Balatro vs Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era
Both reward long-term mastery, but one is a solo poker roguelike you can finish on a commute, and the other is a multiplayer HOMM revival still in Early Access.
Updated 13d ago
Definitive deck-building poker roguelike that holds up past 100 hours, with free Friends of Jimbo updates adding new collab card packs.
Olden Era revives the HOMM3 formula with modern flair, but its PvP-driven balance and single-player wonk make it a wait-for-full-release unless you're multiplayer-bound.
By the numbers
Prices checked Sep 26; they move faster than we refresh, so confirm on the store page.
Recent-review figures are Steam's own last-30-days window, read Sep 26.
| Measure | Balatro | Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era |
|---|---|---|
| Value Balatro wins on value | ||
| Price now | $11.99 −20% · Fanatical | $29.99 −25% · Nuuvem |
| All-time low | $10.15 | $27.69 |
| Cost / hour | $1.58/hr $11.99 · 8 h main story | $2.57/hr $29.99 · 12 h main story |
| Off its low | +18% low was Jul 2026 | +8% low was May 2026 |
| Main story | 8 h | 12 h |
| Health Balatro wins on player health | ||
| Steam reviews | 98% 200k reviews | 87% 23k reviews |
| Recent reviews | 97% 1k votes · vs 98% lifetime | 77% 709 votes · vs 87% lifetime · souring |
| Peak players | 9,690 Sep 2026 · ↓ 3% MoM | 8,316 Sep 2026 · ↓ 7% MoM |
| Launch peak | 28% of Feb 2024 launch peak · as of Sep 2026 | — |
| All-time peak | 43,825 Jan 2025 | 60,562 May 2026 · now at 14% |
| Support | ||
| Last patch | 24 months ago | 9 days ago |
| Patch cadence | 0 in last 90 days | 7 in last 90 days |
| Steam Deck | Platinum | Platinum |
Shared scale — same months across the bottom, same player-count axis up the side, so the two lines are directly comparable. A shorter line means a younger game.
What players say
Patterns from long-haul reviewers, taken from each game's verdict. Not live sentiment — each side is dated below.
Balatro
The addictive roguelike loop of Balatro, with its endless joker and tarot combos, keeps 100+ hour players chasing new synergies.
The reliance on early-game luck and frequent restarts after bad tags or discards is the frustration veterans with 100+ hours consistently hit.
from our May 2026 verdict
Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era
The HOMM3-inspired feel hooks veterans—builds feel varied, magic synergies shine, and randomly generated maps keep hundreds of hours fresh.
Balance and load times frustrate long-haul players—AI steamrolls on higher difficulties, templates are a gamble, and crashes mar sessions.
from our August 2026 verdict
Key differences
Which one is for you?
Pick Balatro if
- You loved Slay the Spire and want a poker-hand deck builder instead
- You want a finished, stable game with no Early Access caveats
- You play in 15-minute chunks and don't need cross-save yet
Pick Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era if
- You mainly play multiplayer versus friends or randoms
- You want a HOMM3-style loop with fresh factions now
- You can tolerate Early Access UI and balance rough edges
Bottom line
Pick Balatro if you want a complete, portable 8-hour campaign that costs $1-2 an hour; pick Olden Era only if you're multiplayer-bound and can weather its 12-hour Early Access single-player wonk at over $2 an hour.