Pokémon Pinball Machine – My First Impressions! | Stern Premium

I finally got my first proper play on the Pokémon Premium Pinball Machine from Stern Pinball — and there wasn't just one of them at UK Pinfest. There were four Pokémon machines lined up next to each other! This was very much a first-eyes, first-play video rather than a full review. I take a look around the Premium machine, explore some of the toys and features and then get some gameplay in to see what Stern have done with one of the biggest entertainment franchises in the world. And I'll say this: the more I played Pokémon, the more I liked it. Released by Stern Pinball in 2026, Pokémon was developed by a team including designers Jack Danger and George Gomez, with Tanio Klyce leading the software side. The game sends you across four different habitats as you discover, catch and build a collection of Pokémon while battling rival Trainers and taking on Team Rocket. There's a huge amount going on across the playfield. You've got an animatronic Pikachu, an illuminated moving Poké Ball ball lock, the interactive Meowth Balloon, Squirtle Whirlpool, Psyduck scoop, Charmander spinning target, Pokédex captive ball and plenty of ramps, targets and shots. The Premium version also adds an interactive electromagnet in the battle arena to cause even more chaos with the ball. There's plenty here for Pokémon fans too. Stern have incorporated footage from the original animated series, custom voice work for Pikachu and Giovanni and, naturally, the classic Pokémon Theme (Gotta Catch 'Em All). The game also uses Stern's Insider Connected system, allowing Pokémon you catch while playing to be added to your own digital Pokémon Collection. I'm certainly no Pokémon expert, so I'm approaching this primarily as a pinball machine — how it shoots, how the layout feels and, most importantly, whether it's fun. My initial reaction? I wasn't completely sold immediately, but each game won me over a little bit more. By the time I'd finished playing, I was really enjoying it.