Hello again, Pool Fans! Pure Pool Pro Patch 3 arrives Thursday, 21st May.
Our most substantial patch yet introduces ranked matchmaking, fairer starts with Lag for Break, the long‑requested Push Out rule for 9-Ball, online stability improvements, and a major visual fix that’s been on our hit list since launch.
Ranked Game Mode - Global Leaderboards & More Competitive Focus
“Quick Game” will now evolve into our new Ranked Game experience.
Ranked Game introduces:
Global Leaderboards for each online game mode
Separate rankings for all three difficulties
When selecting “Any” as your game type, you’ll also see an overall ranking board of your performance across all ranked matches at all difficulties.
Whether you’re grinding 8-Ball, mastering 9-Ball, or mixing it up across modes and difficulties, you’ll now have a clear way to measure your progress against the global player base.
Our goal here is to ramp up the competitive layer of Pure Pool Pro, give you more reasons to keep coming back, and make every rack feel that bit more meaningful.
As always, we recommend joining our community on Discord to organise match-ups!
Lag for Break
In relevant multiplayer modes, the break is now decided by the Lag, bringing Pure Pool Pro closer to real-world play.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, in pro pool, the lag is used to decide who breaks. Both players hit a cue ball from behind the headstring up-table, aiming to get as close as possible to the top rail and back without touching a pocket. The player whose ball finishes closest to the rail wins the lag - and with it, the right to choose who breaks.
Our implementation works as follows:
Both players take their lag attempts
You’ll then be shown your attempt side-by-side with your opponent’s (in ghost ball form if playing online).
The closest ball to the head rail wins, and that player can decide to take the break themselves or pass it to their opponent.
Should both players foul (or, in the unlikely event of lagging in the exact spot), a re-lag will take place.
This should make the opening of each match feel fairer, add a more skill-based/tactical element, and make things more authentic to how things work on real tables.
Ball Shadow Pop Fix & Restored Gloss
Since launch, we’ve been working to the ball “shadow pop” - distracting little jumps in lighting and shadow as balls came to rest. Pure Pool Pro uses a much more advanced and demanding reflections system compared to its predecessor, and this visual issue has been a tough nut for us to crack!
With Patch 3, we’ve made notable improvements.
Shadow “pop” and reflection instability on balls have been dramatically reduced
We’ve also reintroduced the glossy and vivid look of the balls, which was unintentionally dialled back/desaturated during earlier attempts to fix the issue
The result should be cleaner, more stable reflections with that satisfying, polished finish many of you loved - without the distracting artefacts.
PRE-PATCH 3 VISUALS
Community noted that previous shadow pop fix attempts had reduced the glossiness for a ‘matte’ look.
PATCH 3 VISUALS - ARRIVING 21st MAY
Enhanced reflections and richer, warmer colour restoring that ‘glossy’ look - with more stable performance.
We’ll continue to monitor feedback here, but we feel this represents a major step toward the visual standard we’ve been chasing.
Increased Frame Rate Stability
Alongside the ball shadow and gloss improvements, Patch 3 will deliver smoother overall frame pacing and increased frame rate stability across both console and PC.
While the core goal of these changes was visual fidelity, the underlying optimisations have:
Reduced minor hitches and stutters related to ball reflections and lighting, most notably at the break
Improved consistency of performance during busy table states
The result should be a more fluid, reliable experience that better matches the precision and responsiveness Pure Pool Pro is built around - whether you’re playing on a high-end PC or from the comfort of your home console.
9-Ball Push Outs - A New Tactical Layer
In 9-Ball, we’ve implemented proper Push Out functionality.
After a legal break in 9-Ball, the incoming player can now choose to play a push out - making contact with the cue ball without the usual requirement to hit the lowest-numbered ball first or to drive a ball to a cushion.
Key points for those unfamiliar:
Push Outs are only available immediately after a legal break
After a push out, your opponent can choose to take on the shot from the new position or pass the shot back to you
This adds a deeper tactical layer to 9-Ball, especially in high-pressure frames where controlling the table and leaving awkward layouts can be just as important as potting!
Additional Bug Fixes & Quality of Life Optimisations
General online stability improvements:
“Freeplay” will now remember your difficulty preference upon launching the game
“Clarence Clearance” has been fixed for those who were struggling to pop the crest
“Accumulator” rule tweak - this mode will now permit sequential potting
Steam Controller API now ensures correct icons are used for your chosen controller
Steam Controller API now permits re-mapping of gamepad controls via the Steam overlay
We’ve tweaked the “Match Preferences” flow to make “Preferences” clearer
Thank You For Your Continued Support!
Patch 3 arrives next week as a result of your continued detailed feedback - on ranked systems, rulesets, QoL, and visuals. Every detailed review, Reddit post, and Discord message genuinely helps us decide what to prioritise next.
We’re thrilled to get these changes into your hands and to keep pushing Pure Pool Pro forward.
If you enjoy next week’s patch and want to help us continue to support the game and keep building the community, please consider leaving/or updating a Steam review.
We’ll see you at the table.
- The Pure Pool Pro Team 🎱