Summary
Following an appeal,Balatro, thebreakout indie title that combines roguelike gameplay elements with the game of poker, has had its PEGI rating changed from PEGI 18 to PEGI 12. The game,which was nominated for The Game Awards' 2024 Game of the Year, hadoriginally been hit with a PEGI 18 rating for featuring “prominent gambling imagery,“even though no real money or microcurrencies are gambled on.
The news, which was shared on Twitter by the game’s creator, LocalThunk, has been confirmed in a press release from PEGI,the overarching body responsible for rating games for Europe.
In that release,PEGI affirmed that the appeal filed by Balatro’s publisher, Sold Out Sales & Marketing, was successful, and the game would have its rating modified.
“The Complaints Board concluded that, although the game explains the various hands of poker, the roguelike deck-building game contained mitigating fantastical elements that warranted a PEGI 12 rating.”
PEGI Will Reconsider How It Classifies Games
As it turns out, Balatro wasn’t the only title that was hit with a PEGI 18 rating for having gambling themes. Luck Be A Landlord was also hit with a PEGI 18, and similarly to Balatro, had its rating changed to PEGI 12 after a successful appeal.
“Although the game features a slot machine mechanic, there were no specific transferable gambling skills and the game can therefore be rated PEGI 12,“the announcement read, marking two titles that have gambling elements but aren’t strictly gambling simulators.
Moving forward, the organization will begin the process of developing a set of criteria for how it handles gambling-adjacent games in the future. As it stands, the organization states that “any teaching or glamorisation of simulated gambling automatically leads to a PEGI 18 rating.”
However, it will begin looking into how it can better classify titles like Balatro. These titles will now include PEGI 12 ratings, while also maintaining a PEGI 18 for “games that simulate gambling typically played in casinos and betting halls,” of which Balatro was not. Jokingly, LocalThunk called the physical UK editions of Balatro “limited edition” since they all feature the PEGI 18 branding, putting a fitting end to what was a contentious debate.
