Balatro, a popular roguelike game with poker-style visuals but no real gambling, now has a lower age rating in Europe. PEGI announced today that after an appeal, the rating was reduced from PEGI 18 to PEGI 12.
This change comes after months of frustration for many in the gaming community. When Balatro launched in February 2024, it was originally rated PEGI 3. But soon after, PEGI suddenly raised it to 18+, claiming the game “contains prominent gambling imagery and material that instructs about gambling.”
Fireshine Games (formerly known as Sold Out Sales & Marketing), the publisher of Balatro’s physical edition, appealed the rating decision—and won. PEGI’s Complaints Board decided that while Balatro explains different poker hands, its fantasy elements make it more of a strategy game than a gambling simulation. Because of this, they lowered the rating to PEGI 12.
Similar Rating Change for Luck Be A Landlord
Another roguelike game, Luck Be A Landlord, also had its PEGI rating lowered from 18 to 12 after an appeal by Fangamer. The game uses slot machine mechanics, but like Balatro, it doesn’t involve real gambling. PEGI’s Complaints Board explained that despite the slot machine mechanics, the game doesn’t teach “no specific transferable gambling skills,” which is why the rating was reduced.
PEGI acknowledged that games with gambling imagery need a more detailed rating system. Right now, any game that teaches or glamorizes simulated gambling automatically gets a PEGI 18 rating. But after these recent appeals, PEGI’s Experts Group plans to create a more precise system to rate games based on how they use gambling themes. However, games that closely simulate casino-style gambling will still keep their PEGI 18 rating.
LocalThunk, the creator of Balatro, shared his thoughts on Bluesky after the rating change. He wrote, “After an appeal from my publisher, Balatro has been reclassified by PEGI from 18 plus to 12 plus. This is a good step from PEGI — bringing nuance to their ratings criteria that used to be 18 plus or nothing. I hope this change will allow developers to create without being unfairly punished.”
Playstack’s communications director, Wout van Halderen, praised PEGI for working on a more detailed rating system as indie games keep pushing new ideas. He sees this as a positive sign that PEGI is adapting to changing times while still making sure players understand the content in games.
Dan DiIorio, the developer of Luck Be A Landlord, shared his support for PEGI’s decision in a Bluesky post. He hopes this sets a standard for similar games. He also pointed out that games with loot boxes, which he sees as “actual gambling,” should have higher age ratings.
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