IAAPA Expo Europe 2026 took place from 22 to 24 September at ExCeL London, marking the event’s first return to the United Kingdom since 2022. At 22,800 square metres, it was the largest European edition in the show’s history, with a substantial arcade and amusement presence.
For more show-floor coverage, Pinball News have a full tour of the show floor in three parts, while a streamed run-through of the photos from Ted and Kevin provides another view of the event.
TouchMagix
TouchMagix continued its move towards traditional redemption with Pickleball Toss and the new Knock ‘A’ Duck. The company also promoted its augmented-reality pool system.
Wahlap
Wahlap’s London stand was smaller than its recent GTI Asia China Expo presentation, but still included Miraculous, Phantom Vanguard and Plus updates for the Asphalt games. Nerves of Ale was also present, although its show video was later removed, and two Pop-A-Shot cabinets appeared despite no previously announced connection with Wahlap. Pop-A-Shot indicated that larger plans are in development.
Ace Amusement
Ace Amusement presented standard cabinets for Crossbow Fishing, Hover Rush and Dragon Kingdom. A deluxe Crossbow Fishing was displayed elsewhere by ELMAC II, while UDC also showed additional Ace releases.
Bandai Namco Amusement Europe
As a major European distributor, Bandai Namco Amusement Europe hosted several games from companies without their own stands. Stranger Things Arcade occupied a prominent position near a main entrance, alongside Raw Thrills titles including Top Gun: Maverick, Jackpot Racer and Godzilla Kaiju Wars Deluxe. Top Gun appeared in its deluxe cabinet; the standard version recently revealed appears to remain a North American release for now.
The stand also featured Adrenaline’s Disney Speedstorm Arcade and Andamiro’s Nickelodeon Kart Racers Arcade, with versions broadly similar to those shown at Amusement Expo in March. JET Games and Flamestone’s GIGA SHOT were present, with GoldStorm Pirates nearby. Resident Evil 2: Arcade was absent, although Bandai Namco is expected to have a significant presence at IAAPA 2026.
ELAUT
ELAUT and its associated companies are primarily focused on redemption, but video redemption was represented by Coast To Coast’s debut of Baohui and IGS’ Crabzilla Strikes. It joined The Smurfs and E-Claw 2.0.
Crabzilla Strikes combines a conventional coin pusher with an underwater fish-shooter game, reflecting the growing overlap between video games and redemption equipment. IGS has worked on similar products with Baohui and Playmore.
Electrocoin
Long-standing distributor Electrocoin brought a stand similar to its EAG presentation. Stern’s pinball selection had been refreshed with Pokémon and Fallout, while the DDR Universal cabinet was running newer software. The remainder of the line-up contained only a small number of new redemption products.
The teased Circuit Sprint racing game was not on the stand; it has so far appeared at Electrocoin’s Funland arcade in London. Its cabinet resembles the design shown in the following embedded material.
ELMAC II
ELMAC II used a compact stand to show the deluxe Crossbow Fishing and a four-player Chasing Speed arrangement from Yuto Games. The latter stopped operating during the first afternoon, preventing a hands-on look, although another Yuto racer appeared elsewhere at the expo.
Sega Amusements
Sega Amusements operated one of the event’s two largest arcade stands, with the other belonging to Bandai Namco. Redemption and merchandising products such as Match It and Prize Mart occupied considerable space, while the principal video-game debuts were Blue Motion Games’ John Wick: Continental Pursuit and Storm Racer 2 from 3MindWave and Wahlap, now being sold into Europe.
Daytona Championship USA Motion Edition returned, as did IGS and Baohui’s Speed Rider 4DX. The latter is distributed by Bandai Namco in North America rather than Sega Amusements. Both attracted regular play.
Recent redemption releases Putt It! Par-Tee and Simon Arcade appeared with Go Go Ducky. The latter came from the maker of Mini Cube Prize World, which also had a sizeable display.
Flamestone’s Shooting Carnival appeared at the opposite end of the stand. JET Games continues to handle Flamestone’s video gallery shooters, while Sega Amusements carries electromechanical products such as On Target and this title. A large-screen edition had recently been shown in China.
UDC
UDC’s pre-show details were limited, making its final selection something of a surprise. Redemption products including Puck Off and Naughty Bombs occupied the front of the stand; the latter is distributed in North America by Amusement Source International.
Ace Amusement’s Thunder Jets and Cold Trigger represented the video-game selection. The former is a vertical-screen take on Top Gun, while the latter competes with Phantom Vanguard using small LCD screens integrated into its gun mounts. Also present were a single-screen Racing Xtreme in a new twin cabinet and StepManiaX. North American distribution arrangements for these particular products were not confirmed.
Arccer’s Chinese rhythm game Dance Show was missing after appearing in UDC promotions for about a year. Its performance was unclear, with contrasting industry comments about its reception.
UNIS
UNIS and UK distributor Instance Automatics have generally emphasised redemption in European trade-show appearances. This time, their broader selection included Pickleball Rivals, Ski Hero and the recently released Cyberpunk 2077: Chrome Rush.
The release version of Cyberpunk 2077: Chrome Rush differed from the prototype shown at Amusement Expo in March. It added a Campaign Mode with objectives such as finishing first or defeating a set number of rivals, linked by cutscenes featuring characters from Cyberpunk 2077.
WIK
Poland’s WIK filled a sizeable stand with alley rollers, air hockey tables, redemption machines and video redemption. Its Night Zombie water-gun shooter featured truck-style exhaust details that do not appear in the official render. WIK also displayed its latest “Matrix” air hockey tables, with LED edge panels and an optional central marquee and score display for linked installations.
Other arcade and amusement exhibitors
The IAAPA format brought together many smaller Chinese exhibitors alongside attraction and simulator specialists. Cheer Amusement showed the four-player shooter Mech Hero and the Hanging Challenge bar game.
Epark presented several racing, shooting and fishing products plus a video redemption ball thrower. Its model car and train racer from GTI Asia China Expo did not make the journey to London.
Flamestone’s independent stand featured Flamestone Jet and Robo Shot, formerly known as Flamestone Armor. Both were switched off for much of the first day.
Joint Fun showed Running Ostrich DX, Drum Pop and another previously seen title. The rhythm game takes clear cues from IGS’ earlier Percussion Master.
Oculeap’s non-VR offering was Ion Strike, a human pinball attraction. The latest version had redesigned pads and a support bar.
Superwin displayed Coin Topia, a new coin shooter based on Mini World, alongside the football redemption game Crazy Football and Mission X, another product in the Phantom Vanguard style. Distribution plans for these titles were not confirmed.
Yuto Games showed Crazy Drift and other products. The cabinet appeared satisfactory, although the software drew a less favourable impression and may partly draw on a former InJoy Motion title.
Yuto Games’ “shareware” version of Crazy Drift
Simulators and attractions
Robobike returned with a much larger stand than at EAG 2026, highlighting its simcade motorcycle concept.
MiXR presented a Sega Super Circuit-style attraction that appeared to draw more attention than the VR arena behind it. Other exhibitors, including Hero Zone VR, also showed arena-based VR systems.
Valo Motion’s Valo Board combined skateboarding and snowboarding simulation in one multigame platform, expanding on what earlier products such as Top Skater and Alpine Surfer could offer.
VEX Solutions displayed its Party Dash range: the original four-player version, the floor-only Smash Dash, and a compact single-player model. Two-player versions are also available. Although Smash Dash is less distinctive than the original concept, the presentation remained appealing.
DOF Robotics, a regular IAAPA Platinum Sponsor, occupied a prominent position near the entrance. Its SphereFly, previously called Compact Flying Theater, was one of the event’s major visual attractions.
What IAAPA Expo Europe 2026 revealed
The 2026 European expo delivered the largest edition yet and provided a substantial showcase for arcade video games, redemption, racing and immersive attractions. Few games were complete world premieres, which is consistent with recent European shows. However, Stranger Things Arcade, Cyberpunk 2077: Chrome Rush, John Wick: Continental Pursuit and Storm Racer 2 all made their first European or UK appearances at the event.
The show’s scale was also a challenge. The main IAAPA event in Orlando in November is expected to spread across multiple halls with a potentially difficult floor plan, although several exhibitors are promising new products. For Australian operators and enthusiasts tracking international developments, the London event offered a useful preview of the machines and concepts likely to shape the next stage of the 2026 trade-show season.
For more context on choosing equipment for a home or venue, explore RETROCADE’s Arcade Machine Buying Guide, browse the latest arcade machines, or compare racing simulators and virtual pinball machines.
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