Amusement Expo 2023, held in Las Vegas, showcased a growing arcade industry with a broad mix of new video games, redemption machines, pinball tables, racing experiences and virtual-reality attractions. Manufacturers reported strong sales, with some businesses describing record results.
The show also set new attendance records. There were 195 exhibitors, up from 165 in 2022, and 4,251 visitors compared with 3,301 the previous year. A charity drive raised $34,200 for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas.
This round-up covers the machines and technologies presented at the event. The show floor was busy enough that some products may have been missed, while several demonstrations were still being filmed and prepared for later release.
Major arcade and redemption exhibitors
Touch Magix and Raw Thrills
Touch Magix presented a booth similar to its IAAPA display. Two linked units each of MegaBlaster and SpaceWarp 66 formed the main attraction, with Carnival Cups Crane positioned nearby.
Raw Thrills again led with a four-unit Fast & Furious Arcade installation. The line-up also included King Kong VR, Super Bikes 3, Nitro Trucks, Big Buck Hunter Reloaded, Minecraft Dungeons Arcade Series 2, Moto GP VR and Halo: Fireteam Raven. Pulp Fiction pinball, designed by Play Mechanix, appeared at Chicago Gaming instead.
Barron Games, BayTek, ICE, Incredible Technologies, LAI Games, Rilix, Sega Amusements, Team Play, The Really Big Crane Company, Triotech, UNIS and Valley Dynamo showed products largely unchanged from IAAPA. LAI’s Rick & Morty machine had additional lighting, while Triotech did not display XD Dark Ride.
Adrenaline Amusements
NFS Heat Takedown DX was the centrepiece, supported by four standard units facing the opposite direction. Hungry Hungry Hippos and Twister completed the smaller, more focused booth.
The DX model delivered the same enjoyable driving experience as the standard version, but placed greater emphasis on motion. Both featured surround sound and clear seat-based voice audio. The standard cabinet seemed to produce more low-end impact, possibly because of the way its motion hardware operates.
Alan-1
Alan-1’s Jousting Heroes had been renamed Avian Knights to avoid potential legal issues involving the word “Joust”. The game combines the feel of the 1982 classic with weapons, upgrades, online tournaments, leaderboards, achievements and online accounts. Its visual settings draw on Utah landscapes including Zion National Park and the Wasatch Mountains, while its style may remind players of Killer Queen.
The cabinet was particularly ambitious for an independent developer, featuring extensive early-1980s-inspired artwork, a wind fan, rumble, a joystick knocker and dynamic LED lighting. Alan-1 also demonstrated a custom I/O board with enough inputs and outputs to operate a pinball machine. The two-player version was tested at the show; further changes could follow location testing. One observer felt the four-player model’s screen left too little space between the controls and display. Multiplayer play appeared to be the game’s strongest format, although solo players can use scoring, achievements and global leaderboards.
American Pinball
Galactic Tank Force offered an appealing original theme, integrated actors, humour and a distinctive tank that opens to reveal a robot. A central tank target could send the ball back over the flippers and even into the glass, an issue noticed during a second play session. The booth displayed standard models rather than the DX version with a tank turret, but there were enough machines for visitors to play.
Amusement Source International and Andamiro
Shipping problems kept the new light-gun game Zombies Crisis away from the show. ASI instead displayed Sniper Strike II, apparently running smoother software, although its monitor had damaged pixels. The unexpected highlight was Sky Riders, a modern take on Prop Cycle with bicycle pedals, wind effects and balloon targets. ASI showed a warehouse image of 200 units headed to Chuck E. Cheese’s, while a larger DX model was intended for adults but was not brought to the event. ASI also presented a basketball redemption game inspired by the first Zombie Jam and the headset-and-light-gun concept VR X Spy.
Andamiro focused on redemption rather than PIU. Its booth featured SpongeBob VR Bubble Coaster, the ball-toss game Tic Shaq Toe and Super Star 2, a sequel to an earlier merchandiser.
Bandai Namco and BayTek
Bandai Namco introduced Pac-Man Roller, a Pac-Man-themed alley bowler with animated LED panels, alongside the home-use Jukebox Bowl-O-Rama.
BayTek’s display was close to its IAAPA presentation and did not include QB Showdown. The home-focused Skeeball Super Shot appeared in the billiards area rather than the main booth. It was positioned more like a premium home basketball game than the original Super Shot machine, with an intended MSRP of $7,000.
Chicago Gaming
Pulp Fiction pinball attracted steady attention, with only two machines available at the booth. Although every visit found the games occupied, conversations with players were positive. The title had also been a major attraction at the Texas Pinball Festival, though its eventual location performance remained unknown.
Coastal Amusements and Elaut
Coastal introduced Real Heroes Fire Rescue, a children’s firefighting game using water guns. Elaut displayed the related version without water guns, along with the videmption title Bridge Man. Coastal did not bring Bumper.
Elaut’s firefighting game included fire-safety questions but offered limited visual polish compared with Brave Firefighters. The company also showed Gold & Mace by Boxblaster, which was being revised with tougher controls and a stronger cabinet for arcade use. Other crane and pusher products received only a brief inspection.
exA-Arcadia’s new arcade software
exA-Arcadia returned with its Arc-1 cabinet and five cabinets carrying a particularly large selection of new or newly demonstrated software. Its booth included more previously unseen titles than any other exhibitor at the show.
Donut Dodo Do! was a standout: the arcade adaptation adds a new level and becomes especially enjoyable with two players. Axel City 2, a sequel to an obscure early-2000s Windows fighting game, was shown in a near-final build and was expected to begin shipping in summer 2023. The release was still awaiting a complete English translation.
Batsugun Exa Label demonstrated the foundations of the bullet-hell shooter genre through dense projectile patterns, selectable fighters, upgradeable weapons and gems. It was planned with four modes, including the original arcade version. Dynamite Bomb was another exA-exclusive 2D fighter, with ten characters, a story involving witches, warlocks and demons, and supernatural attacks.
JamJam ’N Jelly Exalente was a colourful side-scrolling “cute ’em up” also available on PC, PlayStation 4 and Switch. The arcade version still needed some polish, and its final differences from the console editions were not yet clear. An unannounced fighter was also present, but no details could be shared. Shinorubi Pink Label appeared as well, although it was not played during this visit; it had previously been tested at IAAPA.
For readers comparing display technology and cabinet formats, RETROCADE’s arcade machine buying guide provides useful context on choosing equipment, while its arcade machines catalogue covers current cabinet options.
Other show-floor announcements
IGPM, KOMUSE and Sega Amusements
IGPM displayed new air-hockey tables finished in glossy black. KOMUSE presented Air Slide, a redemption concept using an air-hockey puck. Players launch the puck towards a ticket target, with a harder bonus goal available. A second candy-themed game was still at a very early stage.
Sega Amusements showed Storm Rider 2, VR Agent, Drone Racing Genesis, Bop It! and its augmented-reality darts system. Crazy Rafting was not displayed.
Smart Industries, Stern Pinball and Triotech
Smart Industries demonstrated a crane-machine concept where winning could allow a player to clear most or all of the prizes inside, echoing prize-clearing crane formats seen in Japan.
Stern focused on Foo Fighters in both Pro and Premium versions. Both played well, with enjoyable flow and familiar songs, although low volume made the music difficult to hear at times. Triotech displayed Storm VR with a new ride film and its premium arcade machine, QUBE.
Virtual reality at Amusement Expo
VR continued to expand across the location-based entertainment sector, but it occupied a complementary role rather than replacing conventional, non-wearable arcade screens.
Hero Zone, HOLOGATE and INOWIZE
Hero Zone VR was observed in operation, with two new platform titles covered in this report on its new experiences. HOLOGATE ran Ghostbusters VR Academy without the Blitz sit-down motion simulator.
INOWIZE presented a revised QBIX mixed-reality room with part of the rear wall removed, making the interior more visible to passers-by. The platform had additional games, although the launch title was being played during both visits. A new two-player Arkadia VR system connected two headsets and control sets to an arcade-like cabinet for unattended play, including original INOWIZE software and a robotic shooting game.
Virtuix, VR 360 Action and VRsenal
Virtuix displayed its new home model rather than its arena. VR 360 Action offered the OMG VR Simulator and other systems with 25 rides or experiences. A bungee-jumping simulation combined VR and motion, but the back-and-forth movement caused discomfort for some players; a less intense and more interactive experience may prove easier to tolerate.
VRsenal’s Zombieland: Headshot Fever blended a VR headset with a light gun. The headset image could become unfocused depending on how it was held, and the raised gun became tiring. The external display appeared to run at approximately 24 frames per second, while the headset was around 30fps, with frequent bullet-time slowdowns.
The game sends players through a zombie-filled city, rewarding headshots and offering different weapons, exploding barrels and secrets. Reloading is automatic, and the promised play time was 40 minutes. Movement used blue floor markers followed by brief fades to black, rather than the smooth transitions of a traditional on-rails shooter. Despite those criticisms, reported earnings showed Zombieland taking three times as much as VR Agent, although further financial details were not available.
What the show revealed
Amusement Expo 2023 presented a healthy and varied arcade market. New driving games, shooters, pinball, redemption attractions and specialist arcade platforms stood alongside increasingly ambitious VR systems. The event’s record exhibitor and visitor numbers suggested continued growth, while the variety of products pointed to more options for entertainment venues and players.
For Australian operators and home collectors, cabinet size, maintenance, control durability and play format remain important considerations. RETROCADE’s guides to upright arcades, racing arcades and virtual pinball machines offer a practical starting point when comparing different styles of arcade hardware.
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