Dream Pinball 3D vs Pinball FX3
Dream Pinball 3D is a simulation game from ASK Homework (2012) while Pinball FX3 is a simulation sports game from Zen Studios (2017).
What each one is
Steam files Dream Pinball 3D under Simulation. In contrast, it files Pinball FX3 under Simulation and Sports.
FINGER-FLIPPIN’, POWERFUL PINBALL!No room for a pinball machine? So what! With DREAM PINBALL 3D you can transform your PC or console into 6 different, multilevel, 3D pinball machines! Clever gameplay, plus balls made of different materials – and each material has special ballistic properties that affect how those balls roll!
Pinball FX Classic is the biggest, most community focused pinball game ever created. Multiplayer matchups, user generated tournaments and league play create endless opportunity for pinball competition.
At a glance
| Dream Pinball 3D | Pinball FX3 | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 5.0/10 | 7.6/10 |
| Steam rating | Mixed (45%, 1,027) | Very Positive (88%, 5,432) |
| Critic aggregate | 61/100 | 89/100 |
| Price | $9.99 | Free |
| Install size | — | 6 GB |
| Steam Deck | unsupported | playable |
| Released | 2012 | 2017 |
| Developer | ASK Homework | Zen Studios |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Dream Pinball 3D vs Pinball FX3, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Dream Pinball 3DSimulation gamePinball FX3Simulation sports gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Dream Pinball 3DSimulation, Casual, PinballPinball FX3Pinball, Free to Play, SimulationThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Dream Pinball 3DScore 5.0 · 45% on Steam · 61 criticPinball FX3 ✓Score 7.6 · 88% on Steam · 89 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Dream Pinball 3D1,027 reviews · 2 add-onsPinball FX35,432 reviews · 34 add-ons · 6 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Dream Pinball 3D$9.99Pinball FX3 ✓FreeRead live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Dream Pinball 3DUnsupportedPinball FX3 ✓PlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Pinball FX3 takes 3 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueDream Pinball 3D and Pinball FX3 on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Pinball FX3 (GamingPickz Score 7.6)
- The cheaper right now: Pinball FX3 (Free)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Pinball FX3 (playable)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Pinball FX3 (5,432 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
SimulationCasualPinball
Where they differ
Free to PlayArcadeRetroPhysicsScore AttackFamily Friendly
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Dream Pinball 3D is relaxed, easy to pick up. Pinball FX3 is relaxed, easy to pick up.
System requirements, side by side
| Dream Pinball 3D | Pinball FX3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | Shader 1.3 graphics card with 128 MB | — |
| Minimum CPU | 2.0 GHz Single Core | — |
| Minimum RAM | 1 GB | — |
| Install size | — | 6 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Dream Pinball 3D · Pinball FX3.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Dream Pinball 3D and 1 for Pinball FX3. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Dream Pinball 3D and Pinball FX3 in scope?
Dream Pinball 3D has drawn 1,027 Steam reviews and ships 2 add-ons. Pinball FX3 has drawn 5,432 Steam reviews, ships 34 add-ons and installs in 6 GB.
Is Dream Pinball 3D or Pinball FX3 better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Pinball FX3 rates higher (7.6 to 5.0). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Dream Pinball 3D or Pinball FX3?
Pinball FX3 is cheaper right now at Free, against $9.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.