People have been waiting for this one, and the whispers turned out to be true. Stern Pinball and The Pokémon Company International have officially teamed up on the first physical Pokemon pinball machine, and it’s not a prototype or a concept. You can order it right now. Three models sit in the lineup: Pro at $6,999, Premium at $9,699, and a Limited Edition capped at 750 units worldwide for $12,999. Those aren’t casual price tags, and Stern isn’t pretending they are. Everything runs on the company’s SPIKE 3 platform, the same backbone that’s powered its most ambitious tables in recent years. That’s a confident foundation for a machine carrying one of the biggest entertainment franchises on the planet.
So the real question is whether creatures built for screens can hold their own on a physical playfield where gravity and steel do all the talking.
Price: Starting at $6,999 (Pro)
Where to Buy: Stern Pinball
Inside The Pokemon Pinball Machine
Gameplay puts you in the role of a Pokémon Trainer moving through four distinct habitats, each with its own ramps, spinners, and targets. The variety is a smart call that keeps repeat sessions from blurring together. You’ll launch an illuminated, mechanically animated Poké Ball to catch Pokémon, build a team, and grow your collection over time. Rival trainers show up for battle sequences, and Team Rocket’s Giovanni appears as the primary antagonist with custom voiceovers that capture the original animated series tone. The playfield is dense, but nothing feels crammed. That balance doesn’t happen by accident.
The animatronic Pikachu mounted on the table is the piece your eyes find first. It physically reacts to your shots in real time, moving and responding in ways that give the machine a warmth and personality that static figures can’t touch. Stern clearly knew this would be the visual anchor for every photo and video this Pokémon pinball machine generates, and it was the right bet.
Premium and Limited Edition models hide an electromagnetic feature under the playfield that warps ball physics during battle sequences. The ball redirects in ways you can’t fully predict, which means experienced players will obsess over mastering it and first-timers will laugh at the chaos in equal measure. A Meowth Balloon toy physically swoops into the battle arena during Team Rocket encounters, adding another layer of mechanical theater that feels playful in the best way.
Stern pulled actual video clips from the original Pokémon animated series and layered them into the display sequences. Custom voice work for Pikachu and Giovanni sounds right, the kind of detail that separates a licensed product from a lazy cash grab. And yes, the original Pokémon Theme song made the cut. You hear those opening bars and something in your brain clicks straight back to Saturday mornings in 1998.
Stern’s Insider Connected system adds something most pinball tables never offer. Every Pokémon you catch during a session gets logged to a persistent digital collection tied to your account, viewable through the app, and it carries across every machine and location you play at.
For a franchise built entirely on the compulsion to collect, that’s a natural fit that Stern executed cleanly. That single feature could be what turns a one-time session into something players actively chase across every Stern Pinball Pokémon cabinet they find.
The Limited Edition at $12,999 throws in everything Stern could bolt onto a cabinet. Expression Lighting and Speaker Expression Lighting run Pokémon-themed effects across the full setup, and you get a full-color mirrored backglass, high-definition cabinet decals, custom pinball armor, a designer-autographed bottom arch, upgraded audio, anti-reflection playfield glass, and a shaker motor you’ll feel in your wrists during heavy play. Each of the 750 units ships with a sequentially numbered plaque, a signed Certificate of Authenticity, and a digital LE owner’s badge.
Stern Pinball priced the Pokémon Pro at $6,999, and it delivers the complete gameplay experience without the collector-grade cosmetics. If you care more about how the machine plays than how the cabinet photographs, that’s your entry point, and it’s a solid one.
The $6,999 Reality Check
A $6,999 starting price makes the barrier real and immediate. If you don’t already know whether pinball clicks for you, this Pokémon pinball machine probably isn’t where you start. The Pokémon branding is strong, but underneath it you’re still looking at a steel ball on a mechanical playfield, and that specific thrill doesn’t land for everyone.
Collectors hunting for a pure display piece should think carefully before pulling the trigger. This isn’t a sealed box designed to sit on a shelf and appreciate in value. It’s a working machine that weighs several hundred pounds, needs space and occasional maintenance, and exists to be played hard. If your interest stops at the Pokémon logo on the side panel, the math on this one doesn’t add up.
Who Should Buy The Pokémon Pinball Machine
If you grew up watching Ash Ketchum before school and you’ve spent any real time around pinball machines over the years, Stern built this for the exact overlap of those two interests. The Insider Connected collection mechanic turns casual play into long-term progression, which fits Pokémon’s core loop better than almost any other licensed property could.
Operators running barcades, arcades, or entertainment venues should pay close attention. Pokémon carries instant brand recognition across age groups, and a machine that lets players build a persistent collection through an app is the kind of feature that drives repeat visits. That’s how collection mechanics work, and every mobile game developer already proved it. A well-placed Pokémon pinball machine from Stern in a high-traffic spot could pay for itself faster than most licensed tables on the market.
Home collectors waiting for a high-profile table worth the investment will find a lot to like here. The LE’s 750-unit cap makes it a genuine rarity, and the build quality across all three tiers reflects Stern’s position as the only major pinball manufacturer still operating at this scale. Pokémon fans get mechanical depth they didn’t expect, and pinball fans get a theme that finally matches the intensity of what these machines can do. That overlap is where the real fun sits, and Stern knows it.
Price: Starting at $6,999 (Pro) / $9,699 (Premium) / $12,999 (Limited Edition)
Where to Buy: Stern Pinball
Pokémon by Stern Pinball is available now through authorized distributors and dealers worldwide.
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(as of February 17, 2026 09:10 GMT -06:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
