In yet another brilliant showcase of inconsistency, video game rating boards have once again proven how laughably two-faced and half-hearted they are when deciding which games and features are “appropriate” for different demographics, as seen in the uproar surrounding the indie title Balatro.
Balatro, a game that was completely off my radar and likely yours until it got dragged into the spotlight. How? By snagging a nomination at this year’s nepotistic ESG-fueled awards show hosted by Geoff Keighley.
Taking a glance at its Steam stats, though, it’s hard not to be impressed. This $15 indie gambling roguelike, which launched on February 20th, managed to peak at 37,977 players, a staggering achievement for a small title that most of us had never heard of.
Even more remarkable, Balatro boasts a 98% user rating on Steam with over 81,556 reviews, signaling its massive popularity. And here I am, an indie game advocate, somehow completely oblivious to its existence until a month ago. Just like with journalism it’s evident that I’m also shit at this too.
The controversy, however, lies with Balatro’s age rating. Depending on where you are, the game is judged very differently. North America’s ESRB slapped a 10+ rating on it, while Europe’s PEGI initially rated it for ages 3 and up. Yes, three. Then, in a comical backpedal, PEGI retroactively upped the game to an adults-only 18+ rating, presumably after someone finally realized, “Hey, this might look like gambling.”
The whole situation is a mess that highlights the glaring inconsistencies and occasional cluelessness of rating boards worldwide. It’s another reminder that the people in charge of deciding what’s “appropriate” often have no idea what they’re doing.
Despite the absence of real-world betting, PEGI has deemed Balatro, a deck-building roguelike, worthy of an “Adults Only” 18+ rating due to its “prominent gambling imagery.” And honestly, I think they got it right. According to PEGI’s official stance, the rating stems from the belief that Balatro imparts “skills and knowledge used in poker” through its images, information, and gameplay mechanics, a perspective that’s not entirely unwarranted for a game inspired by casino aesthetics and card-playing strategies.
“During gameplay, the player is rewarded with ‘chips’ for playing certain hands,” explains PEGI. “The game provides a list of poker hand names, and as the player hovers over these hands, it explains the types of cards needed to form them. Over time, players naturally become familiar with which hands earn more points. Since these hands exist in real-world poker, the knowledge and skills acquired in the game could be applied to actual poker games.”
The shift from an initial 3+ rating, essentially making the game accessible to everyone to a far more restrictive 18+ rating represents a significant clampdown. PEGI’s revised classification not only limits Balatro’s potential audience in Europe but also directly impacts its sales prospects.
Unsurprisingly, the developer, Localthunk, didn’t take this decision lightly and has publicly expressed their outrage over the change.
Balatro developer Localthunk has fired back, taking to Twitter to call out PEGI’s glaring inconsistency. They made a compelling argument by pointing to the rating given to EA Sports FC 25. Despite the game featuring microtransactions, more accurately described as “loot boxes” PEGI has deemed it suitable for players as young as three.
The stark contrast between PEGI’s leniency towards a heavily monetized AAA title and their harsh stance on Balatro is impossible to ignore.
Localthunk argues that Ultimate Team Packs in EA Sports FC 25 are “actual gambling mechanics” and rightly calls out PEGI for allowing such features to be sold to children. This hypocrisy underscores the inconsistency in PEGI’s age ratings, which permit games with microtransactions to target minors.
However, this doesn’t negate the fact that Balatro, a game fundamentally centered around card games and gambling themes should not share the same age rating as EA’s cookie-cutter sports slop. Instead, the real issue lies in the leniency toward games like EA Sports FC 25 and the NBA 2K series.
Their ratings should be drastically increased to align with Balatro’s 18+ classification, reflecting the real-life gambling mechanics they contain.
When it comes to gambling elements, PEGI’s rating board is notoriously anal. Under their revised rating guidelines, even re-releases of classic Nintendo titles like Super Mario 64 DS and Pokemon Red were initially slated for 18+ ratings.
The reasoning? Gambling mechanics, such as the Game Corner slot machines in Pokemon and Super Mario’s casino-themed minigames, were deemed inappropriate for younger audiences. However, these titles ultimately received far lower 12+ ratings when re-released in their original form. Ironically, PEGI’s rules state that the stricter 18+ rating only applies if these games are modified with changes, effectively classifying them as “new” games.
Clarifying his earlier statements, Localthunk later remarked, “Just to clear it up – I’m way more irked at the 3+ rating for games with actual gambling mechanics for children than I am about Balatro having an 18+ rating.” This level-headed response is both modest and appropriate. Considering the nature of Balatro and PEGI’s aversion to realistic gambling themes, it’s entirely understandable why the game was ultimately hit with an 18+ classification.
The blatant hypocrisy of sports games targeting children while featuring microtransactions is enough to outrage anyone. PEGI’s approach seems to excuse these practices, as sports games aren’t technically centered around gambling as a core gameplay mechanic.
Yet, they openly allow consumers to spend real money on player packs for fantasy rosters. Past releases like NBA 2K20 by 2K Games and Visual Concepts also received a 3+ age rating, despite widespread criticism for incorporating similar “MyTeam” microtransaction systems as EA’s sports titles.
To make matters worse, NBA 2K20 even included chance-based minigames modeled after casino staples like slot machines, roulette, and pachinko, further exposing PEGI’s inconsistent stance.
Localthunk, the developer of Balatro, revealed on social media that they reached out to PEGI in hopes of appealing their game’s age rating but were ultimately dismissed. Additionally, PEGI stood firm on their stance regarding microtransactional gambling in sports games, stating they would not retroactively adjust the age rating for EA FC 25 or any other sports titles, ensuring that children in Europe can continue to be swindled by Electronic Arts or any other big name brand.
It’s painfully obvious that PEGI operates with blatant bias and hypocrisy. Companies like EA and 2K, owned by Take-Two Interactive, are infamous for allegedly buying favorable coverage from journalists and reviewers. Just look at BioWare’s latest disaster, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, to understand the depths of this practice.
It wouldn’t be surprising if these companies also leveraged bribes or influence to secure lower age ratings from regional authorities, ensuring maximum sales while hooking children into microtransactions and, by extension, exploiting them with real-life gambling.
PEGI, much like the ESRB, has proven to be a colossal failure. These organizations are less about protecting consumers and more about controlling and gatekeeping smaller creators while giving a free pass to the exploitative and degenerate practices churned out by AAA publishers year after year. Their priorities are clear, and it’s not protecting players, it’s protecting their corporate benefactors.
