Choose Pool Nation
Choose Pool Nation if you want a Strategy and Indie game with Steam Leaderboards. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 89.3% positive across 1,349 reviews.
Pool Nation vs Pure Pool
Pool Nation and Pure Pool both land in Sports, Simulation, Casual on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Sports, Simulation, Casual on Steam. Pool Nation (2013) is 1 year older than Pure Pool (2014). Pool Nation scores higher on Steam reviews (89.3% positive) than Pure Pool (55% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Pure Pool
Choose Pure Pool if you want the Shared/Split Screen, Online PvP, and Shared/Split Screen PvP side of the pairing. Pure Pool launched in 2014.
Both Pool Nation and Pure Pool sit in Sports, Simulation, and Casual on Steam and both list Multi-player, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Pool Nation |  Pure Pool | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2013 | 2014 |
| Genres | Sports, Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Casual | Sports, Simulation, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Playable | Deck Playable |
| Price | 6.99 USD | 9.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 89.3% positive (1,349 reviews) | 55% positive (327 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer |
| Developers | Cherry Pop Games | VooFoo Studios |
Side by side
- Both share Sports, Simulation, Casual on Steam.
- Pool Nation (2013) is 1 year older than Pure Pool (2014).
- Pool Nation scores higher on Steam reviews (89.3% positive) than Pure Pool (55% positive).
- Pool Nation is currently ~30% cheaper on Steam than Pure Pool (6.99 USD vs. 9.99 USD).
- Both are Deck Playable.
Pool Nation vs Pure Pool — FAQ
- Which is better, Pool Nation or Pure Pool?
- On Steam reviews Pool Nation scores higher (89.3% positive) than Pure Pool (55% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Pool Nation is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Pool Nation or Pure Pool first?
- If you want chronology, Pool Nation (2013) came out before Pure Pool (2014). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Pool Nation and Pure Pool similar?
- They overlap on Sports, Simulation, Casual on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.