Top 10 Best Pinball Machines with the Best Soundtracks
Pinball already has its own soundtrack.
The sound of the ball hitting a target, the mechanical noises, the bumpers, the flippers and the constant stream of effects all create part of the experience.
But when a pinball machine has a genuinely great musical soundtrack, it can take things to another level.
Modern pinball has produced some fantastic examples. Some machines use legendary bands and their greatest songs. Others create completely original music specifically for the game. And a few manage to combine the music with the theme so perfectly that it becomes impossible to imagine the machine without it.
These are our Top 10 modern pinball machines with the best soundtracks.
1. Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast
Iron Maiden has an obvious advantage: it has Iron Maiden music.
But the machine does much more than simply play famous songs while you play pinball.
The music, Eddie characters, artwork, callouts, animations and rules all belong to the same universe. The soundtrack feels like an essential part of the game rather than something added afterwards.
And with decades of Iron Maiden material to choose from, there is an enormous amount of variety.
For fans of the band, this is almost impossible to beat.
Even if you're not a huge Iron Maiden fan, however, the combination of music and gameplay is remarkably effective.
The machine also has one of the strongest visual identities in modern pinball, which is why Iron Maiden pinball artwork and mods work so naturally with the game.
2. TRON: Legacy
TRON: Legacy is probably one of the best examples of a pinball machine where the entire atmosphere is built around the soundtrack.
Daft Punk's electronic music fits the theme almost perfectly. The dark playfield, glowing colours, futuristic artwork, lighting and music all feel as though they belong to the same digital world.
The machine doesn't need dozens of different songs.
It needs the right songs.
And it gets them.
Tracks such as Derezzed are instantly recognisable and give the game an energy that is difficult to reproduce with a generic pinball soundtrack.
TRON: Legacy is one of those machines that you can often identify from across an arcade just by hearing it.
To take the look of your TRON: Legacy even further and give those incredible Daft Punk sounds the visual upgrade they deserve, check out our TRON: Legacy Pinball Mods.
3. Black Knight: Sword of Rage
This is probably the most interesting soundtrack on the list.
Instead of licensing a famous band's existing catalogue, Stern created an original heavy-metal soundtrack specifically for the machine.
The music was created by Scott Ian of Anthrax and Brendon Small, and it sounds exactly as aggressive as Steve Ritchie's game deserves.
Heavy guitars, powerful drums and short, explosive tracks accompany an extremely fast and violent game.
It doesn't feel like somebody selected some metal songs and put them into a pinball machine.
The music feels like it was written for this pinball machine.
That is a huge difference.
4. Rush
Rush is another machine where the soundtrack is fundamental to the experience.
The machine contains a fantastic selection of Rush songs, including some of the band's most recognisable tracks.
The result is almost like playing pinball inside a miniature Rush concert.
And the music works particularly well with the gameplay. Fast shots, ramps and combos feel naturally connected to the rhythm of the songs.
You don't necessarily have to be a huge Rush fan to appreciate what the machine is doing.
It simply sounds great.
5. Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters brings a completely different energy.
The machine contains a large selection of the band's music, and the songs fit extremely well with Jack Danger's fast-flowing design.
Tracks like Everlong, My Hero, The Pretender and Learn to Fly give the game an immediate identity.
The soundtrack also benefits from the fact that Foo Fighters have such a broad catalogue. You can play repeatedly without feeling as though you're hearing the same short sequence over and over.
It feels like a rock concert mixed with a bizarre animated action movie.
And somehow, that works.
6. Pokémon
Pokémon deserves a place here precisely because it doesn't sound like the other machines on this list.
Instead of heavy metal, classic rock or film music, Pokémon has a soundtrack that feels much closer to the video games.
The melodies have that unmistakable Japanese video-game character, with bright, playful sounds that fit the theme beautifully.
It gives the machine an arcade-like personality that feels completely appropriate.
And because the music is so closely connected to the Pokémon universe, it creates a huge nostalgia factor for anyone who grew up with the games.
The visual side works just as well. If you're interested in customising the machine, our Best Pokémon pinball mods article show how naturally the game's artwork translates into pinball accessories.
7. Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin is another obvious choice for a music-themed machine, but the soundtrack is not simply there to provide background noise.
Songs such as Whole Lotta Love, Kashmir, Immigrant Song and Black Dog give the game an enormous amount of energy.
The music is loud, dramatic and instantly recognisable.
And that is exactly what you want from a Led Zeppelin pinball machine.
It is also interesting because the soundtrack gives the game a very different character from Iron Maiden, despite both being machines based around legendary rock bands.
Iron Maiden feels darker and more theatrical.
Led Zeppelin feels more like a classic rock concert.
8. Metallica Remastered
Metallica is another machine where the music and gameplay seem to have been made for each other.
The aggressive soundtrack matches John Borg's fast gameplay perfectly.
The music creates a sense of urgency while you're trying to control the ball, and the combination of guitars, callouts and effects makes the machine feel constantly active.
The Remastered version also gives the game a modern presentation that makes the original concept feel even more impressive.
It is loud.
It is aggressive.
And it is very, very Metallica.
9. Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy takes the classic mixtape approach.
The machine uses the famous songs associated with the films, creating a soundtrack that is instantly familiar and full of personality.
That matters because the music is such an important part of the Guardians movies.
Without it, the theme simply wouldn't feel the same.
The pinball machine understands that.
The result is colourful, energetic and nostalgic, with the music helping transform the game into something that feels much closer to the films.
10. Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park makes the list for a different reason.
Its soundtrack isn't based around a famous rock band, but the combination of John Williams-inspired movie themes, sound effects and atmospheric audio works incredibly well with the game.
The machine can sound calm one second and completely chaotic the next.
Then you hear the dinosaurs, the warning sounds and the familiar Jurassic Park musical cues.
Suddenly you're not just playing pinball.
You're trying to survive Jurassic Park.
That kind of sound design is just as important as having a famous song catalogue.
And Then There's Fallout...
There is already one new machine that could eventually change this list.
It is too early to put Fallout into a Top 10 soundtrack ranking, but the potential is obvious.
The machine uses music from the Fallout games while also bringing in the iconic pre-war radio concept, with older songs that fit the Fallout universe perfectly.
That is a fantastic idea for pinball.
The combination of retro music, radio announcements, game sound effects and the atmosphere of the Fallout world could make this one of the most distinctive soundtracks in modern pinball.
But we'll have to wait and actually play the finished game before deciding where it belongs.
Maybe one day Fallout will be sitting comfortably inside this Top 10.
For now, it is one to watch.
What Makes a Great Pinball Soundtrack?
The interesting thing about this list is that there isn't one formula.
Iron Maiden and Led Zeppelin have huge catalogues of famous songs.
TRON: Legacy relies on a small number of carefully chosen electronic tracks.
Black Knight: Sword of Rage uses original metal written specifically for pinball.
Pokémon creates its own video-game-inspired musical identity.
Jurassic Park uses atmosphere and cinematic music.
They are completely different approaches.
But they all achieve the same thing:
The music makes you want to play the machine.
And that is ultimately what makes a great pinball soundtrack.
It shouldn't just sound good.
It should make the game feel better.
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