So you’re deep into a Balatro run. The deck is feeling good. You’ve got some wild Jokers working together, and you’re starting to see those insane score numbers pop up. Then it happens. A misclick. You sell the wrong Joker by accident. Or maybe you face The Wall and your hand is just total garbage. The run dies. It’s a tragedy we’ve all experienced. You just sit there staring at the screen, thinking, “if only I could go back, just one hand.”
Well, what if I told you that you kind of can? It’s a bit of a secret, not really part of the game’s design, but it is a thing that’s totally possible. For those of us who have lost a god-tier run to one silly mistake in 2025, there’s hope. This guide is all about how to go back in time in your Balatro save. It’s about giving yourself a do-over when the game’s RNG just decides to be mean. It’s not about cheating leaderboards, it’s about saving your sanity.
So Why Would You Want to Do This Anyway?
It’s a fair question. Some people might say this is just cheating, and maybe it is a little. But there are some good reasons why you might want to mess with your save file. It is considered by many players to be a good way to learn.
You can test out Joker combinations you’re not sure about. Without the fear of your whole run exploding, you can see if that weird combo actually works or not. It’s a great way to figure out how certain mechanics interact.
Sometimes, you just misclick. It happens. You’re moving fast, you’re in the zone, and suddenly you’ve sold your main scoring Joker instead of the money-maker. Going back in time fixes a simple human error.
And honestly, sometimes it’s just about having fun. Balatro can be a demanding game. If you want to have a more relaxed time and make sure you see a run through to its crazy conclusion, this is one way to do it. There’s no shame in that.
The Easiest Method: Manual Save Backups
This is the bread and butter. The most reliable and safest way to time travel in Balatro is to just manually copy your save file. It’s not automated, it takes a second to do, but it gives you total control. You create your own checkpoints.
The whole trick is knowing where the game keeps its secrets. You need to find the save file folder, which is typically hidden away on your computer so you don’t accidentally break things.
Finding Your Balatro Save File Spot
For most people on a Windows PC, the path is pretty standard. The game saves its stuff in a folder called AppData. Here’s the magic trick to get there super fast.
Press the Windows Key + R on your keyboard. This opens the “Run” box.
Type %APPDATA% into the box and hit Enter.
This will pop open a folder. From there, you just need to find the “Balatro” folder.
So the full path generally looks something like this: C:\Users\[YOUR USERNAME]\AppData\Roaming\Balatro
Inside that folder, you’ll see another folder, probably with a number for a name. That folder holds your profiles. That’s the treasure. That’s the thing you want to copy. For other systems, the location is a bit different but the idea is the same. On a Steam Deck or Linux, you’ll be looking in the compatdata folder for Steam.
The Actual Backup and Restore Process
Once you’ve found that folder, the rest is really simple. It’s just a copy-and-paste job. You don’t need any special software or computer skills, really.
1. Close Balatro. This is a super important step. Don’t try this with the game running, you’ll just cause problems.
2. Go to the Save Folder. Navigate to the AppData\Roaming\Balatro location we found.
3. Copy the Profile Folder. Right-click on the folder inside (the one with the number) and hit “Copy.”
4. Paste It Somewhere Safe. Go to your Desktop or Documents and make a new folder called “Balatro Backups” or something. Paste the copied folder inside. You can even rename it, like “Run Before Ante 4” so you know what it is.
5. To Restore: When a run goes bad, close the game. Delete the current profile folder inside the main Balatro directory. Then, copy your backup from your safe folder and paste it back into the Balatro directory.
When you start the game again, boom. You’re back in time. You’ll be exactly where you were when you made that copy. It’s a really good idea to do this before a particularly tough boss blind or before making a big shop decision.
The “Read-Only” Trick for Quick Resets
This one’s a little different. It’s good for when you want to try one specific thing over and over, like a really tough boss blind where you need the perfect starting hand. It’s a bit more technical.
What this method does is, it prevents the game from overwriting your save file. So you can play, lose, and when you restart the game, it just loads up the save from before you started because it never got updated.
First, get your run to the point you want to save. Just before the boss blind, for example.
Close the game.
Go to the save file location again. This time, you need to go deeper. Inside the profile folder, find the file named save.jkr.
Right-click on save.jkr and go to “Properties.”
At the bottom of the properties window, you’ll see a little checkbox that says “Read-only.” Check that box and click “OK.”
Now, when you open Balatro and play that blind, the game can’t save your loss. If you lose, just close the game and reopen it. You’ll be right back at the start of the blind, ready to try again. The big catch is that you HAVE to remember to go back and uncheck the “Read-only” box once you succeed. If you don’t, none of your future progress will be saved.
A Big Fat Word of Warning
Okay, so before you go messing with game files, there are a couple of things you need to be aware of. This isn’t an official game feature, so things can sometimes go wrong. It is a fact that you could potentially mess things up if you’re not careful.
First, Steam Cloud. Steam Cloud is a great thing that syncs your saves, but it can get really confused when you start swapping files out manually. It might see your old file and try to “fix” it by downloading the newer, failed-run file from the cloud. The best practice is to temporarily disable Steam Cloud for Balatro while you’re doing this.
Second, game updates. The developer might change how saves work in a future update in 2025. A patch could move the save location or change the file format, and these methods might stop working or even corrupt your file. Always be careful after a new update.
And that brings up the most important point: always, always have a backup of your main profile somewhere safe before you start doing this. If you accidentally delete the wrong thing, you could lose all your unlocks. So make a master backup before you even start making run-specific backups.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: Can I get banned from Balatro for doing this?
A: Nope. Balatro is a single-player game. There are no anti-cheat systems. You’re only changing your own experience, not affecting anyone else.
Q2: Does this save scumming method work on the Steam Deck?
A: Yes, it does. You’ll need to go into Desktop Mode to access the file system. The path is a bit more complicated because of how Linux handles things, but the principle of copying the save folder is exactly the same.
Q3: Can I use this to go back to a specific hand I misplayed?
A: Normally, no. The game typically saves your progress after each blind or visit to the shop. You can go back to the start of the blind, but not usually to the middle of a hand you’re playing.
Q4: Will messing with my save file disable achievements?
A: It shouldn’t, but it’s not a guarantee. The game isn’t designed to check for this. As long as you restore a valid save file, the game should just pick up where it left off, achievements and all.
Q5: What if I completely corrupt my save file? What do I do?
A: This is why you make a master backup! If everything goes wrong, disable Steam Cloud, delete the messed-up files in the AppData folder, and copy your master backup in. Then you’ll be back to where you were before you started.
Key Takeaways
Going back in time in your Balatro save is totally possible and great for learning or fixing mistakes.
The safest method is to manually copy your save folder, which is found in the %APPDATA%\Balatro location on Windows.
Always close the game before you move, delete, or replace any save files.
The “read-only” trick is good for re-trying a specific blind, but remember to turn it off after.
Be careful with Steam Cloud and always make a “master” backup of your profile before you start experimenting.
So go on, give yourself a second chance. Don’t let one bad draw or one clumsy misclick ruin an hour of careful deck building. A little bit of file management can make the game a lot less frustrating and, for some of us, a whole lot more fun. Happy deckbuilding.
