Balatro, the 2024 breakout hit selling over 3.5 million copies and a triple Game Awards winner, maintains incredible popularity. However, mastering its mechanics might leave players seeking new challenges. 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
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 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, save the file. If saving fails, extract conf.lua to your desktop, make the change, and replace the original. 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
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 transforms it into a negative, effectively increasing your joker count.
All Balatro Cheats (Hold Tab to Open Menu)
| Cheat / Key | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | Unlock Collectible (hover over it) |
| 2 | Discover Collectible (hover over it) |
| 3 | Spawn Collectible (hover over it) |
| Q | Change Joker Edition (hover over it in hand) |
| H | Isolate Background |
| J | Play Splash Animation |
| 8 | Toggle Cursor |
| 9 | Toggle All Tooltips |
| $10 | Adds $10 to Total |
| +1 Round | Increases Round by 1 |
| +1 Ante | Increases Ante by 1 |
| +1 Hand | Adds an additional Hand |
| +1 Discard | Adds an additional Discard |
| Boss Reroll | Rerolls the Boss |
| Background | Removes Background |
| +10 Chips | Adds 10 Chips to Total |
| +10 Mult | Adds 10 to Multiplier |
| X2 Chips | Doubles Chip Total |
| X10 Mult | Increases Multiplier by 10 |
| Win this Run | Completes Current Run |
| Lose this Run | Ends Current Run |
| Reset | Resets Current Run |
| Jimbo | Makes Jimbo Appear |
| Jimbo Talk | Makes Jimbo Text Box Appear |
