Balatro Gets an Unofficial Nintendo DS Port

Summary

Balatro is now playable on Nintendo DS through homebrew modding.
The DS port of Balatro lacks features like in-game music and a full collection of cards, making it more of a novelty for fans.
The official version of Balatro has big plans for 2025.

Gamers looking to play Balatro on the go with their Nintendo DS are in luck, with a port of the game being made possible thanks to homebrew modding. The beloved indie game has already made its way to multiple consoles and is even playable on smartphones, though Balatro can now also be accessed on a Nintendo DS.

Few indie games managed to take industry by storm quite like Balatro, which pulls in players with its deceptively simple gameplay loop and near-endless combinations of playstyles. One part deck-builder and one part roguelike, Balatro seeks to flip these genres on their head, wrapping all of its systems and elements in a neatly presented poker package. While incredibly deep and rewarding, Balatro remains popular and addictive thanks to its quick rounds and the ability to easily pick it up and play it for quick sessions. This makes the game perfect for handheld consoles, with Balatro already available for the Nintendo Switch. However, Balatro is now also available on another iconic Nintendo device, in an unofficial capacity.

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By Vlad Mazanko

Thanks to a new mod from Haynster on Github, Balatro is now available to play on Nintendo DS. Getting Balatro to play on the handheld is fairly simple, though players will need to be sure to have MicroLUA homebrew development software ready. While the ability to play Balatro on the DS may seem cool, Haynster warns this version is far from the complete package and is missing an array of features. Not only does the DS port of Balatro lack in-game music, but it also only comes equipped with the original deck. The port also only features 12 Boss Blinds and 15 Joker cards, a far cry from Balatro's full collection of 150 Jokers.

Modder Brings Balatro to Nintendo DS

Additionally, the game is not able to differentiate between certain hands, with Haynster warning that a played hand that included a pair and three random cards would not be recognized as a pair. While it's certainly cool to see Balatro running on an older piece of hardware like a Nintendo DS, these limitations make it more of a novelty rather than a legitimate place for new players to start their obsession, at least for now. Considering just how popular Balatro has become since its initial release last year, it's not all that surprising to see fans try and cram the card game onto any device they can find, with other mods bringing the game to the Apple Watch.

This year has already been quite a big one for Balatro and its developer LocalThunk, with the game recently receiving its latest "Friends of Jimbo" update, which gave characters from games like Civilization 7 and the Fallout series their own card art. LocalThunk also recently won an appeal to scale back Balatro's 18+ rating, which it was given for its connection to poker and gambling. This all comes ahead of Balatro's big update for 2025, which LocalThunk has continued to tease in recent months.

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