(Image credit: LocalThunk / CD Projekt Red)
The roguelike deckbuilder Balatro has amassed a remarkable series of achievements ever since it captured global attention last year. It was honored with the Best Indie Game at the 2024 Golden Joystick Awards, garnered three awards at the Game Awards, and just this week, clinched the Game of the Year at the 2025 Game Developers Choice Awards.
With such a range of prestigious accolades, one might think Balatro’s time in the spotlight was over, yet it continues to shine brightly with a fresh victory: Swen Vincke, director of Baldur’s Gate 3, declaring Balatro as his favorite game of 2024.
Vincke, himself a recipient of numerous awards, notably saw Baldur’s Gate 3 become one of the most prominent Games of the Year in recent history, as the first to win the top honor at all five major gaming ceremonies: the Game Awards, Golden Joystick Awards, DICE Awards, GDC Awards, and the British Academy Games Awards. Therefore, his naming of Balatro as his Game of the Year holds significant influence in the gaming community.
In response to Balatro’s triumph at the 2025 GDC Awards, Vincke took to Twitter to express his thoughts, stating “Congratulations LocalThunk!!! You were my GOTY and I’m happy to see other devs agree. Well deserved!!!”
Looking back, developer LocalThunk clearly had little reason to be concerned about attracting players for Balatro, although its publisher confessed that the game was “a pain in the ass to market” until its demo exploded in popularity and the game consequently dominated the scene.
Fans eagerly await Balatro’s first major update, set to arrive in 2025, with the assurance that it will be “done when it’s done, because it’s got to be good before it’s fast.”
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