How to Use Cheats in Balatro (Debug Menu Guide)

Balatro, the breakout hit of early 2024, continues to captivate players with its innovative gameplay and endless replayability. Having sold over 3.5 million copies and garnering three awards at the 2024 Game Awards, its popularity is undeniable. However, even seasoned players might seek ways to refresh their experience. While mods offer one solution, accessing Balatro's built-in developer debug menu provides an alternative, allowing for cheat functionality without impacting achievements.

Quick Links

• Enabling Cheats in Balatro

• Utilizing the Balatro Debug Menu

Enabling Cheats in Balatro

To activate Balatro's debug menu and utilize its built-in cheats, you'll need 7-Zip, a free, open-source archiving program. Locate your Balatro installation directory (typically C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Balatro). If you can't find it, access it through your Steam library: right-click Balatro, select "Manage," then "Browse Local Files."

Right-click Balatro.exe and open the archive using 7-Zip (you might find this option under "Show More Options"). Locate the file "conf.lua" and open it with a simple text editor like Notepad.

Modify the line _RELEASE_MODE = true to _RELEASE_MODE = false, then save the file. If saving proves difficult, extract conf.lua to your desktop, make the change, and replace the original file. Upon saving the changes, the debug menu will be accessible by holding the Tab key during gameplay.

To disable the debug menu, simply revert the _RELEASE_MODE parameter in conf.lua back to true.

Utilizing the Balatro Debug Menu

Balatro's cheat menu is user-friendly. Unlock collectibles by hovering over them 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 transforms it into a negative, effectively increasing your joker capacity.

Balatro Cheat Codes (Hold Tab to Access Menu)

Cheat / Key Effect 1Unlock a Collectible (while hovering over it) 2Discover a Collectible (while hovering over it) 3Spawn a Collectible (while hovering over it) QChange Joker Edition (while hovering over it in hand) HIsolate Background JPlay Splash Animation 8Toggle Cursor 9Toggle All Tooltips $10Adds $10 to Total +1 RoundIncreases Round by 1 +1 AnteIncreases Ante by 1 +1 HandAdds one additional Hand +1 DiscardAdds one additional Discard Boss RerollRerolls the Boss BackgroundRemoves the Background +10 ChipsAdds 10 Chips to Total +10 MultAdds 10 Mult to Total X2 ChipsDoubles Chip Total X10 MultIncreases Mult by 10 Win this RunCompletes the Current Run Lose this RunEnds the Current Run ResetResets the Current Run JimboMakes Jimbo Appear Jimbo TalkMakes a Jimbo Text Box Appear