2024 is undoubtedly the year of Balatro. It came out of nowhere and filled our minds with dreams of flush fives and legendary Jimbos. But I think what really pushed it over the top was its launch on iOS and Android earlier this fall. That’s because while I don’t have the numbers to prove it, Charlie Brooker – like he so often does on his show Black Mirror – made a particularly prescient prediction during an interview with deadline when he said that afterwards Balatro As it says on phones, “human activity will decrease by about 25 percent.” However, I don’t think people were prepared for the mobile version of Balatro to be a near flawless example of how to properly transfer a game from desktop to small screens and foldable devices.

First of all, there is the mobile version of in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Balatro costs $10, which is actually $5 less than the desktop edition on Steam or the console ports on Switch, Xbox and PlayStation. But what’s even better is that in a world where seemingly every phone game is full of microtransactions, there are no intrusive ads or other additional purchases to take away from the game. This includes all crossover card backs (e.g. those with characters from The Witcher, Cyberpunk 2077 and more) and the big upcoming update due out early next year.

Additionally, there is essentially no difference in features between the mobile and desktop/console versions. Admittedly, this is largely due to the game being a relatively simple title (at least in terms of graphics). But still, you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to mess this up. The game starts almost instantly and even if you hit the antes while driving your score deep into scientific notation, the game doesn’t stall.

However, it gets even better because developer LocalThunk has paid attention to almost every little detail. Balatro Mobile offers cloud storage, multiple profiles and tons of languages. The game also supports achievements while making it easy to unlock everything with a single option if the phone version is more of a secondary platform for you. And I can’t forget to highlight the High Contrast Cards option, which is not only a great accessibility feature, but also a generally useful tool to distinguish hearts from diamonds or spades from clubs more quickly and easily.

I also appreciate how Playstack has optimized the game’s UI and UI to make it easier to drag and drop objects where you want them. I can’t speak for everyone, but there’s just something inherently satisfying about using touch controls to move cards around like in Hearthstone And Marvel Snap Compared to using a keyboard and mouse or a controller, I prefer the mobile version over the original desktop version.

But maybe the one I like best Balatro Mobile is how well it works on virtually any device, but especially foldable phones. I would argue that phones like the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 are the perfect devices for Joker hunting. Their large screens seem to fit the title’s interface perfectly, without ever feeling cramped, which is sometimes the case with older devices with less spacious displays. Text is generally readable (though sometimes less so on small devices) and there’s plenty of room to move things around without getting in your own way.

That said, if I had to nitpick, my complaints would boil down to two (maybe three) things. The first is that with foldable devices Balatro does not fully utilize the additional vertical screen space. But since there is already enough space, this isn’t a big problem. I also wish the skip button was somewhere else when opening packs, because I accidentally pressed it with my fat fingers more times than I’d like to admit, which resulted in me not getting a joker or spectral card chose the ones I really needed. But maybe the biggest problem (or not) is when I play the game outside when there are people there who aren’t Balatro When fans see my screen, they probably think I’m a real scumbag who can’t wait until I get home to make a bet. And in many ways they’re right, but since I don’t actually play, it’s still a wrong impression.

Regardless, the mobile version of Balatro basically has everything I could want in a telephone connection. And in a world where more and more portable titles feel more like low-effort fundraising than projects intended to provide joy and entertainment, Balatro is something I’ll be getting more than my money’s worth from in the years to come.