If you’re a parent who knows nothing about pinball, picking out that first pinball machine for your family can be hard. There are a thousand different options and it’s really hard to know “which pinball machine should I pick for my family?”. I’m going to go through the top 5 pinball machines for kids, some full size and some smaller ones for those with smaller budgets or really small kids. For adults who want a game for home, I have a separate Best Pinball Machines list.
#1 Super Mario Bros
Probably the best pinball machine for kids aligns pretty closely with the best video game system for kids, the Nintendo Switch. Super Mario Bros is a great pinball machine for a family. The goal is to beat all the castles and save the princess, which takes a decent amount of skill. It has all the sounds from the video game plus all the colorful graphics from it too.
Even though it’s over 25 years old, it still earns a lot of money on location because kids are naturally drawn to it. It also ranks high with mom’s because a lot of them grew up playing Super Mario on the NES.
#2 Attack From Mars
This is the most expensive game on my list and for good reason, it’s a great game. It’s probably the most highly regarded by pinball players as well. It’s so highly thought of that they’ve started remaking it new again, even though it came out over 20 years ago.
It’s a game that has great comedy. It has jiggly aliens, a space ship you can blow up, ships beaming up cows, etc. My whole family loves this game, as do I. There’s a sister game that’s pretty popular as well, Medieval Madness, but I think Attack From Mars is a better game for families overall.
#3 NBA Fastbreak
To serious pinball collectors, they would scoff at having a NBA Fast Break in their collection as most pinball players don’t like sports. Kids though do. In fact, I know of a family that owned this game and then sold it for a Medieval Madness. After a little bit the family made the dad sell the Medieval Madness to get the NBA Fast Break back. It’s just a really fun game with easy to understand rules for everyone. Who doesn’t like scoring baskets? The score is in points rather than millions, so a good score on NBA Fast Break would be like 100 points which is a lot easier for kids to understand.
#4 Pirates of the Caribbean (Zizzle)
A company called Zizzle made a Pirates of the Caribbean game a few years ago. 3/4 size, it was an affordable option for those looking for a home machine. Whereas full size games will cost thousands of dollars, this game only retailed for $399. They’re pretty easy to find on craigslist and Facebook marketplace, though some people have ridiculous prices on them (like way over what they sold for originally).
Is it the best game ever? No, but it’s affordable and a good introduction to pinball.
#5 Deadpool
Deadpool? Family friendly? Well, if you were talking about the movie, definitely not. But the pinball machine is based on the comic and is actually hilarious. It captures all the classic Deadpool comedy including the Chimichanga truck.
My whole family loves this game on location, in fact I really like it too. It’s on the top of my list for next games to get. One of the funniest game I’ve played.
