Red Bull is running a special Balatro tournament today using a custom mod with eight new Jokers, new bosses, and more
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Eight top-tier content creators are coming together later today to take part in a ‘Balatro Speedrun Showdown’ being streamed live to Twitch and YouTube. Red Bull Boss Rush is a special one-day tournament that centers around the titular custom mod, featuring a custom format, custom decks, and all-new Jokers, Bosses, and Skip Tags for players to utilize.
Red Bull has really been pushing the boundaries of esports production lately; Red Bull Wololo in early April was an excellent example, with Age of Empire fans enjoying a sold-out grand final event at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Not to mention Red Bull Faster for Trackmania coming next month. Balatro, on the other hand, may not be something you associate with esports, but there is a growing community of competitive players, especially thanks to an active modding community redefining the game.
- Red Bull Boss Rush is a one-day event that starts on April 17 at 8 PM BST / 3PM ET / 12 PM PT
- Custom speedrun format that consists of five 30-minute rounds with Boss Blinds only (no small or big blinds)
- Eight content creators will be competing for victory – hosting and commentary are provided, too
- Players will be using a mod that adds custom-branded decks and Red Bull-inspired Jokers, Bosses, and Skip Tags
- Eight custom Jokers, five new Bosses, and three Skip Tags will be played/availble in the event
- You can play the Red Bull Boss Rush mod yourself right now – free to download on Nexus Mods
Press release
London, April 16th, 2026 – A new chapter of competitive Balatro kicks off tomorrow as Red Bull Boss Rush brings eight creators together to go head-to-head in a unique speedrun challenge. Taking place on April 17th 2026, as a one-day event, the speedrun competition will push players through increasingly difficult timed runs, each ending in a high-stakes boss fight where every decision can make or break the run. Fans can follow the action live via individual creator POV streams and a central Red Bull hub broadcast.
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Competing in Red Bull Boss Rush is standout Red Bull Player Ludwig, along with seven other top-tier creators: The Spiffing Brit, FrostPrime, Feinberg, Adef, Yahiamice, mbtyugioh, and dreads – each bringing their own playstyle and personality into the mix. The broadcast will be hosted live by esports desk host Yinsu ‘Yinsu’ Collins, card-game specialist Blake ‘Rarran’ Eram, and analytical commentator DrSpectered, offering insight and commentary throughout.
Red Bull Boss Rush unfolds across five 30-minute stages, with players ranked by completion time. In the opening three stages, all eight competitors will play on a shared random seed with unlimited resets, taking on full skips and randomised bosses across seven stages per run. Points are awarded based on placement in each stage, with the bottom four eliminated after stage 3. Stage 4 sees the four remaining players battle for a place in the final, where the last two will face off in a winner-takes-all showdown.
To add another layer of excitement to the competition, a new set of Red Bull Jokers, Bosses, and Skip Tags will also feature in Red Bull Boss Rush. Designed to reward fast-paced play, these Jokers introduce powerful effects that can shift momentum in a single hand. Among the new Jokers are:
- Witch, giving a 1 in 3 chance to create a Spectral card when you match a randomly chosen hand type
- Princess and Frog, granting +10 Mult before transforming into +60 Chips after a hand is played
- Zebra, giving 2 times Mult when your current hand differs from the previous one
- Old Dog, adding +30 Mult when you play exactly five cards in a hand
- Pirate, increasing sell value by $3 for every five cards discarded
- Genie, boosting x4 times Mult for your next three hands
- Prince Charming, adding Holographic and Gold Seal effects to a random card when a Boss Blind is selected
- Jester, granting +2 Mult for every hand played against a Boss Blind.
With a custom-branded deck and new Jokers, Bosses, and Skip Tags adding excitement to every round, the competition delivers Balatro at its most unpredictable and competitive. Fans can tune in on April 17th to catch every moment live, as one player rises above the rest to claim the inaugural Red Bull Boss Rush title.
Red Bull Boss Rush will be available to watch live on twitch.tv/redbull and https://www.youtube.com/c/redbullgaming
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