# Balatro

> A poker roguelike passed five million sales after demos, streams and awards.

- Owner: LocalThunk / Playstack
- Kind: Game
- Sector: Gaming
- Seed date: May 2023
- Peak date: Week of Dec 19, 2024
- Date basis: Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 50 (Notable), v1.2
- Mechanics: Maker origin, Underdog, Controversy, Platform jump, Press loop

## Summary

A public beta reached streamers before Playstack built a demo and creator campaign. The full release earned $1 million in eight hours, according to the publisher. Mobile distribution, awards and holiday videos extended its audience.

## Timeline

- May 2023 — LocalThunk (Open web) — LocalThunk made a public beta available on Steam in late May.
- Jun 2023 — Dan Gheesling (Twitch) — Dan Gheesling streamed Balatro in mid-June, and LocalThunk reported a wishlist spike.
- Jul 2023 — LocalThunk / Playstack (Open web) — LocalThunk signed with Playstack, which planned a February release and console ports.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/balatro

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Balatro.” Case HIS-00905. Spread Score v1.2: 50/100. Updated 2026-10-15. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-00905