20 Recent Incredible Video Games That Came Out Of NOWHERE

While most deckbuilders are all about fighting enemies with your cards, Balatro is all about poker. The roguelite comes from just one developer, who goes by LocalThunk. Such a small team meant there was essentially no fanfare leading up to the game’s release in 2024, but the game quickly took the world by storm.

Part of the game’s popularity stems from the gameplay being extremely accessible: it’s based around a regular 52 card deck, which almost everyone is familiar with, and even those who have never played poker will quickly pick up the different types of hands from the in-game tutorial. 

Though it might be based around poker conceptually, Balatro is much more about math, with essentially endless combinations to be made with different score-altering Jokers alongside other deck modification strategies. The addictive nature of the game can’t be overstated — it’s even become a bit of a meme, with many people posting online about being in beautiful places or in the middle of important life events yet completely absorbed in a game of Balatro on their phone.

The legacy of Balatro has been impossible to ignore — it snagged five award nominations at The Game Awards, the Golden Joysticks, and the DICE Awards in 2024. In fact, Balatro is so popular, people have now taken to calling any game that’s about making a big number, like Clover Pit or Raccoin, a “Balatro-like” — it’s truly left its mark on the gaming landscape.