Amusement Expo 2025 Arcade Games Round-Up

Amusement Expo 2025 delivered a strong look at the arcade industry’s next wave, with major launches from Raw Thrills, Sega, LAI Games, Coastal Amusements and several newcomers. Redemption, mixed-reality, vending and connected competitive products shared the floor with traditional video games.

Some exhibition videos were still being edited at publication, so further footage may be added later.

Raw Thrills and TouchMagix

Raw Thrills

Top Gun Maverick dominated the Betson and Raw Thrills booth, attracting players from opening until closing. The space was especially crowded during the first hour. The Wizard of Oz videmption game and Series 4 of Minecraft Dungeons Arcade also made their public debuts.

The major Raw Thrills news was that Godzilla Kaiju Wars VR will contain six chapters: the five previously known stages plus a “Final Battle”. Raw Thrills describes the finale as its most difficult sequence yet, with quality-assurance testers reportedly struggling to complete it.

Top Gun changed considerably during development. An early off-rails approach, similar to Blazing Angels Arcade, was abandoned after testers found it confusing and unenjoyable. The finished design is more accessible, with pilot chatter and the Danger Zone jingle adding atmosphere. The original Top Gun theme is also present, although it was not obvious during play.

The game still needed some polish. One potential point of confusion was enemy aircraft descending in the same direction as the player rather than flying directly towards them. Raw Thrills uses a vibrant, hyper-realistic visual style rather than photorealism: colourful action, high-resolution textures, anti-aliasing, destructible scenery and particle effects across two 4K displays at 60 frames per second.

Comparisons with mobile games overlook the hardware and rendering workload involved. Raw Thrills’ priority is consistent, colourful action without slowdown, rather than heavily ray-traced lighting and deep HDR shadows.

The Wizard of Oz is an attractive cabinet, particularly its spherical orb roller controller. Its size means operators will need to consider ceiling clearance, while the card-vending element may influence how venues assess it.

The Series 4 update for Minecraft Dungeons Arcade was shown, although it had not yet been played for this report. The reviewer’s own cabinet was suffering severe slowdown, possibly because of an overheating or failing graphics card.

TouchMagix

TouchMagix presented Minions Bullseye Mania, a videmption darts game that had not been heavily promoted before the event. It uses new darts, including plastic banana shapes that produced a loud impact against the screen. Those were expected to be replaced with softer versions, and the cabinet includes a two-player linking marquee. Shipping was expected very soon, with family entertainment centres likely to be its main market.

Treasure Chest, previously shown at IAAPA, was not present. TouchMagix instead displayed Crazy Prize and an updated Pop It!. One operator reported that their Crazy Prize machine was earning $1,000 per week, although performance will depend heavily on location.

New arcade exhibitors and notable machines

Alan-1

Alan-1 occupied its largest booth to date, despite being positioned among gambling equipment rather than near the main arcade exhibitors. The space remained busy throughout the show. Its line-up included near-complete beta versions of Soda Slam! and Missile Command Recharged, alongside original Asteroids, Joust and Missile Command cabinets.

Avian Knights debuted in 2023, while Asteroids Recharged appeared the following year. Missile Command Recharged was still at a very early stage and did not represent the final game. More features are planned, but no completion date was confirmed.

Additional information on Soda Slam! was being held back for a later announcement.

Amusement Source International

ASI’s planned Rooster ’N Bro videmption shooter could not attend. The two-player environmental version of Skull of Shadow was also absent, leaving the four-player upright model on display. Super Drill from Ace Amusement was available and offered a promising shooting experience.

ASI also added Kynoa SE products, including Koliseum NOVa and Whack The Light, expanding its range beyond Chinese-made equipment. The company showed additional redemption products and a new version of its phone-case vending machine.

Attractions & More

Attractions & More, represented by Mark and his wife, focused on the iPlay eSport Boxer Combo. The machine combines a punching bag and a football-kicking feature, used one at a time. Its heavy-duty construction, online connectivity and tournament functions place it above a conventional boxing machine in price, but strong earnings could justify the investment in the right venue.

The booth also included two Ultraman redemption games. One uses mounted guns to help Ultraman defeat kaiju and can operate without its water feature. The other resembles a fishing game, with four cannons controlled by sliding Ultraman head-shaped controls to hit monsters crossing a ruined city.

The water levels limited the demonstration of the gun game, but its conventional target-shooting action worked well even without prior familiarity with the Ultraman licence. The second game was highly redemption-focused, with colourful graphics and a simple “shoot monsters for tickets” premise. A separate Jump For Treasure machine had previously attracted attention at AAA Expo but was not shown here.

Bandai Namco Amusement America

Bandai Namco occupied a prominent position at the entrance. Its video-game line-up largely matched IAAPA, with Taiko No Tatsujin and GoldStorm Pirates drawing regular players. GoldStorm now features gold-chromed guns, while the two previously shown kiddie rides also appeared to be moving towards release.

The major addition was Bandai Gashapon, bringing Japanese-style capsule vending to more Western arcade locations after a limited testing period in the United States and Europe.

GoldStorm Pirates was expected to ship in April, followed by another batch of Taiko units. There was no official confirmation for Bike Dash Delivery, Wangan Midnight Speed Ignition, Magi Blast or Penda Beats. Bandai Namco had hired additional American manufacturing staff in an effort to improve delivery times.

Blue Motion Games

Newcomer Blue Motion Games presented Cannonball Jam and Desert Strike. Both were designed for large FECs and stand approximately 13 feet tall. Desert Strike is a four-player light-gun game with a huge screen, motion seats and wind effects. It currently has two long levels, with scope for more content.

Cannonball Jam targets the redemption market, has six levels and uses large ball-launcher cannons. Its two demonstrated stages appeared more detailed and colourful than Desert Strike, although the latter’s post-apocalyptic setting naturally uses a darker visual palette.

Both games were available. Cannonball Jam was priced at approximately $32,000, while Desert Strike was approximately $53,000. Desert Strike’s tornado sequence gave the motion seats an especially strong showcase.

Coastal Amusements

Hot Wheels: Ultimate Speedway was Coastal’s largest attraction. The cabinet stands approximately 11.5 feet, or 3.5 metres, tall, and four units were linked together. Players slide a puck across a polycarbonate, air-hockey-style surface using an air blower, aiming at moving LED targets. The targets are separate displays, creating an impressive mechanical presentation.

Ace Amusement’s Wild West Shootout 2 adds two players and more content to the original. It retains the six-shooter pistols and snapping force feedback, and includes a flamethrower power-up. The action is enjoyable with a friend, although the large number of score indicators can make the screen feel cluttered.

JET Games

JET showed an early Talking Tom videmption game but did not permit filming. It combines a Subway Surfers-style format with a more forgiving difficulty level and uses a small touchscreen as the control interface for a vertically mounted display.

Other JET products included the Cool Scoop kiddie ride, an ice-cream and burger assembly game, and JET Darts. The digital darts system offers numerous game modes, online connectivity through a phone and the ability to add further content.

LAI Games

LAI’s advertised NASCAR Pitstop and Mount Shabang were absent, possibly because of shipping or development delays. The company’s main attraction was Cyberpunk 2077: Turf Wars, a mixed-reality shooting gallery using physical BB pellets fired by an air-blower and spring-loaded mechanism.

The concept is more unusual than a conventional on-rails shooter. Potential improvements include randomised missions, character dialogue, animated enemies, more interactive backgrounds and boss encounters built around pop-up weak points. Mechanical reliability and software polish will also be important before full release.

Three modes were available. Sniper was challenging because players had limited ammunition and no scope or constantly visible laser to confirm their aim.

Versus was the standout mode, particularly because LAI was still refining the mechanics. The game appeared to have potential rather than being a finished product to dismiss.

Pop-A-Shot

Pop-A-Shot returned to the event after a long absence, with industry veteran Ryan Cravens leading its arcade division. The new Pop-A-Shot Elite is designed for commercial locations and includes online tournament software.

The company also highlighted its knowledge of national basketball tournaments and events, creating opportunities for venues to run competitions around the machine.

Sega Amusements International

Sega displayed the release version of Apex Rebels, Alpha Ops VR Strike, redemption and videmption products, and 501 Fun’s Immersive Darts. The new golf machine shown at EAG was not present. Alpha Ops VR Strike was expected to reach locations in May.

The headline launch was Maimai DX. The rhythm game attracted dedicated players, including fans recruited by Sega and Velocity eSports as well as visitors who travelled specifically to play it. Its general release represents a significant expansion beyond the limited rollout many had expected.

Several commercial details were discussed, although they were not completely final:

North American shipping was scheduled for late August or autumn at the earliest, and could take longer.
The camera feature on Asian cabinets will not be available in North America because of COPPA requirements.
The expected upfront price was $31,000, including an online router where required.
The price included two years of content updates, followed by an expected $2,000 annual fee.
No monthly payment or revenue-share arrangement was expected.
The North American version will continue receiving updates aligned with the Asian International version.
Aime support may allow regular players to receive benefits such as extra songs per play.
The package was also expected to include 100 free Aime cards.

These details could still change. Although the price is substantial, it was described as roughly $10,000 to $20,000 below some other large new machines. Apex Rebels remained enjoyable, while a less expensive standard cabinet would make it easier to place alongside machines such as Storm Racer G or Daytona Championship USA.

Stern Pinball

Stern Pinball was the only pinball manufacturer encountered at the event. Its stand included four Dungeons & Dragons machines in Pro and Premium versions. Play quality varied, and one machine appeared to have a different balance from the others, contributing to frequent drains from the ball launch. Operators comparing pinball options can also browse RETROCADE’s virtual pinball machines.

Other exhibitors

Adrenaline Amusements: Similar to IAAPA, with a smaller focused booth and no recorded booth tour.
Andamiro USA: A new crane machine was shown; PIU was absent.
Bay Tek Entertainment: Similar to IAAPA, without a full Hyper Deck setup and with fewer basketball machines.
ELAUT: Similar to IAAPA.
ICE: Similar to IAAPA, without larger products such as Neon Bowling.
IGPM Distribution: A new Power Slap boxer was present but not inspected.
Incredible Technologies: Fewer machines than the previous year and nothing new.
INOWIZE: A small booth; its QBIX was not set up because sales had been strong.
Komuse USA: Nothing notably new was observed.
Retro Arcade Remakes: A Zeke’s Peak was seen; the new Food Fight was not confirmed.
Smart Industries: A new crane system and whacker game.
Team Play: TKM’s Magic Factory was rethemed as Candy Factory and attracted attention.
Triotech: Similar to the previous event, with a new XD Dark Ride film but not the ride itself.
UNIS: Monster Kart DLX and a redesigned Emoji basketball game.
Zooom Studios: A smaller booth with three products rather than approximately 20.
Not seen: Creative Works, Verse Immersive and Valo Motion.

Final assessment

Amusement Expo 2025 felt busier and more productive than several recent editions, despite reported attendance being down by about 200. The show delivered more genuinely new arcade products than any edition in years, with fewer booths consisting entirely of repeat displays.

Top Gun Maverick was arguably the show’s most broadly appealing game and attracted immediate attention from operators and visitors. In the right specialist venue, however, Maimai DX could perform just as strongly or better. Seeing committed players attend specifically for Sega’s rhythm game was one of the event’s most encouraging signs.

The event also showed how wide the modern arcade market has become. Large-format simulators, connected basketball and darts, capsule vending, mixed-reality shooting, licensed redemption and updated classics all competed for operator attention. For Australian operators assessing equipment, footprint, content updates, venue type and ongoing costs matter as much as the game itself. RETROCADE’s arcade-machine buying guide, racing arcade range, arcade parts catalogue and arcade repair service provide useful context for planning a collection or commercial installation.