Can You Play Balatro on Mac? Yes — Here' s How It Runs on macOS

If you’re a fan of poker-based roguelikes, you've probably heard of Balatro—a highly acclaimed indie card game from LocalThunk and Playstack. Celebrated as Game of the Year and praised for its addictive gameplay, now you may be wondering: Can you play Balatro on your Mac?

The answer? Yes—and mostly seamlessly.

1. Full Native macOS Support

As of March 1, 2024, Balatro received its official macOS port via Steam

The Mac version runs natively on both Intel and Apple Silicon (M1/M2) machines, thanks to support via Rosetta or a universal build.

Minimum requirements: macOS 11 (Big Sur) or newer, 1 GB RAM, 4 GB GPU, and 150 MB disk space

2. Performance and Stability

Many users report the game runs “like a charm” on macOS Ventura 13.x and Sonoma, including on M2 Macs with no crashes

Some minor quirks have been logged—like early launch stuttering or missing sound—but these appear rare and often fixed quickly via patches.

3. Alternative via Windows Emulation

If you prefer, tools like Whisky (a WINE-based wrapper) let you install the Windows version of Balatro on Mac—for cases where the native port isn’t ideal

Several Reddit users have reported near-flawless performance through Whisky, with only minor stutter that clears post-launch.