Hit Poker roguelike Balatro is coming to iPhone

Popular Poker-based roguelike Balatro is officially coming to iPhone, the game’s anonymous solo developer has confirmed.

‘LocalThunk’ told iMore that the hit puzzle title is currently in development for mobile, but they would not confirm any further details of the port or its release date.

However, the developer did confirm that there are plans to further develop Balatro beyond the base game.

While they did not share specifics, they said they didn’t want to “bloat” the game with extra mechanics and that the way forward would be “possibly more secrets. Definitely some new and interesting design space I am excited to explore!”

Balatro is a deck-building roguelike based on the basics of Poker. Players are given cards and must play those hands to earn points. Better hands earn more points, and Joker cards apply special benefits as players chase higher scores.

On PC, Balatro has been an instant hit with players and critics, selling over 500,000 copies in ten days and earning a Metacritic score of 90.

In VGC’s Balatro review, Jordan Middler wrote: “The worst thing about Balatro is that it’s so good that we have to take time away from Balatro to write this review.

“It’s an experience that, on the face of it, seems utterly simple and mechanically repetitive, but then suddenly, you’ve been playing it for a week. You’re thousands of hands in. Your friends are begging you to go to sleep because it’s 4 in the morning.”