How to Use Cheats in Balatro (Debug Menu Guide)

Balatro, the 2024 breakout hit selling over 3.5 million copies and earning multiple Game Awards, continues to captivate players. However, mastering its mechanics might leave some seeking new challenges. While mods offer one solution, accessing Balatro's built-in developer debug menu provides an alternative, allowing for 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 built-in 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 not found, access it via your Steam library: right-click Balatro, select "Manage," then "Browse Local Files."

Right-click Balatro.exe and choose to open the archive with 7-Zip (may be under "Show More Options"). 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 cheats, 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, but pressing 'Q' four times on a joker in hand converts it to a negative, effectively increasing your joker count).

All Balatro Cheats (Hold Tab to Open Menu)

Cheat / Key Effect 1Unlock a Collectible (while hovering) 2Discover a Collectible (while hovering) 3Spawn a Collectible (while hovering) QChange Joker Edition (while hovering in hand) HIsolate Background JPlay Splash Animation 8Toggle Cursor 9Toggle All Tooltips $10Adds $10 to Total +1 RoundIncreases Round by 1 +1 AnteIncreases Ante by 1 +1 HandAdds one Hand +1 DiscardAdds one Discard Boss RerollRerolls the Boss BackgroundRemoves Background +10 ChipsAdds 10 Chips +10 MultAdds 10 to Multiplier X2 ChipsDoubles Chip Total X10 MultIncreases Multiplier by 10 Win this RunCompletes Current Run Lose this RunEnds Current Run ResetResets Current Run JimboMakes Jimbo Appear Jimbo TalkDisplays Jimbo Text Box