Balatro hits 2 million sales and a major free gameplay update is coming

One of the most popular recent releases on Steam that's Steam Deck Verified (and works great on desktop Linux), Balatro has done really well.

More about it: The poker roguelike. Balatro is a hypnotically satisfying deckbuilder where you play illegal poker hands, discover game-changing jokers, and trigger adrenaline-pumping, outrageous combos.

Especially great, considering it's from a solo developer, to hit 2 million sales in a few months is absolutely amazing. Well deserved too, it is a wonderful game. The developer seems really nice too, mentioning recently on X (Twitter) that they've ensured it can't be turned into an actual gambling game:

From the outside this might make 0 sense but I hate the thought of Balatro becoming a true gambling game so much that when I recently created my will I stipulated that the Balatro IP may never be sold or licensed to any gambling company/Casino

As for what's to come next? Teased in a post on Steam is the next major update:

The first major announcement in this campaign is that there will be a major gameplay update coming to Balatro in 2025. This update will bring new ideas and strategies to the game and will be released across all platforms. And as a token of huge appreciation to the game’s brilliant and passionate community, the update will be completely free.

You can buy it from:

Fanatical

Humble Store

Steam