Indie phenomenon Balatro is one of the most-played games on Steam Deck this year, beaten only by Stardew Valley and previous GOTY winners Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate 3

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Playstack) Is there nowhere we can hide from the viral sensation that is Balatro? No, is the short answer. It’s on consoles,PC, Steam Deck, andmobile– GamesRadar+’s Oscar swears he doesn’tplay Balatro on his phone during meetings, but we don’t believe him. To be fair to solo developer LocalThunk,they did say “I’m sorry"when they released it on mobile. It’s been a big year for Balatro on the Steam Deck! https://t.co/geMB4dfpmm pic.twitter.com/hiZSD29y2NNovember 27, 2024 It’s been a big year for Balatro on the Steam Deck! https://t.co/geMB4dfpmm pic.twitter.com/hiZSD29y2NNovember 27, 2024 LocalThunk shared a screenshot of the Steam Deck charts on their Twitter account, showing that while Elden Ring had climbed three places on the leaderboard and Stardew Valley had gained eight, the poker roguelike was a new entry entirely. So, it got just shy of the podium in its first year of release. Not bad for a “fun little project"started during a few weeks of vacation. At the moment, I only have it on my laptop, but my phone is calling to me like the Green Goblin’s mask, begging me to make myself even less productive. If you’re weaning yourself off of Balatro and want something else to play, why not check out some of thebest upcoming indie games? One of them could be the next big hit. 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