Steam Deck · Commentary
Our five favorite Balatro-likes for the Steam Deck
Summary
CloverPit is where we'd start after Balatro. If you'd rather keep building a deck, Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers does it with blackjack.
If you've had enough poker for a while, these five games offer other ways to build combos and chase bigger scores. CloverPit is our first choice for more Balatro, but blackjack, pachinko, and plinko all have a place here. The first four games are Deck Verified. Nubby's Number Factory is Playable, with small text and a few control caveats.
One setup note applies to CloverPit, Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers, and Ballionaire: an external controller may need to be selected through the Deck's Quick Access Menu.
CloverPit
CloverPit locks you in a small room with a slot machine, an ATM, and a debt to pay. You buy charms between rounds to turn the machine in your favor.
Its Deck assessment reports accessible default controls and legible text.
Luck be a Landlord
Luck be a Landlord has you adding symbols to a slot machine and building combos to make rent. Its Steam page quotes Balatro creator LocalThunk calling it Balatro's largest influence.
There's no CloverPit-style horror setting to contend with. On Deck, it runs natively on Linux, with working default controls, Deck button icons, and readable text.
Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers
Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers builds its roguelike decks around blackjack. You try to reach 21 without going over while wearing down your opponent's health. Your suit sets the playstyle, with hearts for healing, spades for protection, diamonds for shop currency, and clubs for damage. Your deck fills up with tarot cards, business cards, and hall passes.
The Deck assessment lists readable text and working default controls.
Ballionaire
Ballionaire calls itself an "autobonker." You arrange pieces on a pachinko-style board, then drop balls through them. Where you put each piece determines which effects a bounce can set off and how much it pays.
At our September 29 check, Steam showed Very Positive English reviews overall but Mixed recent reviews, so read the latest feedback and patch notes before buying. It also supports Steam Workshop.
Nubby's Number Factory
Nubby's Number Factory sends Nubby down a pegboard to meet a number quota. Miss it and the sun explodes. Between rounds, you buy items that stack together to increase your score. Its English Steam reviews were Overwhelmingly Positive at our September 29 check.
It is Windows-only and runs through Proton. Valve's Playable assessment, recorded by SteamDB, flags small text, non-Deck button icons, and text entry that requires opening the on-screen keyboard yourself. All functionality is listed as accessible with the default controller configuration, so you do not need a custom layout to play.