Balatro, the 2024 breakout hit selling over 3.5 million copies and garnering three Game Awards, maintains immense popularity. However, mastering its mechanics might leave players seeking fresh challenges. While mods offer one solution, accessing Balatro's built-in developer debug menu provides another, achievement-preserving option. This guide details how to enable and utilize this cheat menu.
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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 with 7-Zip (may be under "Show More Options"). Locate conf.lua and open it with a text editor (e.g., 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 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 allowing unlimited jokers.
All Balatro Cheats (Hold Tab to Open Menu)
| Cheat / Key | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | Unlock Collectible (hover over in collection) |
| 2 | Discover Collectible (hover over in collection) |
| 3 | Spawn Collectible (hover over in collection) |
| Q | Change Joker Edition (hover over 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 one additional Hand |
| +1 Discard | Adds one additional Discard |
| Boss Reroll | Rerolls the Boss |
| Background | Removes the Background |
| +10 Chips | Adds 10 Chips to Total |
| +10 Mult | Adds 10 Mult to Total |
| X2 Chips | Doubles Chip Total |
| X10 Mult | Increases Mult 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 |
