Balatro Dev Gives Official Statement on Long-Awaited 1.1 Update
Despite recent radio silence and a missed release window, Balatro's 1.1 update is still on the way, according to recent comments from developer LocalThunk. Balatro was the breakout indie darling of 2024, instigating a…
Despite recent radio silence and a missed release window, Balatro's 1.1 update is still on the way, according to recent comments from developer LocalThunk. Balatro was the breakout indie darling of 2024, instigating a wave of new retro-styled roguelikes themed after existing games, and following its immense financial success, LocalThunk announced that a major content update would come in 2025.
Marquee features include new joker cards and a rework of the infamous blue stake difficulty, but 2025 came and went without the arrival of 1.1. As can happen with various solo developers, news on Balatro's free update became few and far between, but LocalThunk has now addressed the long wait and has promised that 1.1 is still in active development.
LocalThunk Provides Update on Balatro 1.1 & Apologizes for Delay
LocalThunk recently took to the official Balatro Discord server to provide quite a few details on 1.1's progress—a summary of the discussion was conveniently posted to Reddit afterward. Perhaps most consequential for eager Balatro players is LocalThunk's refusal to set a new release window after missing the last one. "I won't give concrete details about a launch window," LocalThunk wrote.
He stresses that Balatro 1.1 is still very much a work-in-progress, doesn't want it to be "rushed," and that, "It's entirely possible that after everything is completed, I want to scrap something large or expand on something." LocalThunk re-confirms what was previous known about 1.1—new jokers and a change to blue stake—but has now also revealed that "at least" four new jokers are included, one of which is called Survey, and affects face cards.
1.1 will also add a new voucher called Lunker to Balatro, introduce a new mechanic that triggers effects when cards are added to the player's hand, and provide an option to play without the update's new content. Perhaps most consoling to players who have been frustrated by the wait, LocalThunk also took the opportunity to apologize for setting and then missing the 2025 release window: "I understand how frustrating that must be and I wish I could go back in time and slap some sense into myself."
There Are No Plans for Balatro 1.2
At this time, LocalThunk has a working version of Balatro 1.1, playable on his phone with placeholder art. A fully playable prototype is promising for the update's progress, but from the other comments, it seems like LocalThunk hasn't quite deemed it to be content complete. He has clarified, however, that 1.1 will likely be Balatro's final major update.
After 1.1 ships, there's the possibility that a 1.1.1 version will follow in order to fix any unforeseen bugs and make any necessary balance adjustments, but there are currently no plans to follow with another content update. In other words, Balatro 1.2 is not on the cards at this time.
LocalThunk admits that he was hit with severe burnout after Balatro was ported to mobile devices, and progress on 1.1 then slowed significantly. With so many different card interactions, adding new features only grows more complex with each one in a game like Balatro, and it sounds like the full scope of the update hasn't quite solidified. It's nonetheless encouraging to see an update directly from LocalThunk on Balatro 1.1, and hopefully more good news will follow soon.