Split-screen on PC

Balatro

Up to 2 players on one PC, with controllers or keyboard and mouse.

2Verified handler

Handler “Balatro Multiplayer Mod” by Talos91, version 1

What works

With Nucleus Co-op, up to 2 players can play Balatro together on one PC, each in their own part of the screen, with controllers or keyboard and mouse. The free community handler “Balatro Multiplayer Mod” by Talos91 does the setup and was checked by hub moderators: version 1, updated 5 Feb 2026. Balatro is a strategy, turn-based strategy and indie game from 2024.

Players2
ControllersSupported
Keyboard and mouseSupported
Several keyboards and miceNot supported
Hub moderatorsVerified

How to play Balatro split screen on PC

Get Nucleus Co-op
Download Nucleus Co-op, free for Windows 10 and 11, and unzip it into its own folder, for example C:\NucleusCo-op. There is no installer.
Keep it out of Program Files, your user folder and OneDrive.
Download Nucleus Co-op
Install the Balatro handler
In Nucleus Co-op, search the Hub for Balatro and install its handler, or download the handler file from this page and drop it on the Nucleus window. Then show Nucleus where Balatro is installed.
Download the handler file (.nc)
Take a seat
Each player presses a button on their own controller to join and takes a spot on the screen. Pick a layout that fits your players.
Launch and connect
Press Launch: Nucleus opens one copy of Balatro per player and lays the windows out on your screen. Then link them in game, usually one player hosts a LAN or online session and the others join it. The handler notes say how.

What you need

A Windows 10 or 11 PC
Nucleus Co-op runs on Windows only. System requirements
Balatro for Windows
Installed on that PC. Nucleus starts every player's window from that one install.
Nucleus Co-op, free
With .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later and the Visual C++ 2015–2022 runtimes (x86 and x64). Download
Something to play with
One controller per player; one player can use the keyboard and mouse. Controllers
A PC that can run 2 copies
Each player runs their own copy of Balatro, so the PC carries several times the usual load. Lower the graphics settings if it struggles. Performance tips
A multiplayer mode
Nucleus links the windows through the game's own LAN or online mode; the handler takes care of it.

Handler notes

Requires the Balatro Multiplayer Mod correctly installed in your main game files.
Before launching this handler run your main game with the mp mod, set it to windowed in options-settings-video and make sure you can create a lobby by selecting play.
Split-screen setup guide.
After launching this select/create a different Profile per instance, create a lobby in one instance then join in the other using the lobby code, you can select view code-copy to clipboard in the host instance then join lobby-paste from clipboard in the other instance. Using multiple/different monitors is recommended.
Read the FAQ if you have any further questions and want to know more about Nucleus Co-op.
Handler by Talos91. Support the Nucleus Co-op team if you love the project.

About Balatro

Balatro is a deck-building roguelite in which players construct poker hands to earn chips and overcome enemy blinds. The game features mechanics for enhancing a deck of playing cards, purchasing Jokers that modify hand effects, and discovering synergies to progress through increasingly challenging encounters.

Summary from IGDB