Choose Poker Quest: Swords and Spades
Choose Poker Quest: Swords and Spades if you want an Adventure and RPG experience. Poker Quest: Swords and Spades launched in 2022.
Poker Quest: Swords and Spades vs Balatro
Poker Quest: Swords and Spades and Balatro both land in Strategy, Indie on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Strategy, Indie on Steam. Poker Quest: Swords and Spades (2022) is 2 years older than Balatro (2024). Balatro scores higher on Steam reviews (98.1% positive) than Poker Quest: Swords and Spades (86.8% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Balatro
Choose Balatro if you want a Casual game with Color Alternatives, Custom Volume Controls, and Playable without Timed Input. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 98.1% positive across 99,852 reviews.
Both Poker Quest: Swords and Spades and Balatro sit in Strategy and Indie on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Poker Quest: Swords and Spades |  Balatro | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2022 | 2024 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Adventure, RPG | Strategy, Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 14.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 86.8% positive (538 reviews) | 98.1% positive (99,852 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Playsaurus | LocalThunk |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Poker Quest: Swords and Spades (2022) is 2 years older than Balatro (2024).
- Balatro scores higher on Steam reviews (98.1% positive) than Poker Quest: Swords and Spades (86.8% positive).
- Balatro is currently ~0% cheaper on Steam than Poker Quest: Swords and Spades (14.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Poker Quest: Swords and Spades is Deck Playable, Balatro is Deck Verified.
Poker Quest: Swords and Spades vs Balatro — FAQ
- Which is better, Poker Quest: Swords and Spades or Balatro?
- On Steam reviews Balatro scores higher (98.1% positive) than Poker Quest: Swords and Spades (86.8% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Balatro is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Poker Quest: Swords and Spades or Balatro first?
- If you want chronology, Poker Quest: Swords and Spades (2022) came out before Balatro (2024). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Poker Quest: Swords and Spades and Balatro similar?
- They overlap on Strategy, Indie on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.