Pinball Expo 2025: A Year of Mystery and Magic

October is a special time in pinball, as this month holds the biggest flipping party of the year: Pinball Expo. Held in Schaumburg, IL, this convention began in 1985, and in the decades since, has earned a reputation as the premier event in the pinball world. Pinball Expo brings all the biggest manufacturers, vendors, and industry leaders under one roof, showcasing their newest goodies for the thousands of players who attend. Pinball Expo 2025 continued this trend, offering an entire weekend packed with panels, competition, and casual fun in spades. Now that the show has wrapped up, let's take a look back and reflect on all the hot topics of conversation that Pinball Expo 2025 had to offer.

Big Names Bring New Games

One of the most alluring parts of attending Pinball Expo is the chance to play every new game you could imagine, whether recently announced or a few years post-release. There's arguably no modern manufacturer as influential as Stern Pinball, and they brought their freshest pins to the show, including John Borg's latest: Star Wars: Fall of the Empire. This was the first time I had a chance to try it out, and after playing it a few times in both casual and competitive settings, I've come away with mixed feelings. The code is decent compared to other modern Stern releases, but the strategy feels bare in competition. While Fall of the Empire is fun enough to shoot and comes packed with modes, general Star Wars fatigue and a lack of innovation left me feeling lukewarm overall.

Jersey Jack Pinball, Spooky Pinball, and American Pinball also had a presence at the show, with JJP being the largest, offering titles like Avatar: Battle for Pandora, Harry Potter, and more. I had a good time flipping on these fresh machines and basked in one of the best games of Evil Dead I've ever played. Again and again, I can't help but fall in love with the light shows of JJP and the excellent theme integration of Spooky, and found myself consistently returning to their respective games for casual fun.

However, I was particularly confused by American Pinball's newest non-pinball creation (operating under the umbrella of Orbit Games): a fresh run of the 1930s alley-bowling game called Whirl-O-Ball. This full-sized, bulky machine plays just like Skee-Ball, but instead of aiming for holes on the backboard, you roll the balls up a ramp and out of sight to earn points. Unfortunately, it lacked the satisfaction of standard Skee-Ball, failed to properly explain the objective to the player, and generally left me less than enthusiastic. According to American Pinball/Orbit Games, this is a product designed for ticket redemption-style arcades, but is void of the spectacle and dopamine rush one would expect from that sort of entertainment. Maybe a coin pusher would've been a better bet.

Barrels of Fun, Turner, and Pinball Brothers Steal the Show

Luckily, where some of the larger companies underwhelmed, several blossoming manufacturers stepped in to pick up the dead weight. Turner Pinball's booth was abuzz, thanks to their newest game, Merlin's Arcade. Bright, vivid, and complemented by its high fantasy theme, Merlin's Arcade feels like a step up from Turner's imaginative and enjoyable previous game, Ninja Eclipse. In comparison to the prototype version I tried out in the summer, this commercial version of Merlin's Arcade contained much better code and felt a bit more solid on the flippers. I especially enjoyed the built-in tap pass buttons, making manual tap passes feel all the more rewarding, while providing an easy transfer for less experienced players. Generally speaking, I had a great time playing Merlin's Arcade, and it seemed like general attendees shared the sentiment, as “sold” signs quickly occupied every machine at Turner Pinball's booth.

On the other side of the convention hall, tucked under an appropriately camouflaged tent, was Pinball Brothers' latest game: Predator. This is a game that saw quite a bit of conversation at Pinball Expo, and out of all the machines on display, it was probably the most divisive. While some deemed it the best game of the show and others decried it as a flop, I sat somewhere in the middle. While the presentation was top-notch and the light show was particularly cool, I was let down by a clunky layout and lack of flow. With constant outlane saves and easy-to-deal-with feeds, games went on long, even if you weren't playing well. To be fair, I only played it once, but didn't feel the urge to wait in line for another go. I'm a big fan of Pinball Brothers' Alien, and while Predator feels similar in a lot of ways, I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed.

Without a doubt, the true standout of Pinball Expo 2025 was the surprise release from Barrels of Fun: Winchester Mystery House. This machine was created by first-time designer Karl DeAngelo, most well-known as a cutting-edge competitor in tournament pinball, along with his entertaining and impressive streams on his Twitch channel, IEPinball. With its spooky, supernatural theme, which evokes a palpable sense of intrigue, and an excellent layout that holds some truly inventive shots, Winchester Mystery House wowed me even when I struggled to rack up points. Barrels of Fun's signature narrative-driven, cinematic style presentation is on full display here, as you explore the many winding pathways of the Winchester Mystery House, with plenty of secrets to discover.

It was a treat to play this game in Barrel of Fun's designated “Quiet Room”, away from the bustling show floor, where I could fully enjoy the sights and sounds of the machine undisturbed. Throughout the entire weekend, the lines to play the game were lengthy without fail, as everyone eagerly waited to get a flip. I played the game three times and waited for roughly an hour each, but it was worth it. As both Karl DeAngelo's debut and another undeniably immersive game from Barrels of Fun, Winchester Mystery House was the best kind of surprise you could ask for at Pinball Expo, and I can't wait to play it again.

More Than Just Flips

Of course, new machines weren't the only cool part of Pinball Expo 2025. In addition to the flashy manufacturer booths, there were tons of vendors set up, ranging from custom topper companies like The Electric Playground to pinball personalities like Pinball Jen. Expo 2025 wasn't a pinball exclusive show either, as attendees could peruse retro video games and records, try out arcade machines, and more. One of my favorite parts of the show floor was the Homebrew Pinball section, featuring enticing, one-of-a-kind games that you won't find anywhere else. Panels and meet-and-greets filled the schedule, a Stern Pro Circuit tournament satiated competitive players, and we were warmed to see yet another successful Pinball Media Mixer at Enterrium (thanks, Scorbit!).

Overall, Pinball Expo 2025 was a blast and fully worth the trip to Illinois. Though the show floor offerings seemed lighter than last year, there was more than enough to hold my attention for the full duration of the weekend, wishing for just one more day to play. If anything, Pinball Expo 2025 was absolutely bustling, with longer lines and more excitable attendees than ever before. As always, it was great to see my pinball pals, talk shop, and spend the weekend engrossed in the world of pinball. Now, the only thing to do is wait for Pinball Expo 2026, which is sure to be a doozy.