Hit indie game Balatro wins appeal over 18+ age rating

The indie game was initially rated as 18+ by European games classification body PEGI, which forced publisher Playstack to remove it from sale on a number of digital stores.

At the time, Playstack said it was due to PEGI’s “mistaken belief” that the card game contained “prominent gambling imagery and material that instructs about gambling”.

Now, following an appeal submitted by the publisher, PEGI have amended their original decision, instead rating the game 12+.

“The PEGI 18 rating for the game ‘Balatro’ has been changed to a PEGI 12 following a successful appeal submitted by publisher Sold Out Sales & Marketing,” a post on PEGI’s website read.

“The Complaints Board concluded that, although the game explains the various hands of poker, the roguelike deck-building game contained mitigating fantastical elements that warranted a PEGI 12 rating.”

The decision is a victory for Balatro which took home the prize for Best Independent Game at the 2024 Game Awards with the rating for another game, Luck Be A Landlord, also changed.

In addition, PEGI has committed to developing “a more granular set of classification criteria to handle gambling themes and the simulation”.

Balatro is developed by LocalThunk, who said it was a “good step” from PEGI to amend the rating.

In a post on X, the developer said: “After an appeal from my publisher, Balatro has been reclassified by PEGI from 18+ to 12+.

“This is a good step from PEGI - bringing nuance to their ratings criteria that used to be 18+ or nothing. I hope this change will allow developers to create without being unfairly punished.”

In other Balatro news, a new Friends of Jimbo crossover pack has also been released. Available for free, it adds card skins based on games including Civilization 7, Fallout, Dead by Dayligh and more. Balatro has also been made available on Xbox Game Pass.