The sixth and final instalment of our IAAPA 2025 coverage rounds up the products and companies that did not fit into the earlier reports, including redemption games, motion simulators, immersive attractions and smaller Chinese exhibitors.
The Orlando show demonstrated strong opportunities across the amusement sector, although operators continue to face economic pressure. The event also highlighted a clear change in immersive entertainment: traditional VR occupied less space than in previous years, while projection mapping, LED floors and LED matrix panels were increasingly prominent. VR is not disappearing, but it is now concentrated among fewer exhibitors.
Earlier instalments covered Raw Thrills, Wahlap, Alan-1, TouchMagix, Blue Motion Games, Bandai Namco, Sega Amusements, LAI Games, exA-Arcadia, AVS Companies, JET Games, Andamiro USA, pinball, UNIS, Amusement Source International, Coastal Amusements and Ace.
For Australian operators and home enthusiasts comparing formats, our arcade news and features provide further context, while the arcade machine buying guide covers the practical considerations involved in choosing a cabinet.
Bay Tek Entertainment
Bay Tek placed three redemption releases at the centre of its stand: Dippin’ Dots Drop, Nailed It and Perfect Pump. Nailed It was particularly enjoyable with four players, although it was often quiet when observed.
Perfect Pump attracted considerable discussion, especially around a quoted price said to be above $10,000 but below $20,000. That figure was not confirmed and may change. The cabinet has a distinctive marquee and will be offered in single-player and dual-player versions, though the reported price seemed high for its relatively straightforward concept.
Bay Tek also showed Rotten Dead, a new zombie shooter for the HYPERDECK VR platform. It was one of the few new VR games seen at the expo. The new Terminator title at Hero Zone was not viewed during the visit.
ELAUT
Elaut Companies, including Elaut USA, Benchmark Games International and Coast-To-Coast Entertainment, remain major players in cranes and redemption rather than video games. Their headline reveal was the eClaw 2.0 system, which received an IAAPA Brass Ring Award. The company also presented other products through its United States distribution arrangements.
Shuffle Board offered a hybrid of video and physical play. It includes three modes and can operate as a conventional, non-ticket arcade game focused on points and entertainment.
Epark
Epark was discovered among the smaller Chinese booths. The company has maintained a consistent online presence, and its original pirate-themed shooter appeared to avoid the intellectual-property issues associated with some of its other, nautical-themed promotions. The short demonstration showed an entertaining concept with competent graphics.
ICE
ICE introduced Odin’s Hammer Strike, a polished carnival-style redemption game built around striking a target as forcefully as possible. Its unusual leaderboard feature is accessed through buttons on the control panel, adding competition to an otherwise simple format.
Aside from new marquees for Smash-N-Win, which began shipping earlier in the year, ICE did not present another completely new title. Existing attractions such as Neon Bowling continue to perform well, so the company may not need a constant stream of new releases.
INOWIZE
INOWIZE displayed its latest QBIX titles, continuing a platform that has now reached nine games. Sweet Scoops was a clever match for the format.
The newest QBIX release, Last Defense, adapts the familiar mobile-game premise in which a small group of soldiers passes through gates that add troops or provide power-ups before facing increasingly large enemy forces. The concept is often used in mobile advertising for games that do not actually match the advertised experience; INOWIZE has instead developed a real arcade game around the idea.
Last Defense expands beyond simply moving through gates, adding more direct control and shooting action. That extra interaction makes the premise better suited to an arcade cabinet.
Leon Amusement
Leon Amusement occupied a small booth behind LAI Games and showed two exclusive products that had not yet been taken up by a Western distributor. The company’s products had also appeared in earlier coverage under different names through JET Games.
Flamestone Gun is effectively a cardless, four-player extension of Thunder Attack, which Amusement Source International sold in North America. Its large, striking guns recalled Korea’s discontinued Vulcan-M.
Dragon Knight is a motion shooter inspired by Adrenaline’s Drakons Realm Keepers, sharing some of the territory occupied by Ace’s Dragon Kingdom. Leon’s software appeared more polished than Ace’s version, while its cabinet design took a very different direction and was closer in appearance to Godzilla Kaiju Wars Deluxe. It did not match Godzilla, but represented a clear improvement over Dragon Kingdom. The game actually appeared in China before Godzilla, with an initial sighting at the AAA show in May, ahead of UNIS showing the non-VR Godzilla at GTI in September.
Shock Park Attractions
Big Hoops is a large-scale basketball attraction aimed at family entertainment centres with substantial budgets and floor space. Its touchscreen-controlled player system runs on Shock Park’s own software and is designed to make a strong visual impact.
Team Play
Team Play has recently concentrated on kiddie rides, mechanical redemption and photo booths. At IAAPA 2025, it presented Ghostbusters Wheel, a new wheel redemption game intended to replace Carnival Wheel.
Rather than physically rotating hardware, Ghostbusters Wheel uses micro LED matrix panels similar to those in Carnival Wheel to create a convincing spinning illusion. The effect was strong enough to fool observers, while built-in mini-games gave the attraction more variety than a standard wheel spinner.
Team Play also showed the polar-themed Ice Tour, alongside existing products including the Pix Place Photo Booth and Candy Forge.
Triotech
Triotech announced three attractions planned to open in Montreal in summer 2026: a large immersive game room, a multi-room attraction and an augmented-reality go-kart product. No working examples were available at the expo, but the company’s announcement can be read in its product announcement.
The exhibitor did have the new two-player Super Blaster model. It is intended for smaller FECs than the QUBE and other Super Blaster versions, while retaining exceptionally high-end graphics.
UNICO USA
UNICO USA displayed its latest LCD screens in 4:3 sizes of 30, 25 and 19 inches, the U3 Raiden Nova Blast cabinet and several handheld retro gaming devices.
The U3 is intended for home use because the Raiden licences do not cover commercial operation. However, its Nova Blast cabinet can run JAMMA and JVS games, includes a coin slot and offers more flexibility than a single-purpose home system. Pre-orders were open at the time of the show, with shipments expected in January or February 2026.
For readers considering a dedicated cabinet, RETROCADE’s upright arcade range and arcade parts selection offer useful points of comparison for both complete machines and restoration projects.
Valo Motion
Valo Motion’s exergames attracted strong interest from children at the show. The company has consistently favoured augmented and mixed reality over conventional VR, a direction that appears increasingly aligned with the broader move towards physical, wearable-free attractions.
VEX Solutions
VEX Solutions began as a VR specialist but is now expanding into mixed-reality attractions with VEX Party Dash. First shown earlier in the year at IAAPA Expo Europe, the system combines touchable LED dot-matrix panels with large-format visual environments.
Instead of using projectors for mapped walls, the attraction uses LED panels. Other exhibitors presented related solid-colour LED systems, including Hyper Grid. LED panels cost considerably more, but they allow operators to create two large surfaces that players can walk on and touch, rather than limiting the experience to changing blocks of light.
This type of installation offers something difficult to reproduce at home without the complications of wearable equipment. It will not replace every arcade format, but flexible immersive rooms may take the place of some VR arenas.
Yuto Games
Yuto Games was visited briefly between other appointments, so the products were not examined in person. Big Beast Hunter was said to differ mechanically from Big Buck Hunter, and Crazy Drive was also of interest, but both will have to wait for a closer look. Yuto continues to promote its products through Western social media and supplied its own highlights for the event.
Overall
IAAPA 2025 was described as the busiest show experienced to date and the most attended IAAPA event in history. Some clients from Europe and the Middle East were reportedly unable to attend. It was unclear whether travel disruption connected with the United States government shutdown contributed, or whether other factors were responsible.
The crowded event made it impossible to meet everyone or attend every planned gathering. Further videos from the expo were still awaiting editing, along with a streamed overview of all six wrap-ups and a future exA update covering newer game footage and shipping news for one or two titles.
The outlook for 2026 remained hopeful, although the operator’s own arcade business had been slower than expected. Revenue had continued an uneven decline, and while some costs had fallen, arcade-game prices had not, making new investment harder. Future performance would depend heavily on location. Plans were being explored to improve the venue, including the introduction of a card system alongside tokens, and a successful relocation or operating change could lead to the purchase of several games shown at IAAPA.
For operators assessing new equipment, racing and simulator arcades are another useful category to compare with the immersive attractions showcased in Orlando.
IAAPA 2025’s strongest themes were practical redemption formats, compact player-count options and large-scale experiences that combine physical interaction with digital presentation. Which new game or attraction stood out most to you?
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