Ever been there? You’re on a heater in Balatro. The Jokers are lining up perfectly. Your deck is thin, your economy is humming. This is it. This is the Ante 8 winning run you’ve been dreaming about.
Then it happens. A brain-fart. You sell the wrong Joker. Or maybe you pick a boss blind that completely, utterly, and without mercy destroys your entire setup. The run is dead. The dream is over.
What if I told you it didn’t have to be? What if you could bend time itself within the game’s code? Well, you sort of can. By 2025, this method is still the go-to for players who want a do-over, a second chance at that perfect run.
We’re talking about managing your save file. It sounds technical, but it’s easier than you think. This is your guide on how to go back in time in your Balatro save. It’s about taking back control from one silly mistake.
So, What Exactly is This Balatro Time Bending?
Let’s be real, it’s not actual time travel. It’s what gamers have been doing for years, normally called “save scumming.” The name sounds a little grimy, but the idea is simple and clean.
You’re basically making a photocopy of your game when things are going great. When things go south, you just throw away the bad new version and replace it with that good old photocopy.
This lets you retry a tough blind or undo a really bad shop choice. Since Balatro is a single-player game, you’re not hurting anyone. You’re just making the game fun for you, on your terms.
Think of it like a bookmark in a really intense book. You put the bookmark in before a scary chapter, and if you don’t like how it ends, you can just go back to the bookmark and pretend it never happened.
Finding Your Balatro Save File – The Treasure Map
First things first, you can’t manage your save if you can’t find it. The game tucks these files away in a hidden folder on your computer. Finding it is the first real step.
The location is a little different depending on what system you use. The vast majority of players are on Windows, so we’ll start there. It’s considered to be the most common setup.
For Windows Users
This is usually the easiest one. The game’s data is stored in a hidden folder called AppData.
Here’s the quickest way to get there:
Press the Windows Key + R on your keyboard. This opens the “Run” box.
In the box, type this exactly: %APPDATA%\Balatro
Hit Enter.
A folder window should pop up immediately. That’s it! You’re in. This is the secret headquarters for your Balatro runs. No need to go clicking through a million folders to find it.
Mac and Linux Players
You guys weren’t forgotten. The process is similar, you just have to look in a slightly different spot. The developers normally follow a standard system for this kind of thing.
For Mac users, you’ll generally want to look in: ~/Library/Application Support/Balatro
For Linux users, the spot is typically: ~/.local/share/Balatro
These folders might be hidden by default. You may need to change your settings to show hidden files to see them. A quick search online for your specific OS version will show you how.
The Actual “Going Back in Time” Process
Okay, you found the folder. You can see some files and more folders inside. Now what? It is this part of the process that is the most important.
Inside the main Balatro folder, you’ll probably see folders named ‘1’, ‘2’, ‘3’, and so on. These correspond to your in-game profiles. So if you’re playing on the first profile slot, you’ll be working in folder ‘1’.
The Step-by-Step Rewind
1. Find the Good Moment. Play your run until you reach a point you’re happy with. A great time to make a backup is right before you face a boss blind you’re worried about.
2. Copy the Golden File. Go into your profile folder (e.g., folder ‘1’). You will see a file inside named save.jkr. This little guy is your entire run. Right-click on it and copy it.
3. Make a Safe Zone. Go to your Desktop or make a new folder somewhere easy to find. Paste the save.jkr file there. This is your time capsule. Your safe point.
4. Play Recklessly. Now, go back into Balatro and continue your run. Face that scary boss. Make that risky purchase in the shop. Play without fear.
5. The Inevitable Mistake. Oh no. You messed up. The boss crushed you. You sold your best Joker by accident. Don’t panic.
6. CLOSE THE GAME. This is a super important step. Close Balatro completely. This stops it from saving over your bad state again.
7. Time to Restore. Go to where you saved your backup save.jkr file. Copy it again.
8. Overwrite the Bad Timeline. Go back to the Balatro save folder (`%APPDATA%\Balatro\1` or similar). Paste the backup file in there. Windows will ask if you want to replace the file in the destination. Say YES.
9. Relaunch and Rejoice. Open Balatro again. When you click continue, you should be right back where you were when you made the copy. The mistake never happened. You are a time wizard.
Things to Watch Out For in 2025
While this method has been solid for a while, games change. As we move through 2025, there are a couple of things to keep in your mind.
Game updates could potentially change the save file structure. It’s not super likely for a game like this, but the developer could decide to change how things are stored. If it stops working after an update, this might be why.
The other big one is cloud saves. Steam has a feature called Steam Cloud that automatically backs up your saves. This is normally great.
But for our purposes, it can cause problems. Steam might see you replaced a file and decide to “fix” it for you by downloading the old, bad save from the cloud, undoing your time travel.
If you plan on doing this a lot, you might want to disable Steam Cloud for Balatro specifically. You can do this by right-clicking the game in your Steam library, going to Properties, and unchecking the cloud save option. Just remember you did this if you ever switch computers.
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Key Takeaways
You can “go back in time” by making a backup of your `save.jkr` file.
The Balatro save folder is usually in `%APPDATA%\Balatro` on Windows.
Copy your save file when your run is going well and paste it somewhere safe.
If you mess up, close the game and replace the current save file with your backup.
Be careful of game updates and Steam Cloud, which can sometimes interfere with the process.
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FAQ: Your Balatro Time Travel Questions Answered
Is this considered cheating?
Honestly, it’s up to you. It’s a single-player game. The goal is to have a good time. If this makes the game more enjoyable for you and helps you see wild combos, then go for it. There are no leaderboards you’re breaking.
Will I get banned for doing this?
Absolutely not. There’s no anti-cheat or online validation for single-player progress. You’re just moving files around on your own computer. Nobody is watching or cares.
Can I do this on the Steam Deck?
Yes, you totally can. You’ll need to switch to Desktop Mode on your Steam Deck. From there, you can use the file manager to find the Linux save path mentioned earlier. It’s a bit more fiddly than on a PC but works the same way.
What happens if I accidentally delete my save file?
This is the danger. If you’re not careful, you could delete your main profile progress. Always make sure you’re copying and pasting, and maybe even make a backup of your backup just in case. Be careful when you’re in these folders.
I tried this and it didn’t work, what went wrong?
The most common problem is Steam Cloud. It might have restored your bad save file before you could launch the game. Try disabling it for Balatro. Another issue could be that you copied the file from the wrong profile folder. Double check you’re in the right one.
