How to Use Cheats in Balatro (Debug Menu Guide)

Balatro, the 2024 breakout hit selling over 3.5 million copies and earning three Game Awards, maintains immense popularity due to its innovative gameplay and high replayability. However, seasoned players may 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 Balatro Cheats
• Using the Balatro Debug Menu

Enabling Cheats in Balatro

To activate Balatro's debug menu and utilize built-in cheats, you'll need 7-Zip, a free, open-source archiving tool. 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 (like Notepad).

Modify _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 Balatro Debug Menu

Balatro's cheat menu is user-friendly. Unlock items 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 hand transforms it into a negative, effectively allowing unlimited jokers.

Balatro Cheat List (Hold Tab to Open Menu)

Cheat / Key Effect 1Unlock Collectible (while hovering) 2Discover Collectible (while hovering) 3Spawn Collectible (while hovering) QChange Joker Edition (while hovering in hand) HIsolate Background JPlay Splash Animation 8Toggle Cursor 9Toggle All Tooltips $10Add $10 to Total +1 RoundIncrease Round by 1 +1 AnteIncrease Ante by 1 +1 HandAdd an additional Hand +1 DiscardAdd an additional Discard Boss RerollReroll the Boss BackgroundRemove Background +10 ChipsAdd 10 Chips to Total +10 MultAdd 10 to Multiplier X2 ChipsDouble Chip Total X10 MultIncrease Multiplier by 10 Win this RunComplete Current Run Lose this RunEnd Current Run ResetReset Current Run JimboMake Jimbo Appear Jimbo TalkDisplay Jimbo Text Box