Guide —
Ways to play pinball in 2026: video game, simulator or real machine
Pinball is the game where you keep a ball alive with two flippers and score points. In 2026, there are three ways to play it. On a PC, console or phone screen, as a video game. On a simulator, a pinball cabinet whose playfield is a big screen. Or on a real machine, with a steel ball. Here is what each one offers, what it costs, and which one to pick.
A quick word on vocabulary
In English and Spanish, the game is pinball and the flippers are just the two bats. In French, German and Italian, people call the whole machine a "flipper". Same game, same rules. For its history and how it works, read our complete pinball guide. Here, we answer a different question: how to play pinball today.
The three ways to play pinball in 2026
| Way to play | What it is | Entry price | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video game | simulated tables on PC, console, phone or virtual reality headset | free to start: the Pinball FX base game includes 3 tables you can play without limits | the curious, the couch player |
| Simulator (pincab, digital pinball) | a real pinball cabinet, a big screen under the glass instead of the playfield, real buttons | about €700 used, €9,990 incl. VAT for a premium simulator like the Bump Pro | players who want the stance of a real pinball and dozens of tables |
| Mechanical machine | one table, a real steel ball, coils and magnets | €8,090 incl. VAT for a new Stern, up to €14,590 incl. VAT for a limited edition | fans of one specific title |
Euro prices are taken from the French market. Sources: Wikipedia, Pinball FX for the free base game, our survey of 17 used pincab listings from 12 October 2026, and Avranches Automatic, official Stern distributor in France, for new mechanical machines. The full price breakdown is in our article on pinball prices in 2026.
The three don't compete. Many players start on a screen, find a table they love, then want to play it standing up, hands on the buttons. That's the natural pinball path.
Pinball as a video game: from Space Cadet to Pinball FX
For millions of people, their first pinball was called Space Cadet. 3D Pinball for Windows – Space Cadet is a version of a 1995 game, Full Tilt! Pinball, developed by Cinematronics. Microsoft shipped it with Plus! 95, then with Windows NT 4.0, 2000, Me and XP. Windows XP is the last consumer version to include it (Wikipedia). Raymond Chen, an engineer at Microsoft, told the official story: when moving to 64-bit, a collision bug let the ball pass straight through obstacles, and the team chose to drop the game rather than rework code it hadn't written (The Old New Thing).
Pinball video games then grew up. The Pinball Arcade, by FarSight Studios, released in 2012, recreated real tables under licence. Some of those licences expired: since 30 June 2018, the tables concerned are no longer on sale, and those licences moved to Zen Studios (Wikipedia).
Today, the reference is Pinball FX, by Zen Studios, released on 16 February 2023. The base game is free with three tables you can play without limits; the others are bought individually or in packs. It runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch, comes to phones as Pinball FX GO! and to virtual reality as Pinball FX VR, released on 3 April 2025 on Meta Quest. It also has a cabinet mode built for multi-screen cabinets (Wikipedia). That mode is the bridge to the second way to play.
There is also Visual Pinball, a community software released in 2000. In our pincab definition, we explain why the Bump made a different choice: official, licensed tables, all finished to the same standard.
The simulator: pinball on a real cabinet
A simulator, also called a pincab or digital pinball, keeps the pinball cabinet: the legs, the body, the backbox, the glass, the side buttons and the plunger. Only the playfield changes: it's a big screen laid flat, linked to a computer that calculates the ball. You play standing up, you nudge the machine, you feel the hits in the cabinet. It's pinball with your body, not with a controller.
The gap with the video game comes down to three things: the screen, the power and the controls. On the Bump Pro, the playfield is a 43-inch 4K OLED panel, the image is rendered by an RTX 5070, and the machine is hand-assembled in France. 140 official tables available, chosen and bought individually, from €2 to €10 per table, with €100 of tables on us to start your catalogue. Details in the catalogue of 140 Zen Studios tables.
The mechanical machine: pinball as it began
Mechanical pinball keeps a real steel ball on a real playfield, with coils, magnets and drop targets. A computer has run the game since the late 1970s, but the ball itself is very real. The new-machine market is dominated by Stern, whose models start at €8,090 incl. VAT in France. One machine, one table: to change games, you change machines. For a point-by-point comparison of both worlds, see mechanical pinball vs virtual pinball.
Which one should you pick?
- You want to discover pinball: the video game. It's free to start, and you'll soon know if pinball hooks you.
- You already play on a screen and want the real thing: the simulator. Same tables, but standing up, with real buttons, a real cabinet and a screen at the right scale.
- You dream of one specific table and like opening up the machine: mechanical. Nothing replaces the steel ball, and maintenance is part of the fun.
- You're equipping a bar, a game room or a hotel: a simulator built for commercial use, see below.
Our view: don't pick a side. The simulator doesn't replace mechanical pinball, it makes it bigger.
Pinball in public venues
Zen Studios launched Pinball FX Arcade, a version of Pinball FX built for commercial use in public venues. BUMP is the first partner manufacturer to install it, in France and then across Europe. Everything is explained in our article on Pinball FX Arcade and on the BUMP Arcade page. Long-term rental of the Bump is reserved for professionals, at €299 excl. VAT per month.
To play on a machine near you in France, the PinballBall community database lists 493 venues, mostly game bars, arcades and bowling alleys (PinballBall).
FAQ
What does pinball mean?
Pinball is the game where you send a ball back up with two flippers to score points. In French, German and Italian, the whole machine is called a "flipper", while in English "flippers" are only the two bats.
Are pinball and flipper the same thing?
Yes. Same game, same rules. Pinball is the English and Spanish word, flipper the French, German and Italian one.
Can you still play 3D Pinball Space Cadet?
Microsoft has not included it in Windows since Windows XP. According to Raymond Chen, an engineer at Microsoft, the game was dropped because of a collision bug that appeared when moving to 64-bit.
Is Pinball FX free?
The Pinball FX base game is free and includes three tables you can play without limits. The other tables are bought individually or in packs.
What's the difference between a pinball game and a simulator?
The video game is played on a PC, console or phone screen, with a controller or keyboard. The simulator, or pincab, is a real pinball cabinet: a big screen under glass instead of the playfield, real buttons, a plunger, and a cabinet that takes the hits.
How much does a pinball machine cost?
On the French market, a used pincab starts at around €700. A premium simulator like the Bump Pro costs €9,990 incl. VAT. A new Stern mechanical pinball costs €8,090 to €14,590 incl. VAT in France.
Can you play pinball in virtual reality?
Yes. Pinball FX VR was released on 3 April 2025 on Meta Quest headsets, with a mode that places the pinball table in your room.
Where can you play pinball in France?
The PinballBall community database lists 493 venues with pinball machines in France, mostly game bars, arcades and bowling alleys. You can also try a Bump simulator near you.
In short
Pinball comes in three flavours. Play the video game to discover it, a simulator to get the cabinet and the stance with dozens of tables, or a mechanical machine for the steel ball. Pinball isn't a memory: it has never been played in so many ways.
Pinball is played standing up. Come and try it. Try a Bump