Balatro 1.1 Update Delayed Beyond 2025 as Developer Prioritizes Health and Creativity

balatro

The long-awaited Balatro 1.1 update will no longer launch in 2025, according to developer LocalThunk, who confirmed the delay in a blog post this week.

“I have some unfortunate news: The promised 2025 Balatro 1.1 update isn’t going to come out in 2025,” he wrote. “I know, I announced that it would, but it has become clear now that it won’t happen by the end of the year and I wanted to tell you all now. I feel bad for not keeping that promise, and I am sorry.”

LocalThunk explained that after Balatro’s launch in February 2024, he quickly dove into a balance patch (1.0.1) and then worked on the game’s mobile port, which arrived later that year. By the end of 2024, the nonstop development cycle left him burned out.

He took several months off before resuming work in early 2025, but this time he committed to treating development like a hobby again—working a few hours a day, sometimes on update 1.1 and sometimes on other creative ideas.

“I am working slowly, but I like it that way,” he said. “I love getting sucked into rabbit holes and I don’t like trying to force things creatively.”

Unlike larger studios tied to strict deadlines, LocalThunk emphasized his independence and freedom to set his own pace. He admitted that announcing a fixed release window had added unnecessary stress and went against his preferred way of working.

“I have never, before Balatro, set a deadline for any of my creative projects and I now realize how important that is for my process,” he explained. “I think the best version of ‘work’ for me is the version that makes me want to come back to my keyboard every day, healthy, and hopefully just as excited about game development 5 years from now as I am today. I don’t want 1.1 to be the last update this game gets.”

While the delay means fans will need to wait longer for new content, LocalThunk reassured players that his passion for Balatro remains strong. He even shared that he recently completed 100% of the game’s achievements and looks forward to doing it all again once 1.1 arrives.

For now, the only timeline is “done when it’s done.” But the update is guaranteed to happen, and when it does, it will be free and supported with future adjustments as needed.