Pinball FX (2023 video game)

### Platforms

Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X

### Release date

**PC early access**:
March 31, 2022
**Sony and Microsoft console releases**:
February 16, 2023
**Nintendo Switch:**
July 6, 2023

***Pinball FX*** is an upcoming game in the *Pinball FX* series. It is currently planned for release on Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X in 2023.

An early access release exclusive to the Epic Games Store launched on March 31st, 2022. The game was launched on all non-Nintendo platforms on February 16, 2023. The Nintendo Switch version is currently planned to be released on July 6, 2023, Date Revealed By Zen Studios on June 30, 2023.

## Overview

*Pinball FX* is a reboot of the *Pinball FX* series, which originally began development as a fourth installment of the series before development shifted to using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 5. Tables from Zen Studios' prior pinball games will return for the reboot, joining several new tables, both original and licensed, that are set to debut in it. New features include a pinball version of "battle royale", a popular video game genre that ascended to popularity in the late 2010s. For the first time in the series, all tables will be released as standalone tables which can be bought using an in-game "ticket" currency.

Three new Zen original tables are set to release at launch, along with ports of the two *Star Wars* tables from *Star Wars Pinball VR*, and 33 catalog tables.

Another major change from prior games is that tables can now feature content that would be suitable for a Teen rating from the ESRB instead of the more limiting Everyone 10+ rating. This would enable any and all available Williams pinball table recreations to be released uncensored as they appeared on Zen Studios' *Williams Pinball* mobile app.

## Tickets

*Pinball FX'*s Epic Games Store release uses tickets as currency, which can be bought for real money. Zen VP of publishing, Mel Kirk, has stated that this change was done to accommodate the development of new standalone tables and to prevent players from having to purchase packs, leading to a more curated experience.

* 100 tickets - $9.99
* 220 tickets - $19.99
* 575 tickets - $49.99
* 1200 tickets - $99.99

There are four categories of tables that can be bought with tickets:

* Zen legacy tables - 40 tickets
* Licensed legacy tables - 45 tickets
* New originals - 55 tickets
* New licensed tables - 60 tickets

*Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure*, due to premium licensing costs, can only be purchased for $15 from the Epic Games Store. Further premium licensed tables are expected to follow this same pricing scheme.

Due to criticism over the game's monetization, Zen Studios is planning to abandon this monetization scheme for the game's initial console launch in early 2023.

## Pinball Pass

The Pinball Pass gives users access to all original tables (excluding *Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure)*, along with additional perks for the Pinball Royale game mode.

* 1 month - $14.99
* 1 year - $99.99

## Release delays

*Pinball FX* was originally planned to release in 2021, but due to an influx of new employees added to the company, as well as heavy development efforts to complete *Star Wars Pinball VR* & *Zen Pinball Party* and add support for prior-generation platforms that were not initially supported, the game was delayed to the following year. The PC version of the game has a one-year Epic Games Store exclusivity deal, and was released to early access on March 31st, 2022. Plans for a 2022 full release were delayed once more to early 2023, with the game first launching on Sony and Microsoft consoles in February 2023 and the Nintendo Switch in April 2023. As February approached, Zen Studios announced that the initial console release will occur on the 16th, which came to pass. In late March, Zen Studios announced that the Switch version was delayed to July to complete its optimization.