The Flips and Dings of Pinball Expo 2025

Every fall, the worldwide pinball industry descends on Schaumburg, IL, to meet, celebrate, and show off all the latest and greatest coming to an arcade near you. The show has grown significantly over its 40+ year history, and includes not only pinball, but the newest offerings in the home and coin-operated arcade markets, as well as bringing the retro video game scene we all know and love into the show.

From the floor of Stern’s booth

This is coverage outside our normal handheld realm, but if you’re anything like me, a fondness for retro video games was lit in the mall arcades of yesteryear. Pinball and arcade games are a huge part of the gaming world from my youth, and seeing the modern resurgence in both categories warms my foolish old romantic heart.

New Games

Pinball Expo is not just another hobbyist convention. It is open to the public, but also serves as an industry meeting place where companies come to debut their newest offerings to fans, customers, and vendors alike. It’s an exciting place to catch a preview of the games that may be coming to a Barcade near you soon.

Stern

A pair of new machines

The biggest name in pinball (and only name for a moment there) is always the largest presence at the show, and this year was no different. Stern had all their new machines from the past year available for play, but the expo marked the debut of their newest release, Star Wars: Fall of the Empire. The table plays just as well as you’d expect from any modern Stern release, and the theme is sure to be a crowd-pleaser in any arcade, bar, or home game room.

Jersey Jack

The “Hermione Edition” of the new Harry Potter Pinball by Jersey Jack

With reports of a 7-figure licensing deal, there was no doubt what Jersey Jack would be focused on at this year’s show. Sure enough, they came with some special editions of the brand new Harry Potter machine for sale that would make many a fan or collector swoon. It’s a beautiful machine, and they’ve truly done justice to their large investment. It’s hard to imagine this table not finding a market for years to come for JJ.

Barrels of Fun

The Winchester

Hot off their smash debut two years ago at Expo with Labyrinth, the new players in the pinball space from Texas are back with Winchester Mystery House. The mansion is a real place in San Jose, CA, and was the residence of the widow of the Winchester firearms. The mansion is full of odd eccentricities and architectural oddities. And of course, said to be haunted by her ghost. You can see why it lends itself perfectly to the world of pinball.

Homebrew and Customs

This year saw the biggest push for homebrew machines that I can recall

One of the coolest things I’ve been attracted to in pinball recently has been the emergence of some truly amazing homebrew projects. Usually, when we talk about homebrew on this site, it’s to cover a new game for a classic system. Just like in our emulation world, some pinball homebrews take pieces of what came before to create something new, and others are creating something brand new from the ground up.

These labors of love can take years for their creators to complete, but some of the finished projects are nothing short of production quality. With consumer access to 3D printing and programmable boards, the tools for a passionate creator to turn their pin-dreams into reality are more accessible than ever.

Some show off their designs to catch the attention of industry players in the hopes of breaking in, and others truly do it just for the love of the game. These projects aren’t meant to be produced and sold, but rather displayed, played, and appreciated by an audience of like-minded enthusiasts.

Big Trouble in Little China Pinball

As a child of the 80s, John Carpenter forged a major portion of my movie upbringing, and Big Trouble in Little China remains one of my favorites of all time to this day. To see it come to life in one of my favorite hobbies is a dream come true. Sadly, licensing issues mean that this work of art may never be able to be produced for sale, but I’m sure glad it will be on the floor for others to appreciate, as it is truly a work of art. 

Mad Max

It gets your attention

This faithful ode to Fury Road is another showstopper. From the details in the presentation and playfield, to the huge diesel stacks serving as a table topper. This machine is clearly a labor of love, and I hope to keep seeing it at shows in the future, because it was so popular that I was only able to get in a single game!

Cuphead

Homebrew Cuphead machine (Sonic Spinball and Beerfest are also long-time favorites).

This is a homebrew with an interesting story. The original design for Cuphead pinball (nothing to do with the rumored American Pinball table) started inside of Visual Pinball X, which is a popular software used for designing and recreating tables for virtual table play. From that first virtual table came some community collaboration and design tweaks, and eventually this physical version was born.

The table is unique in that the entire backglass is a video display, and it works incredibly well with the classically animated aesthetic of the game/show. This modern backglass combines with a classic EM style playfield to create the blend of old and new that is Cuphead.

Pokemon

Unfortunately, weekend crowds meant I didn’t get a chance to go one-on-one with this pinball tribute to Pokémon, but it was still an incredibly impressive project to behold. Fans of the games and show will find plenty of fun details throughout the playfield and cabinet. It’s obviously a labor of love, but it’s also a great demonstration of how well the series lends itself to the format.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater

Who wouldn’t want to play this as soon as they saw it?

I had actually seen this game on display at Pinball Expo last year, but was more than happy to see its return in 2025. This entire table is an homage to the Pro Skater series, and specifically the iconic warehouse level from the first game.

The modes, layout, soundtrack, and everything else are all right from the ’90s PlayStation classic. It’s sad that licensing means this amazing creation is unlikely to ever see production, but as a homebrew and resume piece for its talented creator, it’ll bring a smile to anyone who has fond memories of the iconic series.

Spaceballs

Merchandising! Merchandising!

This Mel Brooks classic satire of the Star Wars universe is one of my favorite 80s comedies, and to see it recreated here with all the design nods from the movie was a real treat. Projects like Spaceballs are what make homebrew pinball such an exciting, burgeoning community. Finding a designer who shares your passion for that piece of pop culture and wants to share it with others just like you. It’s great.

Portable Homebrew Too!

NES and GBC homebrews for sale

A few years back, Pinball Expo expanded its reach beyond just pinball and arcades and opened up the show to folks in the retro video game world as well. You’ll see vendors and creators alike sprinkled throughout the show. Safe to say that there’s something for everyone.

If You Love Arcades and Pinball – This is Your Show

Brands of the PinWorld

Even with all the great stuff I’ve highlighted here, it doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of all the things shown off or available at Pinball Expo. Beyond just the new games and cool homebrews, there are hundreds of classic machines and recent releases across the floor, along with a whole slew of tournaments, vendors, talks, factory tours, and the list goes on. I could write another entire article just on the new arcade and home arcade offerings on display throughout the show floor.

Anyone with an interest in pinball will be in heaven, and anyone with an interest in fun is going to have a great time. If you ever have the opportunity, it’s well worth a visit.

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