How to Use Cheats in Balatro (Debug Menu Guide)

Balatro, the 2024 breakout hit selling over 3.5 million copies and lauded with multiple Game Awards, maintains its popularity. However, mastering its mechanics might leave seasoned players seeking new challenges. While mods offer one solution, accessing Balatro's built-in developer debug menu provides an alternative, allowing cheat functionality without impacting achievements.

Quick Links

• Enabling Cheats in Balatro

• Using the Debug Menu in Balatro

How to Enable 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 tool. 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 choose to open the archive using 7-Zip (this might be under "Show More Options" depending on your OS and 7-Zip settings). Locate conf.lua and open it with a text editor (like Notepad).

Modify _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 the debug menu, revert _RELEASE_MODE to true in conf.lua.

How to Use the Debug Menu in Balatro

Balatro's cheat menu is user-friendly. Unlock collectibles by hovering 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 allowing unlimited jokers.

All Balatro Cheats (Hold Tab to Open Menu)

Cheat / Key Effect 1 Unlock a Collectible (while hovering) 2 Discover a Collectible (while hovering) 3 Spawn a 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 +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 Displays Jimbo Text Box