One of 2024's Highest-Rated Games is Currently Unavailable for Some Users

02.03.2024 - 05:27 / gamerant.com / John DiCarlo / Nintendo

Balatro, 2024's latest viral hit, is currently unavailable in digital stores of certain consoles due to a new ratings issue. Those who already own Balatro should be unaffected, according to the game's publisher.

Balatro was released on February 20 and quickly took the gaming world by storm. It brought a new twist to the roguelike deck-building genre by drawing inspiration from poker, as users create real-life poker hands combined with unique cards that come with special abilities. Balatro's distinctive gameplay has proven to be a massive hit, with the game holding a 97% user rating on Steam after more than 10,000 reviews. However, the Poker-inspired game recently ran into its first obstacle.

Balatro's publisher, Playstack Games, posted a tweet explaining the game's recent issues. Balatro's removal from a variety of digital stores is due to a ratings board unexpectedly changing the game's rating from 3+ to 18+, citing an apparently incorrect belief that Balatro «contains prominent gambling imagery» and «instructs about gambling.» Playstack pushed against this claim by explaining thatBalatro's developer took extra caution to ensure that the game contains no gambling mechanics of any kind. Playstack further explained that the same ratings board assured the publisher back in October that Balatro contained no gambling themes and that the board agreed with a 3+ rating. However, since then, the ratings board has clearly gone back on that stance.

Playstack reassured Balatro fans that the game will remain on Steam and all PC stores and that existing users should not experience any issues. The publisher also detailed that it's working hard to get Balatro back on sale for all platforms. Playstack did not offer a timeline for when the issue will be resolved, but it did mention that the game may return with a temporary 18+ rating.

Thanks to Balatro's Joker mechanic and other creative features, the game continues to balloon in popularity. Its current rating of 92 on OpenCritic makes it the second-highest-rated game of the year, only beaten by the recently releasedFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth. However, interested console fans might have to wait a bit until Balatro is available to purchase again.

In the meantime, fans can check out the best roguelike deck-building games on the market. There are plenty of options to choose from, with Slay the Spire being an especially tempting choice. Slay the Spire is still available on Game Pass and features fair, skillful, and rewarding gameplay. Other games similar to Balatro include Dicey Dungeons, Inscryption: Kaycee's Mod, and more.

LocalThunk's Balatro is a deck-building roguelike that uses poker as a launchpad to create something that offers endless possibilities.