Steps to Develop Games Like Balatro in the USA

Balatro has garnered gamers’ interest nationwide with its innovative blend of poker-inspired mechanics, deck-building tactics, and rogue-like elements. Since its launch in February 2024, the game has quickly gained popularity across platforms such as PC, consoles, Android, and iOS, particularly resonating with American players who enjoy strategic and replayable card games.

Suppose you’re a US-based game developer, indie studio owner, or entrepreneur inspired by Balatro’s success and aiming to develop a comparable card-based game in 2025. In that case, you’re in the right place. This blog covers the entire process, from game concept and design to development, launch, budget planning, potential challenges, and expert advice, helping you create a Balatro-style card game tailored for the American market.

What is Balatro?

Balatro is a poker-inspired card game where players build decks using a standard 52-card deck. Players combine valid poker hands with unique joker cards to create different builds in this game. As you progress, you discover hidden bonuses and decks and earn chips to beat blinds. Blinds are simply obstacles that must be overcome to advance in the game. You need to defeat the blind and beat the final ante to win.

One Ante consists of three blinds. You must win a sequence of all eight antes by accumulating enough chips earned by playing high-score hands. Furthermore, players can enhance their decks through various items that can alter the rules of Balatro. These items are available for purchase from the shop during gameplay rounds.

What Makes Balatro Unique?

Balatro is a game that merges deck-building strategy with dynamic, varied gameplay. Its distinctive card mechanics enable players to create powerful combos and adapt to randomized challenges, making each game uniquely different. 

Balatro also boasts impressive graphics, an appealing art style, and a compelling narrative that captivates casual and dedicated gamers. With its focus on innovation, socio-driven updates, and replayability, Balatro carves its gaming category as a perfect mix of creativity and challenge that keeps players hooked for hours.

How to Create Balatro-like Games?

Creating a Balatro-like game is challenging and involves several steps. These steps range from conceptualization to implementation and deployment. Let’s examine the step-by-step development process.

Pre-Production

It is a pre-development phase that includes market analysis and the making of a blueprint for the game.

Market research

The first step is to analyze the market to learn about your competitors and their offerings. With proper market research, you can identify the strengths and weaknesses of the competitors and the demands of the customers in the market. This will help you make informed decisions about developing your own game like Balatro.

Blueprint

After analyzing the market, the next step is to create a blueprint, commonly called a whitepaper. This document essentially guides the entire development process of the application software. The blueprint contains information on Balatro-like game development, including features, cost, and more, that guides the game developers throughout the development process.

Production

The development stage includes designing, developing, and testing the game, akin to Balatro.

Game UI/UX Design

During the production phase, the initial step is to develop the game’s user interface. The distinction between UI and UX is that UI pertains to the game’s interactivity, visual design, and appeal. In contrast, UI relates explicitly to the interactivity, appearance, and feel of the game’s interface. User experience (UX), however, refers to a player’s overall experience with the game.

Game Development

The second step in the production phase, following UI/UX design, is to develop the game app using modern tools, a tech stack, and advanced programming languages. The game developers incorporate the features into the application according to the documentation and launch the Balatro game-like app. Once it is live for users, the game tester team conducts a review.

Game Testing and QA

Game testers evaluate the new app to find bugs that could affect its performance. They use advanced testing tools and strategies such as functional testing, regression testing, combinational testing, play testing, and more. Once testing is finished, a similar app to Balatro will be prepared for launch.

Post-Production

A stage after development includes deploying the game on the market and marketing to increase its reach to a wider audience.

Launch and Marketing

The final step is to launch your games on the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. You also need marketing to enhance your game’s reach to a large audience worldwide. Various marketing strategies, such as digital content marketing, social media marketing, advertising, etc., boost the game’s user base.

App Maintenance & Support

Post-deployment support is essential in the game development process. Hiring a developer who offers maintenance and support after launching the game is crucial. This will benefit you in the long term, as you will receive prompt application updates, identify and resolve bugs, and integrate new features into the game similar to Balatro based on current trends.

Also Read:- How Much Does it Cost to Develop NFT Card Games?

Challenges That May Arise While Developing Balatro-Like Games in the USA

Balatro-like game development requires balancing innovation with accessibility. Creating unique mechanics demands thorough testing to ensure fairness and proper functionality. Adding randomized gameplay increases complexity in design and debugging. Additionally, developing visual arts and smooth animations requires skilled professionals and resources. These challenges make creating a standout game like Balatro especially rewarding.

Also Read: Best Computer Card Games‍ to Try in 2025

What is the Cost of Creating a Game like Balatro?

Cost is a key consideration when developing a similar game. Multiple factors contribute to the overall cost of creating Balatro, including game development costs. The average cost of developing games similar to Balatro ranges from $5,000 to $11,000, including essential features and functionalities for Android, iOS, and Windows platforms. The price can increase to $20,000 or more with advanced features. 

It is important to note that these costs are an average estimate. If you want to know the exact cost of your project, contact BR Softech and share your business idea with them. Also, several factors influence the cost of creating games like Balatro. Here is a list of the top factors affecting the cost:

• Location of the developer
• Skills of a developer
• Development platform
• Types of features
• Complexity of the project
• Type of tech stack

Here is the cost of developing games similar to Balatro with basic features for different platforms:

Platform	Cost Range
Android	$5,000 ~ $8,000
iOS	$7,500 ~ $11,000
Windows	$6,000 ~ $ 9,500

Top 10 Games Like Balatro You Can Play in the USA

Here’s a list of the top 10 games similar to Balatro that focus on deck-building mechanics and unique card-based gameplay:

Game Title	Release Year	Platforms	Genre	Core Mechanics	Unique Feature
Balatro	2024	PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch, Mobile	Deck-builder, Poker-roguelike	Poker hand rankings + deck-building + roguelike	Joker cards alter game rules drastically
Slay the Spire	2019	PC, Mobile, Switch, Console	Deck-builder, Roguelike	Turn-based combat, card upgrades	Map-based progression and relic system
Poker Roguelike	2022	PC	Roguelike, Card Strategy	Poker hands to defeat enemies	Procedural levels based on hands dealt
Luck Be a Landlord	2023	PC, Switch	Roguelike, Slot machine deck-builder	Symbol combos like slots + strategy	Economics-driven mechanics with randomness
Nowhere Prophet	2019	PC, Console, Mobile	Card Battler, Strategy	Deck-building + grid-based combat	Indian-inspired sci-fi setting
Dicey Dungeons	2019	PC, Console, Mobile	Roguelike, Dice-building	Dice rolls to trigger card effects	Multiple classes with unique mechanics
Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales	2018	PC, Console, Mobile	Card RPG	Story-driven card battles	Gwent-based combat with narrative decisions
Griftlands	2021	PC, Console	Deck-builder, Roguelike, RPG	Negotiation and combat decks	Dual-deck system for talk vs fight mechanics

1. Slay the Spire

This is a striking deck-building, Balatro-like game in which players ascend a spire filled with enemies. They need to upgrade their deck as they strategize with each card and relic to survive increasingly difficult levels.

2. Monster Train

A Balatro alternative featuring a multi-layered battlefield that challenges players to defend a train carrying the last burning pyre of hell against enemies.

. Hearthstone: Battlegrounds

Auto-battle mode in the popular card game Hearthstone allows players to draft minions and position them strategically to outlast opponents in combat rounds.

4. Griftlands

Griftlands is a narrative-driven deck-building game with combat gameplay where every decision and card played affects your relationship and survival.

5. Inscryption

An alternative to the Balatro game with a mysterious storyline and unique gameplay elements.

6. Loop Hero

This game combines deck-building activity with roguelike mechanics. Players strategically place cards to shape the path, enemies, and resources for their hero’s endless loop.

7. Dicey Dungeons

The game combines dice-rolling mechanics with deck-building. Players use their skills and strategies to navigate dungeon challenges.

8. Gwent: Rogue Mage

A collectible card game where deck-building and roguelike gameplay are mixed with the iconic card battle mechanics from The Witcher series.

9. Banners of Ruin

A deckbuilding game similar to Balatro, in which players command a group of anthropomorphic warriors navigating a besieged city, combining combat tactics with deck management.

10. Card Quest

One last Balatro alternative on this list features diverse character classes and strategic depth, offering different playstyles and challenges for endless replayability.

You can develop games like Balatro listed above with the help of a professional. Contact BR Softech, one of the leading game development companies in the landscape, to successfully deploy your desired game in the market. 

Why Choose BR Softech to Develop a Game Like Balatro in the USA?

BR Softech is a leading card game development company with years of experience creating top-notch card games like Balatro for various platforms. Our highly skilled team of designers and developers is well-versed in using modern tools and technologies to create best-in-class card games for gaming platforms worldwide. 

If the concept of this game inspires you and you want to have your own game that highly matches Balatro, then look no further than BR Softech. Share your idea with us, and we will make the best game app for you. Choose us and get the best perks:

• 24-Hr client support
• Affordable game solutions
• Cross-platform and multi-platform development services
• Android, iOS, and Windows game development
• Integration of top features
• Maintenance and support

Are you ready to develop card games like Balatro to thrive in this lucrative niche? Don’t wait anymore!

Turn Your Game Idea into the Next Balatro. Get a Free Consultation Now!

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