Choose Tendryll
Choose Tendryll if you want an Early Access experience. On Steam, it's currently about 40% cheaper on the Steam Store. Tendryll launched in 2024.
Tendryll vs Balatro
Tendryll 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. Both released in 2024. Balatro scores higher on Steam reviews (98.1% positive) than Tendryll (80.6% 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's Steam Deck Verified, so handheld play works out of the box. 99,852 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Tendryll 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
 Tendryll |  Balatro | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2024 | 2024 |
| Genres | Strategy, Indie, Early Access | Strategy, Indie, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Verified |
| Price | 7.14 USD | 11.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 80.6% positive (72 reviews) | 98.1% positive (99,852 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Single-player only | Single-player only |
| Developers | Brute Farce | LocalThunk |
Side by side
- Both share Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Both released in 2024.
- Balatro scores higher on Steam reviews (98.1% positive) than Tendryll (80.6% positive).
- Tendryll is currently ~40% cheaper on Steam than Balatro (7.14 USD vs. 11.99 USD).
- Steam Deck: Tendryll is Deck Playable, Balatro is Deck Verified.
Tendryll vs Balatro — FAQ
- Are Tendryll 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.