Balatro vs Dice A Million: Which gambling game comes out on top?

In June 2023, Balatro developer LocalThunk graced the world with the demo for the new game that they had constructed solo. After Balatro’s full release in February 2024, casual gamers and devotees alike all flocked to social media to talk about how it had consumed their every waking moment (with some even claiming they heard the game’s noises in their sleep). This appeal only continued after it was nominated for “Game of the Year” at the 2024 Game Awards.

Similarly, Dice A Million is a rogue-like deck builder, but the similarities (mostly) end there. With a focus on combos and special dice, which work in tandem with each other to increase the number of “pips”. Like Balatro before it, Dice A Million has its initial release as an open demo. The Dice A Million release date is planned for early 2026. With some obvious (yet perhaps unfair) comparisons already being made between the two games, it seemed only right to contrast the two and see what each does right and wrong.

Balatro vs Dice A Million: Gameplay difference

As both these gambling games involve aspects of luck and gambling, many have been comparing the two. But which of the two is more addictive? Which of the two better scratches the gambling itch without actually spending any money? Before we answer these questions, there is one thing to note.

At the time of writing this, Dice A Million is still in its pre-release demo stage, so take all of what we say here with the knowledge that the game is likely to improve drastically before its release. Meanwhile, Balatro’s gameplay has already been established as dangerously addictive and clean. With that, let’s get into what makes both these games distinct.

Balatro vs Dice A Million: Premise explained

The appeal of Dice A Million lies within the constant feedback loop. With a simple gameplay loop of using dice you had previously chosen on your run, most of which have special effects or interactions if used right, it’s easy to understand and play. Alongside a plethora of activatable “cards” which cause special effects to occur and “rings” which grant some helpful passive effects, one tends to find oneself hypnotised by this game.

While Dice A Million’s price currently unknown, we can recommend the demo to kill an hour or two. Balatro is similar in theory; throughout the course of the run, you add new cards to your deck as well as obtain passive effects and special power-ups through the shop.

However, as Dice A Million is inherently more luck-based, it can sometimes feel like the combos you were setting up all game are nowhere near as effective as you imagined them to be. In contrast, in Balatro, the choosing of poker hands provides a more impactful way of engaging the player. Boiled down, the game is still based on the ruleset of poker. I feel this is where Dice A Million is lacking, as the simple action of throwing dice feels more removed than the calculated combinations and patterns that Balatro encourages the player to seek out.

Balatro vs Dice A Million: Difficulty

This disconnect from the player also directly leads to the issues of difficulty in both of these games. With Dice A Million, the difficulty again is entirely based on luck. I found in my time that if your initial few rounds are lacklustre, it is unlikely that you will get very far in the game. While some would say that this is the game’s way of representing “difficulty”, it tends to cause a situation where, at the beginning of the game, it’s smooth sailing with the player easily being able to match or often exceed immensely the point requirement, or you lose within the first three rounds.

In comparison, when you lose a Balatro game, it feels deserved. The gameplay loop more effectively limits how much is up to chance, so that even if you are only getting the lowest value combos, you can still be in with a chance of succeeding. We feel some simple additions to Dice A Million would level out this disconnect and put it on a Similar level as Balatro.

The best thing about Dice A Million is combining dice that multiply values with ones that attract other dice. The only issue is that there are only a few dice in the game that interact with the positioning of the thrown dice. Without more of these kinds of dice available, the game’s reliance on luck becomes more apparent.

Balatro vs Dice A Million: Which gambling game is better?

In terms of which of the two games is “better”, unfortunately, as of right now, it’s not really a contest. The sleeker graphics, as well as more possibilities with just an intrinsically better gameplay loop, push Balatro ahead of Dice A Million by a good margin. This is the case with most rogue-like deck builders released after Balatro; it really is great. However, that’s not to say that Dice A Million is “bad”; it’s just not fully released yet.

We are hopeful to say in a few months when it fully releases that Dice A Million’s gameplay sets it apart from other games in its genre by utilising a combination of luck and strategy to effectively make each throw of the dice feel like it is make or break. But until then, if you want to kill an hour or two with some quick fun, then I highly recommend the demo for Dice A Million. There is no denying, though, that Balatro is the format done perfectly and unlike Dice A Million, which can become samey, Balatro will always keep dragging you back for “just one more round”.