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Modding Balatro on Steam Deck

Mar 21, 2025/Steam Deck/Gaming, Modding, Steam Deck
Bunco

After achieving 100% completion in Balatro, I wanted to explore more content. I discovered the Bunco mod which adds exciting new features to the game.

Since I exclusively play Balatro on my Steam Deck, I'll guide you through the process of installing mods on this platform. This guide is adapted from the Steam Community guide.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, I recommend checking out my guide on remote-steam-deck to learn different ways of accessing your Steam Deck remotely. This will make the modding process much easier.

Installation Steps

1. Navigate to Balatro's Data Directory

First, access your Steam Deck via command line and navigate to Balatro's data directory:

cd ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/2379780/pfx/drive_c/users/steamuser/AppData/Roaming/Balatro/

Note: 2379780 is Balatro's Steam App ID (steamdb.info/app/2379780)

2. Create and Setup Mods Directory

Create a new directory for mods and enter it:

mkdir Mods
cd Mods

3. Install Required Components

  1. Install the Balatro modding framework:
git clone https://github.com/Steamodded/smods
  1. Install the Bunco mod:
git clone https://github.com/Firch/Bunco.git

4. Install Lovely Runtime Lua Injector

Navigate to Balatro's installation directory:

cd ~/.steam/steam/steamapps/common/Balatro

Download and install the latest version of the Lovely Injector:

curl -sSL "https://api.github.com/repos/ethangreen-dev/lovely-injector/releases/latest" | jq -r '.tag_name' | xargs -I {} curl -sSL "https://github.com/ethangreen-dev/lovely-injector/releases/download/{}/lovely-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.zip" -o lovely.zip && unzip lovely.zip && rm lovely.zip

This command performs several steps automatically:

  1. Fetches the latest release tag from the GitHub API
  2. Uses that tag to download the correct version of the lovely-injector
  3. Downloads the Windows x64 version (which works with Steam Deck's Proton)
  4. Extracts the ZIP file
  5. Cleans up by removing the ZIP file

5. Configure Steam Launch Options

The final step is to configure Balatro to use the installed version.dll file. Add the following to your Steam launch options for Balatro:

WINEDLLOVERRIDES="version=n,b" %command%

You can set this by right-clicking Balatro in Steam, selecting Properties, and adding the launch option in the General tab.

Conclusion

You should now have a working modded installation of Balatro on your Steam Deck! Launch the game and enjoy the new content.