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Billion-dollar companies like Nintendo and Activision Blizzard may continue to dominate the video game market. However, independent developers remain bullish, looking to break new ground in new territories regarding game genres, gameplay, and storytelling. One stellar example is the indie game Balatro, which has captured gamers worldwide with its unique mechanics. While there’s no shortage of roguelike, deck-building games that rely on randomness for replayability, Balatro’s magic comes from its use of poker rules and elements to encourage players to use their brains and strategize to defeat enemies.
Enhanced by its retro art style, it almost comes as no surprise that poker-themed Balatro reached five million unit sales across all platforms in January 2025. Balatro also won two awards at the Pocket Gamer Awards: Best Digital Board Game of the Year and Best Mobile Port.
In addition to drawing attention to the one-of-a-kind charm of indie games, Balatro also proves the enduring excitement that poker can bring to today’s gamers. If you’re looking to recreate the thrill of combining poker hands outside of Balatro, below are other fun options to explore across different platforms like PC, console, and mobile.
Americas Cardroom for a wide range of variants
While Americas Cardroom has already established itself as a reputable poker platform since 2001, it has been gaining popularity in the video gaming community in recent years. In 2020, the poker site supported Twitch content creators through a series of “raids,” a tactic that sends viewers to other live channels to help them grow their audiences.
Now, Americas Cardroom continues its efforts to engage the Twitch gaming community through the ACR Stormers, a team of streamers and content creators who introduce you to American online poker and its many variants, such as Texas Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha. Like the Stormers, you can freely explore the platform’s promotions and flagship events, such as the high-stakes Venom tourney with the largest prize pools. The full online poker experience on Americas Cardroom is available on desktop (Windows, Mac) and mobile (iOS, Android).
Sunshine Shuffle for a blend of mystery and adventure
Often dubbed Animal Crossing-meets-Poker Night at the Inventory, Sunshine Shuffle is a narrative poker adventure game where you take on the role of an investigator and play classic Texas Hold’em with a group of talking animals. Even if you’re not familiar with the rules, the game guides you through key elements like poker hand rankings and turns to help you progress through the story.
That’s precisely what sets Sunshine Shuffle apart from other poker-themed games—its story, which involves the cute animal characters’ otherwise mysterious and criminal pasts. In addition to being rewarded with decorations for the S.S. Sunshine, careful strategy and gameplay can help you unlock conversations that will deepen your understanding of the story.
Liar's Bar to raise the stakes
Since Liar’s Bar is an online multiplayer game focused on social deception, it has become a hit among Twitch and YouTube streamers, reaching over 100,000 concurrent streams for its October 2024 update. Available on Windows and mobile devices, the game mainly revolves around two bluffing games—Liar's Dice and Liar's Deck—that you can play with strangers or friends via voice chat.
However, in January 2025, it was announced that poker would be a new game mode in the early access version of Liar’s Bar. This addition will raise the stakes and involve more bluffing than the already available game modes, so keep an eye out for this upcoming update.
Clearly, there are many ways to enjoy a widely beloved card game like poker if you remember to look beyond the mainstream and explore indie or upcoming releases. Continue reading Land of Geek's posts for more gaming news and features.
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