Feb 14, 2026
3 min read
Created by Stern Pinball Inc.The first Pokémon-themed pinball machine with The Pokémon Company.Although Pokémon has appeared in pinball form on the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance in the past, this is the first attempt at an arcade-ready machine.But it is not a rebound.Stern's Pokémon Pinball has a lot of crazy, high-tech bells and whistles, like collecting Pokémon while playing the machine.The power and ability to save your Pokédex progress on your phone, many interactive games like an animated Pikachu, and a high-resolution screen with lots of animation footage.Although Stern has only announced a Pokémon game, it will be released soon (in the coming months).We took a trip to the Stern factory to check it out.And after playing a bunch of the games we can confirm: they're great.
In good company
The Pokémon Company works closely with Stern to ensure that Pokémon are perfectly represented;we heard a lot about this partnership during our visit to Stern's factory, and it's clear from playing on the Pokémon machines that Stern really gets Pokémon. Lead programmer Tanio Klyce explained that "a lot of work went into marrying the necessary marble design with Pokémon," and it's clear that they used the license to create a game about fighting, catching, and living in the world of Pokémon.
The art package focuses on the Kanto Region Pokemon – the first 151 Gen 1 Pokemon introduced in Pokemon Red and Blue – and you start the game with Gen 1 starters available for battles, which we'll get to in a bit.Toys and art are clearly the result of careful collaboration.Clyse says, "We didn't draw anything, we designed things [The Pokemon Company]... very precisely. As extreme as it sounds, it actually gives the project a sense of legitimacy, according to longtime pinball designer Stern and George Gomez, one of Pokemon's co-leads.
In addition to the art on the cabinet, there are many Pokémon in this machine.The screen on the rear window works from 10 to 25.in terms of season anime.For example, if you press the right ramp a few times, you can start the Pikachu vs. Raichu mode, where battle scenes from the anime will appear on the screen when playing in multiball mode.The speakers play the Pokémon theme song, and Meowth's taunts are imported from the anime—Giovani's voice actor even recorded custom shouts for certain modes (deeper in the game, there are regional rivals and even gym battles and an ultimate master battle against Giovanni. We didn't get to those...yet!).
Catch 'Em (Pinball
While Gen 1 and the Kanto area are the focus of page art, backgammon and playfield art, Glyce adds: "Every generation we've had Pokemon... you'll have 182 to find and catch at launch."He also says there's "more to come," a nod to the online nature of Stern Machines these days: updates can be pushed to the background to add content or limited-time events, which is certainly a perfect fit for Pokemon.So here's what might work: When you access a Stern pinball machine, you can log in using a QR code on the Stern Insider Connected app on your phone.Once you've done this, you can track your scores, unlock achievements and, in the case of Pokémon, add them to your Pokédex.
As you find new Pokemon, a special Pokedex section of the Insider Connected app is populated.Stern can press an update to add Pokemon available on the device and thus expand the Pokédex.It won't be easy!Catching Pokemon is very difficult in Pinball: First, you can hit any target or shoot to fill the meter - pop bumpers are "big grass" that fills the catch meter quickly.After that a Pokemon randomly appears.These are based on the biome you are in, which you play in respectively: forest, lake, mountain, desert (in the forest we met Kakuna, Bewear and Venomoth).At this point you have to shoot the lit purple light to reveal the Pokemon in the Pokédex.Then you have to shoot the Pokéball toy to reach the Pokemon.This not only adds Pokemon to your 'Dex, but also opens up the battle to...
Despite Ash's favorite line, you don't pick the starters.When you start the game, you have a team of four: Squirtle, Pikachu, Charmander and Bulbasaur.When you start a battle by shooting at the scoop on the right, aim for the shots that light up to guide you in the battle, with each light guiding you up a ramp, around a loop, or towards a target.The first Pokémon to automatically enter battle is Bulbasaur, with purple shots lighting up for poison attacks and green shots for grass attacks.If you miss, the enemy will attack you.In the match against Scyther, we didn't make good progress with Bulbasaur's plant attack, but after a few shots, we lit a scoop shot on the playfield that allowed us to switch to Charmander, and then properly lit Scyther.It was actually kind of sad!The score went up.Limiting your team may seem strange, but it's also very effective: it's much harder to successfully shoot pinball than it is to choose your next move in turn-based combat.It's a bit like playing a Game Boy while juggling it!But it's like Pokemon, and catching, collecting, and fighting Pokemon is just cool and new once you're done playing pinball.
Although they don't come in red, blue, and yellow versions, there are different versions of the Pokémon: Premium and Limited Edition (LE) versions come with an animatronic Pikachu toy that oscillates, an interactive Pokéball toy that grabs the pinball and hides it, and a magnet under the Balloon ball.These versions also have metal ramps and a more complex left turn ramp.The LE version (limited to 750 machines) has additional lighting, colored "armor" (metal trim and legs on the cabinet) and a unique art scheme.The Pro version is a little stripped down with non-interactive Pikachu and Pokéball toys and no magnets, but it looks very similar to the other models and also has a very cool Meowth balloon that flies around the playing field for easy targeting (and easy multi-ball play).Other Stern machines have some pretty striking differences between their models;what we noticed most about the Pro was that the lack of metal parts and lighting made it look a little cheaper - which it is.
We can't wait to play more of Stern's Pokémon - the idea of filling a Pokédex in a whole new way across multiple slots, arcades, bars and arcades is fantastic and has never been done before.And while the innovation is clearly evident in features like the Pokédex, battles, and DLC potential, the basic Pokémon layout feels as accessible and classic as Mars Attack (center strike) or Monster Strike.(obvious shots related to the character).This makes sense, since Pokemon Pinball is the product of both one of Stern's new designers, Jack Danger, and George Gomez, who worked on classics like The Lord of the Rings and the aforementioned Monster Bash.The shots were easy to hit and the flow was good, but we let loose a lot: Despite its appearance, the gameplay on this machine is not childish at all.And that's what Pokemon and Pinball have in common: anyone can play, but only a few can become masters.We should hear more about Stern's Pokémon Pinball in the coming weeks;MSRP for the Pro model is $6,999, the Premium is $9,699, and the LE is $12,999. All models are available for pre-order now.
