Balatro Jokers ranked: Full tier list in 2026

A roguelike poker title that started as a side project for its maker but has now snowballed into a very popular card game sounds like a made-up success story, doesn’t it? While it brings a very unique gameplay loop to the table, its Jokers are the highlight of the experience. The best jokers in Balatro could be very useful cards to have in your deck, and with good reason.

Balatro Jokers add interesting twists to its formula, bringing a wide range of abilities to the table. But with over 150 of them in the game, it can be hard to figure out which ones could serve you the best. That’s where we come in. We’ve been playing the award-winning roguelike for months to bring you a definitive list of all the Joker cards to use.

Balatro Jokers explained

Jokers are special cards that remain separate from your deck, with only a few being available to you to play. You could increase that number in some ways, an example being assigning the Negative condition to a Joker already in your deck, which makes it essentially “weightless”, allowing you to assign another one in its place.

The best Balatro Jokers do more than just increase your money/points. They could, for instance, copy the effect of the Joker next to them, or perhaps create an infinite loop of free consumables from your deck. They come with a lot of potential for some insane synergies, and as such, choosing the best ones for the deck you’re running is very important to consistently win in Balatro.

How we made our Balatro Jokers tier list

In our search for the best Jokers in Balatro, we focused not just on their utility, but on how each one could fit into a variety of decks, and play off of other ones to give you an undeniable edge in nearly every situation you may encounter. It makes sense that some of them are better than the others, but aside from a few common ones, there’s a use case for nearly all of them, even if it doesn’t seem obvious at the time.

With that being said, we do have a few that could be seen as Balatro’s best Jokers, since they come with extensive use cases or specific advantages that are too good to be ignored. Those are the ones that will populate the S and A tiers of cards, while the B, C, and D tiers come with more limited utilities but could still be viable winners in the right scenarios.

Balatro Jokers ranked summary

While there are a staggering number of Jokers you can unlock in this very creative roguelike, we’re going to give you the best ones you can pick up in our best Balatro Jokers tier list. Each of them could be just what you need to ensure a successful run and is likely to blend well with your existing decks.

Your mileage may vary, though, and you could very well find other Jokers that synergize well with them from other tiers. It’s time to dive into our Balatro Joker rankings.

S-Tier Balatro Jokers

While Brainstorm and Blueprint are almost inevitable presences on any Balatro Joker list, their utility comes from their effects, and you’d do well to place them to the left or right of other useful Jokers, respectively. For instance, using either of them in tandem with Mime can make a deck of Steel cards a powerhouse, considering how useful Mime can be on its own.

Other Balatro Rare Jokers would also work well with them, but Perkeo has to be the pick among S-Tier Jokers, as its ability to generate consumables without taking up inventory space can make you unstoppable if you build your deck around a consumable of your choice. It’s simply among the finest additions to any deck, and a player who knows what they’re doing can make very good use of its unique effect.

A-Tier Balatro Jokers

If you have the Mime Joker in your deck, the Steel Joker’s Mult increase is going to make your time with the game a whole lot easier. It’s a strong presence on any Balatro Joker list, and with good reason. Used in tandem with the Mime Joker from our S-Tier, this one is sure to bring a smile to your face if you happen to be using a Steel Card deck.

However, it’s the Showman that takes the cake among the other Balatro Jokers ranked in this tier, as its ability to duplicate Spectrals, Tarots, and other Jokers makes it a great fit on any deck, especially one in which you have Perkeo equipped. That’s a synergy that can take down even the most imposing Boss Blinds in the right circumstances.

B-Tier Balatro Jokers

While Rocket may not seem like it ranks high among Balatro’s order of Jokers, you’d do very well with it if you’re running a deck built around generating income. It synergizes really well with Hiker and can easily let you bully your way to victory.

Bootstraps and Gift Card are quite handy in income-based decks and can easily give you a lot of money if used with Showman, Mime, and either Brainstorm or Blueprint! They could also work with many new Balatro Jokers, making them versatile additions to a lot of different decks.

C-Tier Balatro Jokers

Chichot has to be our pick in this tier, and is easily a top pick among all Balatro Jokers. Disabling the effects of Boss Blinds is an advantage that could easily get you towards the next ante. Pairing it up with Chico lets you get a lot of money to use in the shop, which could subsequently let you unleash a slew of consumable effects if it’s used in tandem with Perkeo.

D-Tier Balatro Jokers

Like Chichot, Luchador is very handy during Boss Blinds, but for those of you running a Stone Card deck, the Marble Joker used in tandem with Blueprint and Mime could be an absolute game-changer! Try it out if that’s your playstyle, and you’re going to have a very good time. They’re not as (instantly) powerful, but they have good use cases under the right circumstances.