Summary
Gamers looking to playBalatroon the go with their Nintendo DS are in luck, with a port of the game being made possible thanks to homebrew modding. The beloved indie game has already made its way to multiple consoles and is even playable on smartphones, thoughBalatrocan now also be accessed on a Nintendo DS.
Few indie games managed totake industry by storm quite likeBalatro, which pulls in players with its deceptively simple gameplay loop and near-endless combinations of playstyles. One part deck-builder and one part roguelike,Balatroseeks to flip these genres on their head, wrapping all of its systems and elements in a neatly presented poker package. While incredibly deep and rewarding,Balatroremains popular and addictive thanks to its quick rounds and the ability to easily pick it up and play it for quick sessions. This makes the game perfect for handheld consoles, withBalatroalready available for the Nintendo Switch. However,Balatrois now also available on another iconic Nintendo device, in an unofficial capacity.
Thanks to a new mod from Haynster onGithub,Balatrois now available to play on Nintendo DS. GettingBalatroto play on the handheld is fairly simple, though players will need to be sure to have MicroLUA homebrew development software ready. While the ability to playBalatroon the DS may seem cool, Haynster warns this version is far from the complete package and is missing an array of features. Not only does the DS port ofBalatrolack in-game music, but it also only comes equipped with the original deck. The port also only features 12 Boss Blinds and 15 Joker cards, a far cry fromBalatro’s full collection of 150 Jokers.
Modder Brings Balatro to Nintendo DS
Additionally, the game is not able to differentiate between certain hands, with Haynster warning that a played hand that included a pair and three random cards would not be recognized as a pair. While it’s certainly cool to seeBalatrorunning on an older piece of hardware like a Nintendo DS, these limitations make it more of a novelty rather than a legitimate place for new players to start their obsession, at least for now. Consideringjust how popularBalatrohas becomesince its initial release last year, it’s not all that surprising to see fans try and cram the card game onto any device they can find, with other mods bringing the game to the Apple Watch.
This year hasalready been quite a big one forBalatroand its developer LocalThunk, with the game recently receiving its latest “Friends of Jimbo” update, which gave characters from games likeCivilization 7and theFalloutseries their own card art. LocalThunk also recently won an appeal to scale backBalatro’s 18+ rating, which it was given for its connection to poker and gambling. This all comes ahead ofBalatro’s big update for 2025, which LocalThunk has continued to tease in recent months.
