStation 4 has a range of accessibility settings. Some are system only, some work in games (invert colours and button mapping).

PlayStation 5
PlayStation 5 has a range of system-wide accessibility settings.

Xbox One
Xbox One has a system features, the excellent co-pilot share controls mode and adaptive controller support for all games.

Xbox Series X|S
Xbox One has a system features, the excellent co-pilot share controls mode and adaptive controller support for all games.

Read more about system accessibility settings.