Play the Balatro GBA fan demake instantly in your browser. No download, no install, no setup.
Click the image to play
Balatro is the poker roguelike everyone is hooked on. The community built an impressive Game Boy Advance demake - but playing it normally means downloading a ROM and setting up an emulator. This project removes all of that friction: one link, and you are drawing cards three seconds later. On your PC, your phone, or that locked-down work laptop.
outblade.github.io/balatro-web
- Zero setup - runs entirely in the browser via WebAssembly
- Works everywhere - PC, Mac, Android, iOS
- Save states - use the emulator's Save State / Load State controls to continue a run
- Fullscreen with the whole game visible - preserves the GBA's 3:2 picture without cropping
- Touch controls on mobile - built into EmulatorJS
The browser edition now uses the stable v0.2.2 ROM, released August 11, 2026. Upstream changed its version numbering: v0.2.2 is newer than the previous v1.1.
Changes since the previously bundled ROM include shop joker descriptions, high-contrast and large-font cards, saved audio/readability settings, the completed main theme, improved seeded runs, an expanded game-over screen, and bug fixes.
The browser wrapper also fixes the A/L/R mappings, pins EmulatorJS to 4.2.3, and keeps the complete game image visible when the window is resized. The versioned ROM filename gives the new release its own cache and save-state name.
This is still a limited fan demake with 52 jokers. Native run loading and boss-blind effects are not complete in this release.
| Key | GBA Button | Action |
|---|---|---|
Arrow keys |
D-Pad | Navigate menus / move cursor |
Space |
A | Select / confirm card |
Escape |
B | Deselect cards; hold over a shop joker to read its description |
Enter |
L | Play Hand / Sell Joker |
Backspace |
R | Discard |
Shift |
Select | GBA Select |
Tab |
Start | GBA Start |
F or F11 |
- | Toggle fullscreen |
The bindings are designed to feel close to the Steam version: Enter to play, Backspace to discard, arrow keys to navigate.
Some actions depend on where your cursor is:
- Sell a joker - press
Upto move the cursor onto the joker row (in the shop or during a round), highlight the joker, then pressEnter(GBA L). - Move / swap jokers or cards - highlight one, hold
Space(GBA A), then use the arrow keys. - Read a joker description - highlight a joker in the shop and hold
Escape(GBA B).
Use the emulator toolbar's Pause button to pause. Keyboard and controller bindings can be changed in Control Settings. If previously saved bindings override the defaults, select Reset there. Touch controls are provided by EmulatorJS.
Native game saving currently preserves options; it does not provide a working run-resume feature. Closing or refreshing the page does not automatically preserve the current run.
- Before leaving, use Save State in the emulator toolbar. By default this downloads a state file.
- To continue, open the same ROM version and use Load State with that file.
- For local browser slots, choose Settings → Save States → Save State Location → Keep in Browser, then use Save State / Load State. Keep a downloaded backup; clearing browser data can remove browser saves.
Export Save File exports the game's SRAM data, which is different from a full emulator state and is not a replacement for saving your run.
States from v1.1 are not guaranteed to work in v0.2.2. Use the previous v1.1 browser version for old states. The old ROM filename and browser save namespace are retained; this update does not migrate or delete previous saves.
The existing Android APK is a separate legacy download. It has not been rebuilt for this browser update; use the browser link above for v0.2.2.
Install tip: enable "Install from unknown sources" in your Android settings before installing.
| Component | Details |
|---|---|
| ROM | balatro-gba v0.2.2 by GBALATRO and contributors |
| Emulator | EmulatorJS 4.2.3 (mGBA core) |
| Hosting | GitHub Pages - the whole site is a single index.html |
The bundled balatro-gba-0.2.2.gba is the unmodified upstream release asset (5,061,324 bytes). SHA-256:
c2ef394b332a973398f970c53398af2600bbcbf666cbe6f9aa0238457d3f9c94
Open an issue - gameplay bugs in the demake itself belong upstream at GBALATRO/balatro-gba, while anything about the browser wrapper (controls, scaling, saving, mobile) belongs here.
If this saved you an emulator setup, a star helps other people find it.
This is a non-profit fan project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Playstack or LocalThunk.
The original Balatro is a paid game - please support the developer:
The GBA demake ROM is sourced from GBALATRO/balatro-gba. See the upstream project's disclaimer and contribution scope. Rights to the original game remain with their respective holders.