What Is Your Dream Pinball Theme?

Every pinball player has one.

That movie, TV show, video game or band that you've been waiting to see turned into a real pinball machine.

And every now and then, one of those dream themes actually happens.

We've Already Seen Some Dreams Come True

For years, players wanted a truly great Godzilla pinball machine. When Stern finally delivered it, the result was far beyond simply putting the theme on a cabinet. Godzilla became one of the most celebrated modern pinball machines ever made.

Pokémon followed a similar path. The theme had enormous potential for pinball, but it took a long time before Stern finally turned it into a major modern release.

And JAWS was another theme that seemed almost inevitable for pinball — yet it took until 2024 for Stern to finally make it happen.

These machines show why dream themes are so interesting. The theme alone isn't enough. The right designer can turn a familiar world into something genuinely special.

Fallout — The One Everyone Is Watching

Right now, one of the most talked-about potential Stern themes is Fallout.

Rumours have been circulating for some time, with reports connecting the project to Keith Elwin. There is still no official Stern announcement, and current reporting continues to classify Fallout as a rumour rather than a confirmed release.

But it is easy to understand the excitement.

Vaults, the Wasteland, power armour, monsters, factions, weapons and multiple generations of Fallout games — there is an enormous amount of material that could be turned into pinball.

If Stern really does make it, this could be one of the biggest theme announcements in years.

The Goonies

Few themes have been requested as consistently as The Goonies.

In a community survey, for a long time, The Goonies was the second-most requested theme, behind Back to the Future.

And it makes obvious sense for pinball.

All those wonderful characters and iconic locations could provide an enormous amount of gameplay.

It's one of those themes where you could almost design the rules before designing the playfield.

Back to the Future

If there is one theme that seems to appear on almost every pinball wish list, it's Back to the Future.

It actually topped many surveys for years.

And the pinball possibilities are obvious: 88 MPH, the DeLorean, Hill Valley, time travel, Doc Brown and the ability to jump between different years.

The biggest question isn't whether it would work.

It's who would make it.

The Matrix

The Matrix is another perennial favourite.

The concept practically writes pinball rules by itself: Neo, the Matrix, Agents, bullet time, the red pill and blue pill, the Nebuchadnezzar and the final confrontation with Agent Smith.

The Matrix is a theme that is very strong online, and it also remains high on current community-hype lists.

A really ambitious designer could do something spectacular with it.

Zelda and Mario

There are also several themes that appeal to completely different generations.

The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros. are among the biggest video-game properties still waiting for the right real-world pinball machine.

Current community tracking puts Zelda and Mario among the most wanted themes, while Super Mario continues to generate strong demand and even carries current rumor status.

Imagine what a modern Zelda machine could do with dungeons, bosses, weapons, puzzles and multiple versions of Hyrule.

Or Mario with the Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser, pipes, stars and power-ups.

The potential is enormous.

So What's Your Dream?

That's what makes this question so much fun.

Some players want Fallout. Others have been waiting decades for Back to the Future. Someone else wants Zelda, The Matrix, The Goonies, Gremlins, Blade Runner or even something completely unexpected.

Hundreds of these dream themes can be found being discussed everywhere, including The Muppets, Tool, Daft Punk, Star Trek, Gremlins, The Fifth Element, Pink Floyd, The Warriors and Megadeth.

And that's probably the best thing about pinball.

There is always another theme waiting to become someone's favourite machine.

So, what is yours?