Gitnux/Report 2026

Pinball Industry Statistics

12 million Americans played pinball at arcades or at home in 2023—discover the data behind today’s bounce in demand.
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November 10, 2026Updated
Pinball Industry Statistics
Marcus EngströmWritten by Marcus Engström·Edited by Olivia Thornton·Fact-checked by Rebecca Hargrove
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

An editor sets the topic, the inclusion criteria, and the evaluation framework before research starts.

02Source Research

AI search agents locate sources and extract each figure together with the document it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 39 days

01 Industry overview

The pinball industry at a glance

Pinball is a small, specialized amusement industry dominated by Stern: its machines accounted for the top 10 current location titles and Pokémon reached 1,185 installations by November 6, 2026.

1,185[11]
Pokémon location installations, 2026
1,489[11]
Godzilla location installations, 2026
25,800+[10]
Machines added to locations, 2024
29,000+[10]
Registered Pinball Map users, 2024
Market share & regions
Public data does not provide a reliable revenue split by geography. Pinball Map reported 3,372 location submissions and more than 25,800 machines added during 2024, while a 2026 industry-representation document described more than 10,000 commercial pinball locations globally.[10][57]
Segmentation
The market is segmented by commercial location games, home-use machines and boutique or limited-production machines. Kineticist’s 2024 release analysis separately tracked location copies and home copies, while Pinball Map’s location data distinguishes mainstream manufacturers from boutique manufacturers.[11]
Key players & concentration
Stern is the leading manufacturer in publicly tracked location data: its Godzilla, Pokémon, JAWS, Deadpool and Star Wars titles ranked among the five most installed current machines in November 2026. Boutique competitors include Jersey Jack, Spooky, American, Multimorphic, Barrels of Fun, Turner and others, but their individual titles generally have much smaller location footprints.[11]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Recent growth is being driven by licensed entertainment properties, digital connectivity and renewed location play. Stern’s 2026 Fallout launch and its Insider Connected platform illustrate the emphasis on major franchises, online achievements and worldwide home and commercial distribution; the sector remains constrained by relatively low production volumes and a fragmented boutique-manufacturer base.[58][11]
Consumer behavior & competition
Players continue to favor recognizable licenses and established Stern titles: Godzilla had 1,489 tracked installations, Pokémon 1,185 and JAWS 1,096 as of November 6, 2026. Competition also comes from enthusiast communities, museums, bars and arcades; Pinball Map recorded more than 29,000 registered users and 362 operators in its 2024 review.[11][10]
Latest news
The most significant recent product news is Stern Pinball’s September 3, 2026 launch of Fallout, followed by October 2026 updates highlighting location rollouts and Pokémon’s connected features. The 2026 release slate also includes Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye, Sonic the Hedgehog and other new or returning licenses.[58][59]

02 Ranking

Top 9 Companies in the Pinball Industry

The leading companies in the pinball industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 7, 2026 · Next review December 7, 2026

Verdict

Stern Pinball leads Gitnux's 2026 pinball ranking with an Overall score of 9.9, with 4,547 tracked 2024 releases, representing 88.6% of tracked public sales volume. Jersey Jack Pinball is the runner-up at 8.8, with 134 tracked 2024 releases, representing 2.6% of tracked public sales volume.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in pinball machine manufacturing

    Stern Pinball

    US

    Ranked #1 · 9.9 · Pinball machine manufacturing

    Why we picked it: Its portfolio dominates tracked 2024 commercial pinball releases, with multiple top installed titles.

    See in ranking ↓Visit sternpinball.com ↗

  2. #2 overall

    Jersey Jack Pinball

    US

    Ranked #2 · 8.8 · Pinball machine manufacturing

    Why we picked it: Its tracked releases include Avatar: The Battle for Pandora, split across location and home.

    See in ranking ↓Visit jerseyjackpinball.com ↗

  3. #3 overall

    Chicago Gaming Company

    US

    Ranked #3 · 8.8 · Pinball machine manufacturing

    Why we picked it: Its brand appears among pinball machine manufacturers contributing to publicly tracked location data.

    See in ranking ↓Visit chicago-gaming.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. No other segment places in the top 5, so picks 2 and 3 follow rank.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 9 companies in the pinball industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Stern Pinball

Pinball machine manufacturing · US

9.9
2

Jersey Jack Pinball

Pinball machine manufacturing · US

8.8
3

Chicago Gaming Company

Pinball machine manufacturing · US

8.8
4

Spooky Pinball

Pinball machine manufacturing · US

7.8
5

American Pinball

Pinball machine manufacturing · US

7.8
6

Dutch Pinball

Pinball machine manufacturing, Netherlands · NL

7.8
7

Pinball Brothers

Pinball machine manufacturing, Sweden · SE

7.8
8

Homepin

Pinball machine manufacturing, Australia · AU

7.8
9

Turner Pinball

Pinball machine manufacturing, United States · US

7.0

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 7, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Marcus Engström. (2026, February 13). Top 9 companies in the pinball industry. In Pinball Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/pinball-industry-statistics/#top-companies

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

AI query monitoring and cloud reliance show how arcade and pinball data discovery is being shaped in 2026. In the same period, Stern’s 30-day AI share of brand mentions was 21.8%.

AI in the pinball industry

  • 1,727 estimated monthly AI queries concerned arcade equipment, including new, virtual, used, tabletop and vintage pinball machines, in 2026.[1]
  • 21.8% was Stern Pinball’s share of brand mentions in AI answers for arcade-equipment queries during a 30-day period in 2026.[1]
  • 40.2% of citations in AI answers for arcade-equipment queries came from Reddit during the 2026 monitoring period.[1]

Digital Transformation in the entertainment and gaming sector (sector benchmark)

  • 28% of global media and entertainment respondents reported a formal AI owner with a title and budget authority in 2025.[2]
  • 55% of global media and entertainment respondents were at the piloting or deploying stage of AI adoption in 2025.[2]
  • 54% of global media and entertainment organizations reported significant or moderate lead-generation improvement over the previous three years in 2025.[2]
  • 49% of global media and entertainment organizations reported significant or moderate customer-retention improvement over the previous three years in 2025.[2]
  • 69% of global media and entertainment respondents described their business-technology relationship as siloed, transactional, or consultative in 2025.[2]

Technology Adoption in the entertainment and gaming sector (sector benchmark)

  • 62% of surveyed game-development studios reported using AI in their workflows in 2023.[3]
  • 84% of gaming-company executives surveyed reported that their businesses were more cloud-reliant than ever in 2023.[4]
  • 90% of media and entertainment companies expected their AI investment to increase during the 24 months following a 2024 survey.[5]
  • 36% of surveyed game developers reported using AI for dynamic level design, animation and rigging, or dialogue writing in 2025.[6]
  • 87% of game developers surveyed across the United States, South Korea, Norway, Finland, and Sweden reported using AI agents in their workflows in 2025.[7]

Cloud Computing in the entertainment and gaming sector (sector benchmark)

  • 56% of gaming-industry respondents relied on cloud providers for software-as-a-service in 2023.[4]
  • 76% of gaming-industry respondents relied on cloud providers for databases in 2023.[4]
  • 78% of gaming-industry respondents relied on cloud providers for storage in 2023.[4]
  • 60% of gaming-industry respondents relied on cloud providers for virtual machines in 2023.[4]

Big Data in the entertainment and gaming sector (sector benchmark)

  • Almost 80% of gaming platforms reported poor decision-making when timely, complete data was unavailable in 2024.[8]
  • 80% of gaming platforms reported losing competitive edge when timely, complete data was unavailable in 2024.[8]
  • 70% of gaming platforms identified stifled innovation as a consequence of lacking timely, complete data in 2024.[8]
  • 74% of gaming platforms identified missed business opportunities as a consequence of lacking timely, complete data in 2024.[8]
  • 60% of media and entertainment organizations were actively investing to a great extent in data synergy, AI, and automation in 2024.[5]

IoT in the entertainment and gaming sector (sector benchmark)

  • 80% of surveyed UK consumers reported using consumer IoT devices to access online services in 2024.[9]
  • 87% of surveyed UK consumers reported trusting the security of their consumer IoT devices at least to some extent in 2024.[9]
  • 74% of surveyed UK consumers reported using consumer IoT devices to communicate or socialise in 2024.[9]
  • 85% of surveyed UK consumers reported using consumer IoT devices for entertainment in 2024.[9]
  • 64% of surveyed UK consumers reported owning a smart television, an IoT device used extensively for entertainment, in 2024.[9]

Innovation in the pinball industry

  • 134 total units were reported for Jersey Jack Pinball’s Avatar: The Battle for Pandora release in 2024, including location and home copies.[10]
  • 5,125 commercial pinball machines were released in 2024 across the manufacturers tracked by Kineticist.[11]
  • 818 total units were reported for Stern Pinball’s John Wick release in 2024, including location and home copies.[10]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Business intelligence in the pinball industry

  • 3,372 pinball locations were submitted to Pinball Map during 2024; global pinball-location data.[10]
  • 362 operators were recorded in the Pinball Map system during 2024; global pinball-location data.[10]
  • 17 app releases were issued by Pinball Map during 2024; global pinball-location data.[10]
  • More than 29,000 registered users were recorded by Pinball Map in 2024; global pinball-location data.[10]

Data analytics in the pinball industry

  • More than 20,000 pinball machines were removed from locations tracked by Pinball Map during 2024; global pinball-location data.[10]
  • More than 25,800 pinball machines were added to locations tracked by Pinball Map during 2024; global pinball-location data.[10]
  • More than 3,800 machine scores were recorded in Pinball Map during 2024; global pinball-location data.[10]
  • More than 19,400 machine comments were recorded in Pinball Map during 2024; global pinball-location data.[10]

Data Quality in the entertainment and gaming sector (sector benchmark)

  • 51% of media and entertainment business leaders were unsure their companies could generate and deliver relevant insights in 2025.[5]
  • 49% of media and entertainment companies training AI models said they had wasted resources because of bad data in 2025.[5]
  • 16% of media and entertainment companies’ data was reported as trapped in 2025.[5]
  • 32% of gaming executives said making use of the data their companies collect was a significant current challenge, rising to 41% as an expected challenge in three years, according to an EY survey.[12]
  • 34% of media and entertainment organizations identified uniqueness as their leading data-quality issue in Adverity’s 2025 survey of 200 CMOs across the US, UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.[13]

Data Governance in the entertainment and gaming sector (sector benchmark)

  • 87% of media and entertainment respondents said their data governance policies varied across departments in 2025.[5]
  • 54% of gaming companies had dedicated analytics teams able to analyze company-wide data in a 2024 survey.[14]
  • 61% of gaming platforms that tracked data in the prior 12 months had no access to any data in real time in 2024.[14]
  • 59% of gaming executives ranked gaining visibility into gaming endpoints as their top data priority in the EY survey.[12]
  • 80% of gaming platforms said access to real-time market data was very or extremely important for decision-making in 2024.[14]
  • 90% of media and entertainment respondents said a strong data foundation was the most critical factor for AI deployment in 2025.[5]

KPIs in the pinball industry

  • More than 380 messages were sent through the Pinball Map contact form during 2024; global pinball-location data.[10]
  • More than 7,000 pinball line-ups were confirmed in Pinball Map during 2024; global pinball-location data.[10]
  • More than 14,800 Stern Insider Connected status toggles were recorded by Pinball Map during 2024; global pinball-location data.[10]
  • More than 2,800 location-information edits were made in Pinball Map during 2024; global pinball-location data.[10]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Tracked release concentration is visible in 2024, alongside annual release counts by manufacturer. Stern’s 2024 tracked releases totaled 4,547, or 88.6% of tracked public sales volume.

Growth in the pinball industry

  • Pinball machine sales reportedly increased 15% to 20% annually from 2008 through 2023, according to a Stern Pinball executive.[15]
  • Jersey Jack Pinball’s 2024 tracked releases totaled 134 units, representing 2.6% of tracked public sales volume.[11]
  • Spooky Pinball’s 2024 tracked releases totaled 281 units, representing 5.5% of tracked public sales volume.[11]
  • Stern Pinball’s 2024 tracked releases totaled 4,547 units, representing 88.6% of tracked public sales volume.[11]

Differentiation in the pinball industry

  • Stern’s The Uncanny X-Men accounted for 983 tracked public units in 2024.[11]
  • Spooky Pinball’s Looney Tunes accounted for 172 tracked public units in 2024.[11]
  • Stern’s John Wick accounted for 818 tracked public units in 2024.[11]
  • Stern’s JAWS accounted for 2,089 tracked public units in 2024, the highest volume among the releases analyzed.[11]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce signals in the broader games industry support ongoing use of remote and hybrid operating models. Stern’s planned Illinois expansion allocated 50 full-time positions across executives, IT, and production.

Hiring in the pinball industry

  • 50 full-time positions were planned for Stern Pinball’s Illinois expansion, comprising executives and managers, IT professionals and production workers.[16]
  • 9 executive and manager positions were included in Stern Pinball’s planned Illinois expansion workforce.[16]
  • 28 IT-professional positions were included in Stern Pinball’s planned Illinois expansion workforce.[16]
  • 13 production-worker positions were included in Stern Pinball’s planned Illinois expansion workforce.[16]

Remote Work in the entertainment and gaming sector (sector benchmark)

  • Nearly 60% of Croatian game studios allowed working from home as standard practice in 2024–2025, compared with 32% offering hybrid arrangements.[17]
  • 59.7% of game workers surveyed globally worked fully remotely in 2023, while 23.6% followed hybrid schedules and 16.7% worked on-site full-time.[18]
  • Among game workers surveyed internationally in 2023, 23.6% worked a hybrid schedule.[18]
  • Among game workers surveyed internationally in 2023, a majority reported working entirely remotely.[18]
  • Across U.S. video game companies, remote and fully remote workers accounted for 17% of total industry employment in 2025, representing 14,461 jobs.[19]

Hybrid Work in the entertainment and gaming sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among media and entertainment employers in Cisco’s 2025 global study, 87% said their organizations were still struggling to get the balance right with hybrid working.[20]
  • Among Italian video-game companies surveyed for 2024 industry facts, 21% reported on-site working, indicating that hybrid work was twice as common as fully on-site work.[21]
  • Across Italian video-game companies surveyed for 2024 industry facts, 42% reported hybrid working as their work modality.[21]
  • Across Italian video-game companies surveyed for 2024 industry facts, 84% said their work modalities would remain unchanged over the following two years.[21]
  • 21% of game developers reported a mandatory hybrid return-to-office schedule in 2024, while 5% reported mandatory five-day office work.[22]

Employee Engagement in the entertainment and gaming sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among European games-industry employees surveyed in 2025, hybrid workers recorded an eNPS of +4.3, the highest score among remote, hybrid and on-site formats.[23]
  • Among creative and media employees at organizations with more than 1,000 employees, 64% were engaged in Culture Amp’s July 2026 benchmark.[24]
  • Among European games-industry employees surveyed in 2025, on-site workers recorded an eNPS of −6.2, the lowest score among the three work formats.[23]
  • Across media and entertainment organizations in Effectory’s global benchmark, 36.3% of employees were classified as engaged.[25]
  • Among European games-industry employees surveyed in 2025, remote workers recorded an eNPS of −2.6.[23]

DEI in the pinball industry

  • 2,046 players from Germany appeared in the IFPA women’s ranking system at the time of the statistics page’s latest capture.[26]
  • 4,627 players from Canada appeared in the IFPA women’s ranking system at the time of the statistics page’s latest capture.[26]
  • 3,684 players from Australia appeared in the IFPA women’s ranking system at the time of the statistics page’s latest capture.[26]
  • 49,154 players from the United States appeared in the IFPA women’s ranking system at the time of the statistics page’s latest capture.[26]

Change Management in the entertainment and gaming sector (sector benchmark)

  • 19% of video-game companies surveyed in 2025 identified limited change-management resources as a post-merger operational challenge.[27]
  • 44% of video-game companies surveyed in 2025 identified leadership alignment as a post-merger operational challenge.[27]
  • 41% of recently acquired or merged video-game companies surveyed in 2025 cited technology or system incompatibility as a major issue.[27]
  • 26% of video-game companies surveyed in 2025 cited resistance to change as a challenge when adapting to new market demands.[27]
  • 45% of video-game companies surveyed in 2025 identified cultural integration as a post-merger operational challenge.[27]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Connected communities show scale metrics alongside stability measures. On October 27, 2026, Pinball Community recorded 802,021 player connections and 1,848 tracked locations.

Customer experience in the pinball industry

  • 802,021 player connections were recorded by Pinball Community on October 27, 2026.[28]
  • 1,848 locations were tracked by Pinball Community on October 27, 2026, indicating the scale of its connected playing-location network.[28]
  • 42,188 tournaments were tracked by Pinball Community on October 27, 2026.[28]
  • 14.70 players per tournament was the average recorded by Pinball Community on October 27, 2026.[28]

Customer retention in the pinball industry

  • 97.6% was the average community-overlap rate in Pinball Community’s October 27, 2026 stability analysis.[28]
  • 93.8% was the player stability rate in Pinball Community’s community-ID analysis collected on October 27, 2026.[28]
  • 171 of 180 communities were retained across Pinball Community data regenerations in the October 27, 2026 analysis.[28]
  • 21,572 of 22,990 players retained the same community assignment in Pinball Community’s October 27, 2026 analysis.[28]

Customer acquisition in the pinball industry

  • 9 new communities were recorded by Pinball Community in its October 27, 2026 regeneration analysis.[28]
  • 23,075 unique players were listed by Pinball Community on October 27, 2026.[28]
  • 620,165 players were listed by Pinball Community on October 27, 2026.[28]
  • 50 new players were reported in Pinball Community’s unique-player total on October 27, 2026.[28]

Customer loyalty in the pinball industry

  • 621 players belonged to the largest community tracked by Pinball Community on October 27, 2026.[28]
  • 92.5 players was the median community size tracked by Pinball Community on October 27, 2026.[28]
  • 180 communities were tracked by Pinball Community on October 27, 2026.[28]
  • 2 players belonged to the smallest community tracked by Pinball Community on October 27, 2026.[28]

Lead generation in the pinball industry

  • 2,400 monthly Google searches were associated with the leading tabletop-pinball keyword in GEOly’s 2026 arcade-equipment report.[1]
  • 18,100 monthly Google searches were associated with the leading keyword, “stern pinball machines,” in GEOly’s 2026 arcade-equipment report.[1]
  • 2,900 monthly Google searches were associated with the leading vintage-pinball keyword in GEOly’s 2026 arcade-equipment report.[1]
  • 2,400 monthly Google searches were associated with the leading virtual-pinball keyword in GEOly’s 2026 arcade-equipment report.[1]
  • 4,400 monthly Google searches were associated with the leading used-pinball keyword in GEOly’s 2026 arcade-equipment report.[1]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Licensed entertainment properties map directly onto installation footprints and product pricing tiers. Stern’s Pokémon Premium listed at $9,699 in 2026 and Pokémon reached 1,185 tracked installations by November 6, 2026.

Marketing in the pinball industry

  • 70% of Stern Pinball sales went to consumers in 2023, according to the company’s general manager, indicating a predominantly direct-to-consumer sales mix.[29]
  • 90% of the global pinball-machine market was estimated to belong to Stern Pinball by its chief creative officer in 2022.[30]
  • 88.6% of publicly tracked 2024 commercial pinball-machine releases were Stern Pinball units, making Stern the dominant marketed manufacturer in that dataset.[11]
  • 2 to 3 new pinball titles were released by Stern Pinball annually during the period described by the company’s president.[31]

Branding in the pinball industry

  • 750 units globally were allocated for Stern Pinball’s Pokémon Limited Edition machine, alongside Pro and Premium versions priced at $6,999 and $9,699.[32]
  • At least 22 Stern Pinball titles listed in a 2023 company profile used licensed entertainment brands, including Star Wars, Jurassic Park, The Mandalorian and Foo Fighters.[33]

Influencer Marketing in the entertainment and gaming sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across global brands and agencies, 48% report earning at least 3x ROI from creator marketing in 2026, up from 37% the previous year.[34]
  • U.S. creator advertising spend is projected to grow 26% year over year in 2025, nearly four times faster than overall media-industry growth.[35]
  • Across U.S. creator-ad buyers, 40% rank overall return on investment as their top KPI for creator campaigns in 2025.[35]
  • U.S. creator advertising spend is projected at $37 billion in 2025, covering brand-direct creator partnerships, paid amplification and creator-content adjacencies.[35]
  • Among U.S. creator-ad buyers, 48% consider creators a must-buy media channel, ranking behind only social media and paid search in 2025.[35]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Production planning and throughput constraints show up as labor-days and factory throughput times. Stern’s reported factory throughput was 30 hours for one machine.

Process optimization in the pinball industry

  • 3,500 individual parts were reported to go into a Stern pinball machine, requiring repeated inspection, testing and final playtesting.[30]
  • 30 hours was the reported factory throughput time for one Stern pinball machine, from production entry through completion.[31]
  • 9 to 12 months was the reported design-and-engineering lead time for a new pinball machine, with development costing more than $1 million.[31]
  • 60 pinball machines per day was the reported maximum output of Stern Pinball’s Chicago-area operation in 2014.[36]

Operational efficiency in the pinball industry

  • 300 employees worked at Stern Pinball’s Elk Grove Village facility in 2022, according to company executives.[30]
  • 3.5 to 4 labor-days were required to build one Stern pinball machine, depending on the model, according to the company’s president.[36]
  • 250 employees were reported to produce up to 60 pinball machines per day at Stern Pinball’s Chicago-area factory in 2014.[36]

Quality management in the pinball industry

  • Approximately 1,000 playtests were reported during development of a Stern pinball game before production release.[31]
  • 5 to 6 wire harnesses were reported in each Stern pinball game, with parts inspected and tested before installation.[36]
  • 20 to 30 minutes of final playtesting was reported for each Stern pinball machine after assembly.[31]
  • More than 3,000 parts and over half a mile of wire were reported in a Stern pinball machine, making component inspection and testing central to quality control.[36]

Supply chain in the pinball industry

  • 12,000 to 15,000 supplier-enterprise workers were estimated to support Stern Pinball in 2022, including raw-material and fabricated-part suppliers.[30]
  • Most of Stern Pinball’s suppliers were described as being located close to its Illinois factory in 2022, reducing reliance on Asian production.[30]
  • Raw-material cost increases and material scarcity were reported as major supply-chain problems affecting Stern Pinball during 2021.[37]
  • 3,500 individual parts were reported to be required for one pinball machine, creating a large component-sourcing base for Stern Pinball.[30]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the entertainment and gaming sector (sector benchmark)

  • 30% of mobile-game studios outsourced user acquisition and creative work during 2023, according to a global industry survey.[38]
  • 42% of game developers reported in 2026 that their external providers subcontracted portions of work to third parties, based on a survey of more than 250 professionals worldwide.[39]
  • 28% of mobile-game studios outsourced art during 2023, according to a global industry survey.[38]
  • 73% of game-development partnerships began through industry events in the 2026 external-development survey of more than 250 professionals worldwide.[39]
  • 37% of mobile-game studios outsourced publishing during 2023, according to a global industry survey.[38]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Pricing tiers are used for limited-edition and mass variants tied to major licenses. In 2026, Pokémon Limited Edition was listed at $12,999 with a 750-unit production limit.

Pricing strategy in the pinball industry

  • $12,999 was the listed price for Stern Pinball’s Pokémon Limited Edition model in 2026.[32]
  • $6,999 was the listed price for Stern Pinball’s Pokémon Pro model in 2026.[32]
  • $9,699 was the listed price for Stern Pinball’s Pokémon Premium model in 2026.[32]
  • 750 games globally was the production limit advertised for Stern Pinball’s Pokémon Limited Edition model.[32]

Cost reduction in the pinball industry

  • 12,000 to 15,000 supplier jobs were estimated to be connected to Stern Pinball, while the company pursued vertical integration for components considered high-risk to source.[30]
  • Two production lines operated at Stern Pinball and could switch rapidly between different titles, according to a 2021 factory report.[40]

Financial planning in the pinball industry

  • More than $1 million was reported as the development cost required to bring a new pinball machine into production.[31]
  • 9 to 12 months was the reported development horizon used to plan a new pinball machine from design and engineering through production readiness.[31]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Warranty boundaries and on-location life expectations define post-sale planning for operators and collectors. Stern’s limited warranty period for covered parts was 1 year, effective September 4, 2024.

Product development in the pinball industry

  • More than 3,000 parts are used in a Stern pinball machine; United States, 2014.[36]
  • 3.5–4 worker-days of labor are required to build a Stern pinball machine, depending on the model; United States, 2014.[36]
  • 3–4 new pinball titles are developed by Stern Pinball each year, according to the company’s game-development description; United States, 2014.[36]
  • Each Stern pinball machine contains more than half a mile of wire; United States, 2014.[36]

Product lifecycle in the pinball industry

  • 70 years is the age of pinball machines still being maintained by The Pinball Resource; United States, 2025.[41]
  • 2–3 years was the operating life that most large pinball operators expected from a game historically; pinball industry figure.[41]
  • 18 months was the approximate designed on-location life of pinball machines in the 1950s; historical pinball industry figure.[41]
  • 5 years was the period for which factories historically supported pinball machines; pinball industry figure.[41]

After-sales in the pinball industry

  • 2 service channels—telephone and email—are provided by Stern Pinball for diagnosing covered defects; United States, 2024.[37]
  • 1 year is Stern Pinball’s limited warranty period for covered parts on new machines; United States, warranty effective September 4, 2024.[37]
  • 5 business days is the reporting window for shipping or handling damage under Stern Pinball’s warranty; United States, 2024.[37]
  • 3 years after manufacture is the cutoff after which a Stern pinball game is not covered by the limited warranty; United States, 2024.[37]

Value proposition in the pinball industry

  • 1,095 JAWS machines were listed at public locations, ranking third among current titles; global Pinball Map data as of November 3, 2026.[11]
  • 1,178 Pokémon machines were listed at public locations, ranking second among current titles; global Pinball Map data as of November 3, 2026.[11]
  • 1,047 Deadpool machines were listed at public locations, ranking fourth among current titles; global Pinball Map data as of November 3, 2026.[11]
  • 1,490 Godzilla machines were listed at public locations, making it the leading current title; global Pinball Map data as of November 3, 2026.[11]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Waste handling details appear at the component level rather than broad claims. Rocket City Pinball reported 99% of 3D-printing waste plastic is recycled or repurposed as of July 2026.

Sustainability in the pinball industry

  • 1% of Rocket City Pinball’s 3D-printing waste plastic is not recycled or repurposed under its stated policy; United States, 2026.[42]
  • Approximately $250 is the cost of one tall box of 3D-printing scrap recycling through TerraCycle for Rocket City Pinball; United States, 2026.[42]
  • More than 450 pounds of plastic scrap had been kept out of landfills by Rocket City Pinball’s recycling policy as of July 2026; United States.[42]
  • 99% of Rocket City Pinball’s 3D-printing waste plastic is recycled or repurposed; United States, as of July 2026.[42]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Trade flow data points to cross-border dependencies for pinball-related shipments. From 2012 through 2026, 81.5% of shipments entering the United States originated in China.

Globalization in the pinball industry

  • Euro Pinball reported that 50% of its sales went to the United States, 30% to Europe and 20% to Australia in 2025.[55]
  • 47 countries supplied pinball-related shipments to the United States from 2012 through 2026.[56]
  • 81.5% of pinball-related shipments entering the United States originated in China from 2012 through 2026.[56]
  • 4,219 pinball-related shipments entered the United States from 2012 through 2026, according to trade-record analysis.[56]

Supplier management in the pinball industry

  • The 10 largest exporters represented 19.4% of pinball-related shipments entering the United States from 2012 through 2026.[56]
  • Full-container-load shipments represented 99.8% of pinball-related shipments entering the United States from 2012 through 2026.[56]
  • 550 exporters supplied pinball-related products to the United States across 4,219 shipments recorded from 2012 through 2026.[56]
  • China accounted for 3,438 pinball-related shipments, or 81.5% of shipments entering the United States from 2012 through 2026.[56]

Distribution channels in the pinball industry

  • 1,219 home-market units and 870 location-market units were tracked for Stern’s JAWS pinball machine in 2024.[11]
  • 74 home-market units and 60 location-market units were tracked for Jersey Jack Pinball’s Avatar: The Battle for Pandora in 2024.[11]
  • 535 home-market units and 448 location-market units were tracked for Stern’s The Uncanny X-Men in 2024.[11]
  • 340 home-market units and 478 location-market units were tracked for Stern’s John Wick in 2024.[11]

Key questions about the Pinball Industry

How large is the pinball market in terms of tracked location installations in 2026?
Pokémon reached 1,185 tracked installations by November 6, 2026, while Godzilla reached 1,489 tracked installations. Pinball Map reported 3,372 location submissions during 2024.
What growth indicators show up for pinball over recent years?
Pinball machine sales reportedly increased 15% to 20% annually from 2008 through 2023. Pinball Map also recorded more than 25,800 machines added to locations during 2024.
Which companies lead the pinball industry?
Stern Pinball leads Gitnux's 2026 pinball ranking with an Overall score of 9.9, with 4,547 tracked 2024 releases, representing 88.6% of tracked public sales volume. Jersey Jack Pinball is the runner-up at 8.8, with 134 tracked 2024 releases, representing 2.6% of tracked public sales volume.
How is connectivity and digital updating showing up in pinball products?
Recent growth is being driven by digital connectivity and renewed location play. Pinball Map recorded more than 14,800 Stern Insider Connected status toggles during 2024.
How concentrated is the manufacturing side in publicly tracked location data?
Stern dominates publicly tracked 2024 commercial releases with 4,547 machines, or 88.6% of tracked public sales volume. In November 2026, Stern titles like Godzilla and Pokémon were among the five most installed current machines.
What data signals do operators and analysts track day-to-day for machine performance and updates?
Pinball Map recorded more than 3,800 machine scores and more than 19,400 machine comments during 2024. It also issued 17 app releases during 2024.
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Marcus Engström. (2026, February 13). Pinball Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/pinball-industry-statistics
MLA
Marcus Engström. "Pinball Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/pinball-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Engström. 2026. "Pinball Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/pinball-industry-statistics.

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