Quick Links:
[Official Rulesheet]
Game Information & Overview:
- Lead Designers: George Gomez, Jack Danger
- Code/Rules: Tanio Klyce, Andrew Wilkening, Joshua Henderson
- Mechanical Engineers: John Rothermal (Lead), Robert Blakeman
- Artwork:
- Display and Animations:
- Sound Design:
- Release Date: March 2026
- Wiki Rulesheet based on Code Rev:
- Edit the Code revision, if applicable, when you make changes
- Original Wiki Rulesheet hosted on Tilt Forums
Pokemon marks Nintendo’s first foray into physical pinball in over 30 years and is Stern’s first pinball machine of 2026. Using assets from the anime as a base, players will be able to help Pikachu and the three Kanto region starters on their quest, while catching Pokemon of their own across four different biomes to create teams for use in rival battles.
Layout:
Skill Shots:
Two skill shots are available:
- Plunge at full strength and hit whatever lane is flashing to increase the bonus multiplier.
- Hold the left flipper and full plunge to enable super skill shots.
Main Modes:
Welcome to the world of Pokemon! Pokemon are creatures of many different shapes and sizes that wage battles either with other wild Pokemon, or against those of other Trainers once they have been caught and have the trust of the Trainer responsible. The player enters this new world with Pikachu and the three starters from the Kanto region, but can catch other Pokemon and add them to their team by finding them in the wild. Help the four Pokemon uncover their true potential and fight against rivals for a chance to win an arena battle!
The two main mode types on Pokemon are story modes and battle modes. Story modes can be played at any time but battle modes must be qualified beforehand and can only start by hitting the right scoop.
Story Modes (Main Missions):
The ramps and orbits correspond to, from left to right, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Pikachu, and Charmander. Hitting any of those shots three times during single-ball play will start a story mode based on that character. Boost story modes by completing the training targets - each color boosts a different Pokemon’s mode.
After completing any story mode, the shot that started it will be lit with a shot multiplier.
-
Bulbasaur:
- Level 1 - All ramps / orbits start lit to increase the pollen value (400k + 50k per shot). Shoot a berry target to relight the shots and collect the built value as well. Mode ends in success after 6 lit shots.
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Squirtle:
- Squirtle Squad - Shoot the left ramp to spin the whirlpool, and increase the value for each whirlpool spin by +1x by hitting the other lit blue shots. Hit 3 lit left ramp shots to complete the mode.
-
Pikachu:
- Pikachu vs. Raichu - 2-ball multiball. All shots are lit yellow to score jackpots (500k + 50k) and unlight once made, until another shot’s jackpot is scored. Scoring 3 jackpots lights the super jackpot at the Pokedex based on their combined value. Nail the captive ball to hit the very back target for a 2x super jackpot and complete the mode.
Team Rocket Multiball:
Shoot the BATTLE targets to lower the Meowth balloon. Once the balloon is lowered, shoot the balloon 3 times (+2 per multiball) to light Team Rocket multiball at the lane below it. Hitting the lane underneath the balloon as a “sneak-in” will light the multiball instantly.
During Team Rocket multiball, the ramps and balloon are lit to score jackpots. Score 6 jackpots at any shot to light the lane under the balloon for super jackpot. Once the super jackpot is scored, the outer ramps and orbits will light for 15 seconds to score unlimited super jackpots before the multiball process resets.
Extra Balls:
Extra balls can be lit by…
End-of-Ball Bonus:
Bonus is determined by the following: