• PEGI, the European video game rating agency, reassessed its classification of Baltaro
• The popular, poker-inspired game is now rated at 12+, down from 18+

The poker-themed video game Balatro has had its age rating reduced from 18+ to 12+ by PEGI, the European video game content-rating organization. 

Balatro, which prompts players to create poker hands with the help of unique joker cards to enhance scores, emerged as one of the top successes of 2024. However, PEGI's choice to impose an adults-only rating on the game – while the US counterpart ESRB rated it for ages 10 and up – puzzled many. 

Wagering Visuals 

The rationale was that Balatro includes “notable gambling visuals,” as stated by PEGI, and conveys “knowledge and skill [that] might be applicable to an actual game of poker.” 

This is even though the game includes no real gambling or any spending within the game at all. In contrast to EA Sports FC, the successor to the FIFA series, which ranks among the world's most popular games and holds a 3+ PGEI rating. 

EA Sports FC enables players to buy loot boxes with either in-game currency or real money to receive a chance to randomly win soccer players or items that assist in their advancement. This aspect of the game is prohibited in Belgium according to the nation's gambling regulations. 

EA Sports FC was pointed out by Balatro’s publisher, Sold Out Sales and Marketing, along with its anonymous creator, “LocalThunk,” as a case of inconsistency when they contested the rating with the PEGI Complaints Board. 

‘Detailed Method’ 

On Monday, the Complaints Board upheld the appeal, determining that “while the game describes different poker hands, the roguelike deck-building game featured mitigating fantastical elements that justified a PEGI 12 rating.” 

PEGI announced it would create a “more detailed set of classification standards to address gambling themes and the simulation, education, and glamorization of gambling across various age groups.” 

PEGI's rating system "constantly adapts to align with cultural expectations and incorporates feedback from independent experts," it stated. 

‘Wrongly Penalized’ 

Balatro implements a system that allows players to accumulate chips by creating poker hands. These chips are utilized to achieve or surpass target scores in every round, but they are not bet in any way. 

During rounds, players have the opportunity to go to an in-game shop to buy cards and upgrades with the chips they’ve gathered. The mechanic is designed to improve gameplay strategy instead of mimicking gambling. 

The inexpensive indie game rapidly turned into a hit after its launch last year, receiving numerous awards. 

“This is a good step from PEGI, bringing nuance to their ratings criteria that used to be 18+ or nothing. I hope this change will allow developers to create without being unfairly punished,” LocalThunk wrote in a post on X following the age reclassification.