Balatro reclassified as PEGI 12 by ratings board after appeal by publisher

Frequent readers (and why wouldn't you be?) may recall one of the more oddball stories last year about Balatro, the roguelike deckbuilder, which was initially classified as PEGI 18 by rating boards. This rating placed it on the same level as content akin to Grand Theft Auto, which naturally baffled many, including the developer.

However, it seems that PEGI has recognized their error and reclassified Balatro to the more fitting PEGI 12 rating. According to developer Localthunk, who announced the news on Twitter, this change came about in part due to an appeal by Balatro's publisher to the board.

Balatro has previously faced challenges from external organizations; it was briefly removed from the Nintendo eShop due to concerns over perceived gambling content. This is despite the fact that players cannot win real money or place bets, and the only use of cash in the game is as an abstract means to purchase more cards within each run.

The house always wins
As mentioned, one of the key reasons for Balatro's initial classification was its depiction of gambling-adjacent imagery. Essentially, the concern was that players might learn about concepts like a straight flush or a flush, which was considered as severe as vehicular homicide in GTA.

This misclassification has also affected platforms like mobile, despite the widespread presence of in-app transactions across many games. While a late correction is better than none, the initial error should not have occurred.

If this news is finally persuading you to give Balatro a try, why not check out our tier list of Jokers to discover which of these game-changing cards are worth your attention and which ones to avoid?