Balatro, the 2024 breakout hit selling over 3.5 million copies and earning multiple Game Awards, maintains immense popularity. However, mastering its mechanics might leave players seeking new challenges. While mods offer one solution, accessing the game's built-in developer debug menu provides an alternative, allowing for cheat usage without impacting achievements.
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How to Enable Cheats in Balatro
To activate Balatro's debug menu and 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 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
, save the file. If saving fails, extract conf.lua
to your desktop, make the change, and replace the original. The debug menu will now activate by holding the Tab key in-game. To disable cheats, revert _RELEASE_MODE
to true
.
How to Use the Balatro Debug Menu
The Balatro cheat menu is user-friendly. Unlock items by hovering and pressing '1'; spawn jokers by hovering and pressing '3' (initially limited to five, but pressing 'Q' four times on a joker in hand transforms it into a negative, allowing for more).