Top 10 Pinball Machines with the Best Modes

Some pinball machines are all about fast shots, spectacular multiballs and huge jackpots. Others offer something different: a collection of missions, challenges and objectives that gradually unfold as you play.

These are what pinball players commonly call modes.

A mode is essentially a self-contained objective or sequence within a game. It might ask you to hit a particular combination of shots, complete a series of tasks, chase a moving target or defeat a villain. Some modes are timed, putting pressure on the player to complete the objective before the clock runs out. Others have no time limit, allowing you to work through the challenge at your own pace.

Multiballs are also modes in this broader sense: they introduce their own objectives, rules and scoring opportunities. And at the end of the journey, many machines have a Wizard Mode, the ultimate challenge unlocked by completing major objectives throughout the game.

What makes a great ruleset is not simply the number of modes. It's how creatively they use the playfield, how well they fit the theme and how much they make you want to play another game.

Here are ten machines that deliver some of the most memorable mode-based experiences in pinball.

1. The Simpsons Pinball Party (2003)

If we're talking about modes, it's difficult to ignore The Simpsons Pinball Party. This machine is famous for its incredibly deep ruleset, with multiple objectives, TV modes, multiballs and an enormous list of requirements leading towards the legendary Super Duper Mega Extreme Wizard Mode.

What makes it particularly clever is the way its modes interact. You can start different objectives while others are already running, creating opportunities to stack modes and multiballs together.

The TV modes are especially entertaining because they recreate situations from the show through actual pinball objectives. You're not simply shooting random flashing lights: you're progressing through little Simpsons stories.

And completing everything is a serious undertaking. This is a machine that can keep experienced players busy for a very long time.

2. The Lord of the Rings (2003)

The Lord of the Rings is another outstanding example of how to build an entire pinball experience around objectives.

Its ruleset is structured around the journey through Middle-earth, with modes, multiballs and major objectives that gradually lead towards the ultimate challenge: Valinor.

The important distinction is that simply starting a mode isn't enough. You need to complete objectives and fulfil specific requirements to advance through the game.

Destroy the Ring is another major part of the experience, making the One Ring shot central to the overall progression.

The result is a game that rewards planning, accuracy and persistence. Every successful objective feels like another step towards completing the adventure.

For a closer look at this classic, read our The Lord of the Rings Pinball Review.

3. Batman '66 (2016)

Batman '66 has one of the most entertaining approaches to modes in modern pinball.

The game features major villain modes, smaller villain challenges, multiballs and a collection of gadgets and power-ups. But the really clever part is how these elements interact.

Some villain modes have timers, while the major villain challenges can be played without the same time pressure. As you progress, you unlock perks that can change the way the game behaves.

One particularly interesting example is Mr. Freeze's power-up, which can freeze the timers on modes, allowing you to tackle objectives without the usual countdown pressure.

This changes the entire experience. Instead of simply trying to shoot everything as quickly as possible, you can work towards changing the conditions of the game itself.

It's a brilliant example of how perks can make a ruleset feel dynamic and give players meaningful progression.

4. Godzilla (2021)

Godzilla is an incredible example of how to build a modern pinball ruleset around a collection of interconnected objectives.

The game revolves around travelling between cities, fighting different Kaiju and gradually building towards the ultimate confrontation on Planet X. Each city has its own objectives, while the Kaiju Battles introduce individual challenges with different shots and strategies.

Some battles are timed, requiring you to complete a sequence before the clock expires. Others introduce interesting decisions, such as choosing whether to continue fighting or collect your accumulated points.

The real genius is how everything connects. Your progress unlocks power-ups, changes your scoring opportunities and influences the challenges ahead.

The game also features several major multiballs and multiple levels of progression, culminating in the King of the Monsters Wizard Mode and the even more demanding Monster Island Madness.

It's not just a collection of modes. It's an entire campaign that evolves as you play.

If you're a Godzilla owner, check out our Godzilla Pinball Mods collection.

5. Medieval Madness Remake (2015)

Medieval Madness Remake is a masterclass in making objectives easy to understand and incredibly satisfying to complete.

The central goal is to destroy the castles, but the game also includes five Madness modes, several multiballs and the final Battle for the Kingdom.

The modes are varied, ranging from Joust Madness to Trolls and Peasant Madness. Each asks you to use different shots and features of the playfield.

The rules are relatively easy to understand, but completing everything is another matter. The progression feels natural, and every castle destroyed brings you closer to the final challenge.

It's one of those games where the objectives are immediately understandable, but the journey towards completing them remains rewarding.

The Chicago Gaming Company remake brings this much-loved Williams classic back to collectors, and we have a dedicated selection of Medieval Madness Remake pinball mods to help personalise it.

6. Transformers (2011)

Transformers is a particularly interesting entry because the entire game feels built around its modes.

The machine features eight main character modes, alongside its multiballs and other objectives. You have to work through the Autobot and Decepticon challenges, completing the different tasks rather than simply starting them and moving on.

This is an important distinction.

Many older pinball machines allowed players to start modes and earn points without necessarily completing every objective. As rulesets evolved, games increasingly began rewarding players for finishing missions and progressing towards a final goal.

Transformers takes that approach seriously. Completing its major modes and multiball objectives is essential to reaching the final Battle for Cybertron.

It's a demanding game, and getting all the way through can take a long and very successful session. It might not have the individual mode variety of some machines higher on this list, but its commitment to making players complete the objectives earns it a place here.

7. Avengers: Infinity Quest (2020)

Avengers: Infinity Quest is one of the more complex modern examples of mode-based progression.

The central objective revolves around collecting the Infinity Gems by completing different character quests. Each quest introduces its own objectives, and the gems unlock additional abilities that influence the game.

The clever part is that the different systems interact. Your progress towards the gems, the available multiballs and the various objectives all contribute to a much larger ruleset.

It can take time to understand everything happening, but that complexity gives experienced players plenty to explore.

8. Jurassic Park (Stern 2019)

Jurassic Park is a fantastic example of how to turn a film's story into a series of exciting pinball missions.

The game revolves around rescuing workers and dinosaurs from Isla Nublar, while dealing with the various threats around the park.

The T-Rex events are particularly memorable. Feed T-Rex, Chase, Encounter and Rampage each introduce different objectives, with Museum Mayhem waiting as the final event in that sequence.

Then there are the rescue objectives, dinosaur encounters and multiballs, all contributing to the larger progression.

The ultimate goal is to escape the island, with Escape Nublar and other major objectives providing serious challenges along the way.

It's a great example of a game where the modes feel like actual scenes from the movie rather than unrelated scoring opportunities.

Explore our Jurassic Park Pinball Mods to see how you can customise this dinosaur-filled machine.

9. Monster Bash Remake (2018)

Monster Bash Remake is one of the best examples of a machine built around completing individual character modes.

Each of the six monsters has its own mode and instrument to collect. You must complete the challenges to earn the instruments, rather than simply starting each mode.

And this distinction is important because it leads to two different Wizard Modes.

Starting all six monster modes qualifies Monster Bash, while completing all six and collecting their instruments unlocks Monsters of Rock.

The latter is the ultimate reward for players who manage to complete everything.

It's a wonderfully simple concept with surprisingly deep progression. Every monster has its own personality, the objectives are varied, and the final reward gives you a genuine reason to keep playing.

10. Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast (2018)

Iron Maiden earns its place thanks to its variety of missions, themed modes and excellent integration of music and gameplay.

The game takes players through different worlds inspired by the band's universe, with Eddie appearing in different forms throughout the experience.

Each mode brings its own objectives, while the broader progression encourages players to explore the different areas of the game.

The combination of music, visual storytelling and satisfying objectives makes it one of the more enjoyable modern examples of a theme-driven ruleset.

Runner-Ups: More Great Modes Worth Playing

There are plenty of other machines that deserve recognition.

AC/DC Remastered is particularly exciting, bringing an expanded ruleset, new selectable song modes, additional timed challenges and new Wizard Modes to a classic game. With AC/DC playing throughout, completing all those objectives becomes a very entertaining experience.

Other recent releases worth mentioning include Sonic the Hedgehog, Pokémon, Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye and The Walking Dead Remastered. Each brings its own approach to objectives, progression and multiball gameplay.

And we can't leave out Fallout. Keith Elwin's latest machine introduces a very different gameplay experience, and its ruleset has plenty of room to develop as players discover more of its objectives.

The best mode-based games are often the ones that make you forget you're simply shooting a steel ball around a playfield. You're completing missions, changing the story and working towards something bigger.

Check our Modern Pinball Machines That Changed the Hobby article for more amazing games.

From Wizard Mode to Wizard Mod

There's a little piece of pinball history behind our own name, too. The term Wizard Mode has always represented something special: the ultimate challenge at the end of a machine's ruleset, the reward for players who have mastered its objectives and completed the journey.

When we created Wizard Mod, we took inspiration from that very expression. We simply turned Mode into Mod.

It's a little play on words, but one that connects our brand directly to the part of pinball we love most: the creativity, the challenges and the satisfaction of discovering everything a machine has to offer.

After all, reaching Wizard Mode is a great achievement. Making your machine look like a wizard-level masterpiece isn't bad either.