Pinball Expo 2026 brought manufacturers, independent designers, homebrew creators, modders, distributors and competitive players together for one of the year’s major pinball events. This recap is a curated overview of the announcements, machines and seminars shared from the show.
For Australian enthusiasts comparing physical pinball with virtual pinball machines, the event also offered a useful look at where the wider hobby is heading.
What is Pinball Expo?
Now in its 42nd year, Pinball Expo is organised by Robert Berk, who also operates Past Times Arcade in Girard, Ohio. The convention is held in the heart of America’s pinball centre and attracts both established companies and smaller creative teams.
The programme extends beyond new commercial releases. Visitors can see indie and homebrew tables, meet modders and distributors, attend creator-led seminars and enter tournaments. Although it is one of several pinball conventions, Expo regularly becomes the venue for significant announcements.
A lengthy walkthrough of the event is available below.
Major manufacturers and new games
American Pinball
This was American Pinball’s first Expo under its new ownership, and the company made a strong showing with Cirqus Voltaire Reimagined as its main attraction. The display also included Galactic Tank Force: Victory Edition and Houdini 100th Anniversary Edition. American Pinball received the show’s Best Booth award, apparently its first win in that category.
AtGames
AtGames continued its virtual pinball presentation with a Sea of Thieves-themed machine. The hardware styling does not restrict players to matching tables, with other themes also demonstrated, including a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles layout based on a previous Stern design licence.
Barrels of Fun
Following the release of Bon Jovi earlier in the year, Barrels of Fun placed that machine at the centre of its display alongside Labyrinth. The company’s mechanical engineer and his brother also created a homebrew Attack On Titan table that won nine awards.
HEXA Pinball
HEXA displayed The 3 Musketeers, which attracted attention alongside the previously available Space Hunter. Like several boutique manufacturers at the event, HEXA appears to be concentrating more on collectors than on widespread location-based distribution. The display photograph was credited to Aaron at We Buy Pinball.
Jersey Jack Pinball
Sonic the Hedgehog was Jersey Jack Pinball’s headline attraction and its latest major release. The company’s seminar also covered the game’s development and recognised the team behind it before Steve Ritchie, widely known as the “King of Pinball”, announced his retirement. Ritchie has moved to Nevada and plans to enjoy retirement. A short booth clip is available here.
Multimorphic
Multimorphic brought its newest games, Dungeon Crawler Carl and Ender’s Game. The company’s familiar canopies helped shield the machines from bright trade-show lighting, while both titles drew heavier interest than the company’s displays have in some previous event coverage.
Quick footage of Ender’s Game is available here.
Myth Pinball
Myth Pinball presented Battle Stations, a head-to-head machine. Two-player competitive pinball tables have become less common, making this one of the more distinctive designs in the homebrew and boutique section.
Pedretti Pinball
Pedretti’s alternate classic remake, Tales of the Arabian Nights, attracted long queues. The table also adds Scorbit integration for score tracking.
Spooky Pinball
Spooky Pinball did not debut a brand-new game at the convention, so less event coverage was available. Beetlejuice remained a popular part of the display, including the striking shipping boxes used for the machine. The display photograph was shared by Cranston1944.
Spooky’s “Bug & Franchi” also took part in an Ask Me Anything session hosted by Retro Ralph.
Stern Pinball
Stern surprised visitors with AC/DC Remastered, despite having only recently released Fallout. The new machine was not present at the start of the event but arrived late on Friday. Stern’s booth also featured other games in production and a Laser War machine, likely the same example shown in the event coverage.
Turner Pinball
Turner Pinball generally produces small runs aimed at collectors. Its latest machine, Yukon Yeti, generated substantial interest, but the limited number of machines resulted in long waits. Reports from attendees suggested the queue was worthwhile. More photographs are available here, along with a short video.
Homebrew tables and independent projects
The Homebrew Village added a broad mix of experimental designs, historical displays and accessories. Highlights included:
- A quick look at Homebrew Village
- A 1930s pinball setup from No Flip Pinball
- Akira Pinball, which won several awards, with additional Instagram footage
- Attack On Titan
- Ayscrim Pinball
- Daikaiju
- Dead Flip’s award-winning whitewood game
- Monster League Hockey, with additional video and Knapp Arcade coverage
- PinPal Headphones Adapter, apparently shown as an early build
- The PinSnake Cleaning Wand
- The Simpsons homebrew table, which Roger Sharpe also played
Seminars and industry discussions
The seminar schedule covered game development, awards and the practical realities of operating pinball machines. A full collection of recordings is available through the Pinball News video channel.
Pat Lawlor and Roger Sharpe also featured in the programme.
Another session examined the good, bad and ugly sides of operating pinball.
Pinball Expo 2026: key takeaways
The event combined major manufacturer announcements with a strong independent scene. Stern’s unexpected AC/DC Remastered, American Pinball’s award-winning booth, Steve Ritchie’s retirement announcement and the attention surrounding boutique and homebrew machines were among the most notable developments.
For readers planning an arcade room or entertainment space, the show also underlined the breadth of options available—from collector-focused physical tables to flexible digital systems. Our arcade machine buying guide can help compare cabinet formats, while arcade parts are useful for maintenance and upgrades.
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