How to Use Cheats in Balatro (Debug Menu Guide)

Balatro, the 2024 breakout hit selling over 3.5 million copies and earning multiple Game Awards, maintains its popularity due to its innovative gameplay and high replayability. However, seasoned players might seek ways to revitalize their experience. While mods offer one solution, accessing Balatro's built-in developer debug menu provides an alternative, preserving achievements. This guide details how to enable and utilize this cheat menu.

Quick Links

• Enabling Cheats in Balatro
• Using the Debug Menu

Enabling Cheats in Balatro

To activate Balatro's debug menu and cheats, you'll need 7-Zip (free, open-source software). Locate your Balatro installation directory (typically C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Balatro). If unsure, find Balatro in your Steam library, right-click, select "Manage," then "Browse Local Files."

Right-click Balatro.exe and choose to open the archive using 7-Zip (may be under "Show More Options"). Locate conf.lua and open it with a text editor (like Notepad).

Change _RELEASE_MODE = true to _RELEASE_MODE = false, then save. If saving fails, extract conf.lua to your desktop, make the change, and replace the original file. The debug menu will now activate by holding the Tab key in-game. To disable, revert the _RELEASE_MODE parameter to true.

Using the Debug Menu in Balatro

Balatro's cheat menu is user-friendly. Unlock collectibles by hovering and pressing '1'; spawn jokers by hovering and pressing '3'. Initially limited to five jokers, pressing 'Q' four times on a joker in your hand converts it to a negative, effectively increasing your joker count.

All Balatro Cheats (Hold Tab to Open Menu)