Zen Pinball

Zen Pinball utilizes the same basic rules as a physical pinball machine, albeit in a virtual environment. As with a traditional pinball machine, the player fires a steel ball onto the playfield using a plunger. Once the ball is in play, the player controls the flippers and can nudge the machine to influence the path of the ball. Each of the game's tables become more complex as the game advances, opening new paths and opportunities.

In addition to traditional attempts to reach a high score, the game has specific missions tasked to the player. Both local and online multiplayer are supported, along with leaderboards and tournament competitions. Players will be able to activate a slow motion feature and can save game progress mid-game.

Zen Pinball: Rollercoaster and Zen Pinball: Inferno were the first games of the Zen Pinball series, and were exclusive to the iOS platform. Each game contains one table related to its title. Zen Pinball: Rollercoaster was released on July 7, 2008, while Zen Pinball: Inferno was released on October 31, 2008. The PlayStation 3 version, known simply as Zen Pinball was announced on April 15, 2009 and was released almost one month later on May 14, 2009, making the first pinball game on the PlayStation 3.

The release is also available as a demo version with features the El Dorado table. Between August 4, 2010 and September 2, 2010, Zen Pinball was released as a free download to PlayStation Plus subscribers. The game was also announced for Android devices, marketed as Zen Pinball THD and the Nintendo 3DS as Zen Pinball 3D via the Nintendo eShop.

Zen Pinball was well received by critics. 12% at GameRankings and 80/100 at Metacritic. It was the top selling PlayStation Network title in May 2009, as well as September 2010. It was also a top 10 seller for the month of June 2009.

In a preview of the game, Kotaku's Michael McWhertor noted that the game's predecessors may have had an impact on the game. "Thanks to Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection, Zen Pinball looks very purchasable" he stated.