One of my latest obsessions is pinball. I’ve liked it since I was a kid, but in the past couple of years I’ve really dived into learning/practicing flipper techniques and the rulesets for my favorite machines. I’m definitely past “just keep it out of the drain hole” and now if I have a rare day to myself I will drive two hours to my ultimate happy place – an all-you-can-play pinball museum!

closeup of mermaid pinball artI appreciate pinball machines like I appreciate turntables: I love them for their very mechanical nature. I love their sounds, I love their art. I enjoy playing virtual pinball on my iPad too though and own nearly 100 machine ROMs. A great feature is an instructional mode that will take you play-by-play across the table and explain the entire ruleset. Most of the machines that I own on the app I know very, very well and have played many, many times. Playing them in person is a different experience though, like seeing an old friend in a new way.

There is an arcade nearby with a decent selection of machines but my town isn’t quite big enough to support a league, unfortunately. I would totally join one if I could, but the closest ones are in bigger cities several hours away. So it’s mostly virtual for me, but I hit the arcade every couple months or so to get a fix. I wish I could own a real machine but if I had to pick only one that would actually be a hard decision!

I’m not listing these scores to brag (I’m not that good!), just to keep track of them in case the apps I use fail. Do you play? Let’s be friends on Stern Insider (@sfaze) or Pindingo (@sfaze=IRL machines; @sfazebot=iPad tables).

I like keeping my IRL scores separate from the machines I play on my iPad. Even though the ruleset is the same, it’s just not the same as playing a machine for real! (IRL = in real life machines; VRT =  virtual machines)

MachineYearTypeHigh Score
3001975IRL28,800
Addams Family1992IRL69,823,050
Addams Family1992VRT144,265,500
Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle1993IRL71,254,600
Al's Garage Band World Tour1992VRT111,998,830
Alice Cooper's Nightmare Castle2018IRL2,518,940
Alien (Remake)2021IRL10,236,680
Attack From Mars1993IRL2,336,259,330
Attack From Mars1993VRT5,086,898,310
Avengers: Infinity Quest (LE)2020IRL23,961,480
Back to the Future: The Pinball1990IRL2,355,880
Bad Cats1989IRL3,160,610
Banzai Run1988IRL1,121,600
Barry O's Barbecue Challenge (Classic)2024IRL24,003,160
Batman1991IRL2,587,720
Batman 66 (Premium)2016IRL60,073,490
Beatles2018IRL752,810
Big Guns1987IRL2,631,790
Big Shot1973VRT135,170
Black Hole1981IRL77,620
Black Hole1981VRT545,940
Black Knight1980VRT784,380
Black Knight 20001989IRL1,309,580
Black Knight 20001989VRT630,620
Black Knight Sword of Rage (LE)2019IRL108,712,590
Black Rose1992VRT13,508,860
BoneBusters1989VRT1,484,240
Bram Stoker's Dracula1993IRL28,405,930
Bram Stoker's Dracula1993VRT357,154,940
Bronco1977IRL4,910
Cactus Canyon (Remake)2021IRL24,442,740
Cactus Jack's1991VRT4,789,200
Captain Fantastic1976IRL62,120
Centaur1981VRT1,025,980
Champion Pub1998IRL2,223,080
Champion Pub1998VRT36,361,530
Charlie's Angels1978IRL192,710
Cirqus Voltaire1997IRL7,236,150
Cirqus Voltaire1997VRT76,347,010
Class of 18121991VRT11,381,450
Comet1985IRL519,440
Counterforce1980IRL231,630
Creature From The Black Lagoon1992IRL22,548,370
Creature From The Black Lagoon1992VRT18,787,400
Cue Ball Wizard1992VRT289,618,270
Deadpool (Premium)2018IRL95,942,970
Delta Queen1974IRL56,710
Diner1990VRT7,635,620
Dirty Harry1995IRL111,483,170
Doctor Who Master of Time2016VRT100,678,770
Dungeons & Dragons1987IRL511,650
Earthshaker1989IRL2,345,200
Earthshaker1989VRT3,070,280
Eight Ball Deluxe1980IRL998,740
Eight Ball Deluxe1980VRT1,176,770
El Dorado1975VRT141,840
Elvira & The Party Monsters1989VRT8,395,690
Elvis2004IRL5,431,170
Eros One1979IRL95,060
F-14 Tomcat1987VRT2,555,460
Family Guy2007IRL16,925,140
Fathom1980VRT1,544,680
Fathom Revisited (Classic mode)2022IRL470,370
Fathom Revisited (Mermaid mode)2022IRL195,980
Fire!1987IRL789,480
Fireball1972VRT45,820
Firepower1980VRT207,420
Firepower II1983VRT781,410
Fish Tales1992IRL19,560,260
Fish Tales1992VRT62,403,250
Flight 20001980VRT736,840
Foo Fighters (Pro)2023IRL92,353,020
Frank Thomas' Big Hurt1995VRT289,718,370
Freddy: A Nightmare on Elm Street1994IRL228,760,810
FunHouse1990IRL2,682,720
FunHouse1990VRT29,493,080
Future Spa1979IRL151,300
Game of Thrones (Pro)2015IRL7,942,610
Genie1979VRT352,290
Getaway: High Speed II1992IRL23,234,290
Ghostbusters (LE)2016IRL41,196,810
Gladiators1993VRT19,853,450
Godzilla (Premium)2021IRL68,117,980
Gold Ball1983IRL354,630
Gorgar1979IRL98,380
Gorgar1979VRT721,160
Guns N' Roses (LE)2020IRL5,858,883
Harley-Davidson1999VRT242,718,750
Haunted House1982VRT230,250
Hayburners II1968IRL4,611
High Roller Casino2001VRT111,836,820
High Speed1986IRL430,570
Hook1992IRL64,066,990
Hot Wheels2020IRL200,568,520
Houdini2017IRL61,949
Hurricane1991IRL6,356,610
Hurricane1991VRT50,568,650
Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure1993IRL249,241,660
Indianapolis 5001995VRT303,130,620
Iron Maiden (Pro)2018IRL31,430,130
Jack*Bot1995IRL584,982,080
Jack*Bot1995VRT1,440,310,250
Jacks Open1977VRT115,400
James Bond1980IRL77,510
James Bond 007 (60th LE)2022IRL6,926
James Bond 007 (LE)2022IRL67,895,560
Jaws (LE)2024IRL38,325,230
John Wick (Pro)2024IRL48,351,980
Junk Yard1996VRT29,096,400
Jurassic Park (Premium)2019IRL70,651,810
Labyrinth2023IRL1,475,020
Last Action Hero1993VRT96,267,560
Led Zeppelin (LE)2020IRL7,393,070
Legends of Valhalla2020IRL4,484,550
Lightning1981IRL44,560
Lights Camera Action!1989VRT2,064,780
Looney Toons (Collectors)2024IRL148,298,590
Lord of the Rings2003IRL8,387,210
Lost World1977IRL74,680
Lucky Seven1978IRL50,000
Machine: Bride of Pinbot1991IRL19,174,270
Machine: Bride of Pinbot1991VRT13,879,370
Magnotron1974IRL53,610
Medieval Madness1997VRT42,050,210
Medieval Madness1997IRL7,073,020
Metallica (Premium)2013IRL9,391,400
Monster Bash1998IRL26.085.760
Monster Bash1998VRT256,129,670
Munsters (LE)2019IRL11,172,000
NBA2009IRL3,570,390
NBA Fastbreak1997IRL36
No Fear: Dangerous Sports1995IRL441,696,900
No Fear: Dangerous Sports1995VRT1,294,841,220
No Good Gofers1997IRL6,264,260
No Good Gofers1997VRT56,360,410
Oktoberfest2018IRL155,678
Orbitor 11982IRL93,070
Paragon1978VRT106,400
Phantom of the Opera1990VRT1,428,730
Phoenix1978IRL147,180
Pin*Bot1986VRT4,263,030
Pirates of the Caribbean2004IRL11,493,360
Pirates of the Caribbean (LE)2018IRL28,560
Primus2018IRL1,778
Pulp Fiction (SE)2023IRL845,220
Queen (Rapsody Edition)2022IRL60,072,480
Quicksliver1980IRL580,820
Red & Ted's Road Show1994IRL111,266,200
Red & Ted's Road Show1994VRT704,745,380
Rescue 9111994VRT126,288,050
Rick & Morty (Blood Sucker Edition)2019IRL1,024,502
Ripley's Believe It Or Not2003IRL17,226,040
Ripley's Believe It Or Not2003VRT17,158,270
Rollercoaster Tycoon2002IRL1,504,140
Rush (LE)2022IRL67,425,520
Safe Cracker1996IRL396,080
Silverball Mania1978IRL204,930
Sorcerer1985VRT317,660
South Park1999IRL28,171,630
Space Invaders1980IRL199,150
Space Shuttle1984IRL911,120
Space Shuttle1984VRT2,994,280
Spider-Man (Vault Edition)2016IRL39,942,820
Star Trek1978IRL72,150
Star Trek (Premium)2013VRT113,248,120
Star Trek (Pro)2013IRL4,353,160
Star Trek Vengeance (Premium)2013VRT62,485,430
Star Trek: The Next Generation1993IRL79,919,460
Star Trek: The Next Generation1993VRT607,849,460
Star Wars (Premium)2017IRL256,320,740
Star Wars (Pro)2017IRL30,581,920
Star Wars Episode I1999IRL19,658,560
Stargate1995IRL228,445,500
Starship Troopers1997IRL12,013,400
Strange Science1986IRL364,860
Stranger Things (Pro)2019IRL83,523,860
Super Mario Bros. Mushroom World1992IRL9,405,660
Swords of Fury1988VRT3,367,910
Tales From The Crypt1993IRL113,889,760
Tales of the Arabian Nights1996IRL4,343,960
Tales of the Arabian Nights1996VRT51,977,980
Taxi1988VRT4,677,120
Tee'd Off1993VRT192,816,940
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles1996IRL3,207,040
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Premium)2020IRL7,791,760
Terminator 2: Judgment Day1991IRL34,462,360
Terminator 2: Judgment Day1991VRT114,888,170
Terminator 3: Rise of The Machines2003IRL6,974,140
The Hobbit2015IRL88,917
The Machine: Bride of Pin*bot1991IRL19,174,270
The Machine: Bride of Pin*bot1991VRT50,409,110
The Mandalorian (LE)2021IRL65,102,270
The Simpsons Pinball Party2003IRL11,414,830
The Sopranos2005IRL7,481,030
The Walking Dead (LE)2014IRL12,719,000
The Who's Tommy Pinball Wizard1994IRL63,892,490
Theatre of Magic1995IRL453,829,980
Theatre of Magic1995VRT1,011,363,720
Total Nuclear Annihilation2017IRL264,130
Toy Story 4 (CE)2022IRL672,190
Tron: Legacy (LE)2011IRL9,835,720
Twilight Zone1993IRL40,909,110
Twilight Zone1993VRT128,997,180
TX-Sector1988VRT4,663,170
Ultraman: Kaiju Rumble2021IRL8,219,470
Victory1987VRT1,534,660
Weird Al’s Museum of Natural Hilarity2022IRL387,851
Whirlwind1990IRL2,401,540
Whirlwind1990VRT10,856,660
White Water1993VRT166,958,640
WHOdunnit1995IRL574,940,250
WHOdunnit1995VRT1,291,577,980
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory2019IRL243,460
Wizard of Oz2013IRL27,297
World Cup Soccer1994IRL305,882,330
Wrestlemania (LE)2015IRL7,206,280
X-Men (LE)2012IRL10,767,920
Xenon1980IRL197,020
Xenon1980VRT717,470

closeup of wizard art on a pinball table