Ultimate Guide on Using Cheats in Balatro: Accessing the Debug Menu

Ultimate Guide on Using Cheats in Balatro: Accessing the Debug Menu

Balatro has taken the gaming community by storm since its launch in early 2024, amassing over 3.5 million copies sold and clinching three out of the five accolades for which it was nominated at the 2024 Game Awards. The game continues to captivate audiences due to its innovative design and virtually limitless replayability. Nevertheless, as players begin to master its intricate mechanics, many find themselves seeking new avenues to rejuvenate their gaming experience.

For those looking to enhance their play without diving into mods, the enabling of Balatro’s built-in developer debug menu presents an appealing alternative. By doing so, players can experiment with various combinations of Jokers without the hassle of searching for ideal seeds. Furthermore, this method allows players to retain their achievements, making it a preferable option for those who wish to avoid mods altogether.

Activating Cheats in Balatro

Balatro Local Files Access

To access Balatro’s debug menu and utilize its cheats, players will first require 7-Zip, a free open-source utility. Once this is in place, players must navigate to the installation directory of Balatro. For most users, it can be found at C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Balatro. If it’s not located there, players should locate Balatro in their Steam library, right-click on it, select “Manage,”and then choose “Browse Local Files.”

Balatro Archive Browsing
Balatro Release Mode Setting

The final step involves modifying the _RELEASE_MODE parameter by changing it from true to false and saving the file. If saving proves problematic, players should extract the conf.lua file to their desktop, make the necessary adjustment, and then overwrite the original file with the modified version. Upon successful completion, players can open the debug menu by pressing and holding the tab key during gameplay.

To deactivate the debug menu, players can revert the _RELEASE_MODE back to true within the conf.lua file at any time.

Utilizing the Debug Menu in Balatro

Balatro Debug Menu

The debug menu in Balatro is user-friendly, with most functions easily understood. Players can unlock all items in their collection by hovering over them and pressing 1 while the debug menu remains active. Additionally, they can add any number of Jokers to their current game by selecting the desired Joker and pressing 3. Initially, players are limited to using five Jokers, but they can manipulate a Joker into a negative by hovering over the card in their hand and pressing Q four times, thus allowing for unlimited Joker use during a single run.

Complete List of Balatro Cheats (Hold Tab to Open Menu)

Cheat / Key

Effect

1 Unlock a Collectible (while hovering over it in the collection)
2 Discover a Collectible (while hovering over it in the collection)
3 Spawn a Collectible (while hovering over it in the collection)
Q Change Joker Edition (while hovering over it in hand)
H Isolate Background
J Play Splash Animation
8 Toggle Cursor
9 Toggle All Tooltips
$10 Adds $10 to Total
+1 Round Increases the Round by 1
+1 Before Increases the Ante by 1
+1 Hand Adds one additional Hand
+1 Discard Adds one additional Discard
Boss Reroll Rerolls the Boss
Background Removes the Background
+10 Chips Adds 10 Chips to Total
+10 A lot Adds 10 Mult to Total
X2 Chips Doubles Chip Total
X10 Much Increases the Mult by 10
Win this Run Completes the Current Run
Lose this Run Ends the Current Run
Reset Resets the Current Run
State Makes Jimbo Appear
Jimbo Talk Makes a Text Box Appear by Jimbo

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