Balatro, the 2024 breakout hit selling over 3.5 million copies and earning three Game Awards, maintains incredible popularity due to its innovative gameplay and high replayability. However, 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, preserving achievements. 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 utilize its 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 using 7-Zip (may be under "Show More Options"). Locate conf.lua and open it with a text editor (like Notepad).
Change _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 Debug Menu in Balatro
Balatro's cheat menu is user-friendly. Unlock items by hovering and pressing '1'; add 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 allowing unlimited Jokers.
All Balatro Cheats (Hold Tab to Open Menu)
| Cheat / Key | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | Unlock Collectible (while hovering) |
| 2 | Discover Collectible (while hovering) |
| 3 | Spawn Collectible (while hovering) |
| Q | Change Joker Edition (while hovering 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 Hand |
| +1 Discard | Adds one Discard |
| Boss Reroll | Rerolls the Boss |
| Background | Removes Background |
| +10 Chips | Adds 10 Chips to Total |
| +10 Mult | Adds 10 to Multiplier |
| X2 Chips | Doubles Chip Total |
| X10 Mult | Increases Multiplier 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's Text Box Appear |
