# The Hottest Arcade Games of 2025!

**Source:** RetroRalph  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2025-03-28  
**Duration:** 14m 15s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY7l4gsLQA4

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## Analysis

RetroRalph covers AEI 2025 in Las Vegas, showcasing arcade and pinball trends. Key highlights include Raw Thrills' Top Gun Maverick (early code stage), Stern Pinball's recent D&D release with King Kong rumored for April, and a shift toward physical/tactile arcade experiences (shooting galleries, gun games) over VR. Arcade1Up unveiled Soda Slam and Missile Command Recharge, while rhythm-based games from Japanese developers are gaining traction.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Top Gun Maverick arcade game is in early code stage with additional missions and music licensing still pending — _Developer statement during booth gameplay; RetroRalph directly confirmed with Raw Thrills developer_
- [MEDIUM] Stern Pinball has no new game announcement at AEI 2025; next release rumored for April timeframe — _RetroRalph states 'there's something new coming, probably in the April time frame' based on street rumors_
- [MEDIUM] King Kong is the rumored next Stern Pinball game, potentially designed by Keith Elwin — _RetroRalph: 'if I had to guess, I think it's King Kong' and 'the rumored developer on that is Keith Elwin'_
- [HIGH] Arcade1Up Soda Slam sold off the floor at AEI 2025 with June shipping date — _RetroRalph states 'they actually sold this one off the floor, believe it or not' and 'This thing's going to ship in June'_
- [HIGH] Industry shift away from VR toward augmented reality and physical/tactile experiences — _RetroRalph closing observations: 'VR seems to be taking a backseat, while augmented reality and more real-world physical experiences are stepping up'_

### Notable Quotes

> "There's an extra mission they're going to add to it, and they haven't quite licensed some of the Top Gun music... it's early stages and I think it'll get a lot better."
> — **RetroRalph (quoting Raw Thrills developer feedback)**, ~2:30
> _Confirms Top Gun Maverick arcade is in active development with pending features_

> "if I had to guess, I think it's King Kong. But for now, that's what the rumor on the street is."
> — **RetroRalph**, ~7:45
> _Industry speculation about next Stern release; reflects community rumor mill_

> "And we all know Keith Elwin games are absolutely amazing."
> — **RetroRalph**, ~8:00
> _Community sentiment about legendary designer's game quality_

> "Gary said he's going to let me know when he's in Phoenix in April, so I'm holding you to that, Gary."
> — **RetroRalph**, ~17:30
> _Direct engagement with Gary Stern and Seth Davis at AEI; indicates Stern's media outreach strategy_

> "The general theme of this show with anything that's a shooting game is it's like shooting an actual thing out of the gun instead of being like more of a virtual gun."
> — **RetroRalph**, ~20:00
> _Identifies clear industry trend toward tactile/physical arcade experiences_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| RetroRalph | person | YouTube content creator covering arcade/pinball at AEI 2025; fifth year attending the show |
| AEI 2025 | event | Amusement Expo International held in Las Vegas; annual trade show for coin-op equipment, arcade games, and pinball machines |
| Raw Thrills | company | Arcade game manufacturer; released Top Gun Maverick motion cabinet at AEI 2025 |
| Top Gun Maverick | game | Raw Thrills arcade game; flight simulator cabinet themed after Top Gun: Maverick film; early code stage with pending music licensing |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer; recently released Dungeons & Dragons; rumored next release King Kong in April |
| Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant's Eye | game | Recent Stern Pinball release; blends D&D theme with pinball mechanics featuring dungeon exploration and monster battles |
| King Kong | game | Rumored Stern Pinball game for April release; allegedly designed by Keith Elwin (unconfirmed) |
| Keith Elwin | person | Legendary pinball designer; rumored designer of King Kong; known for high-quality games |
| Gary Stern | person | Company founder/leader at Stern Pinball; met RetroRalph at AEI 2025; described as approachable and supportive of media creators |
| Seth Davis | person | CEO of Stern Pinball; met RetroRalph at AEI 2025; involved in Pinball Media Days initiative |
| Arcade1Up | company | Home arcade cabinet manufacturer; has Atari license; released Soda Slam and Missile Command Recharge arcade cabinets |
| Soda Slam | game | Arcade1Up game; modern spin on Root Beer Tapper theme; sold off floor at AEI; ships June 2025 |
| Missile Command Recharge | game | Arcade1Up arcade adaptation of Atari Recharge series; modified for arcade feel with more forgiving mechanics |
| Gel Blaster Nexus | company | Modernized laser tag equipment manufacturer; featured at AEI 2025 with water gel pellet guns and haptic feedback vests |
| Sega Amusements | company | Arcade game manufacturer; showcased pneumatic light gun games with physical target drop mechanics at AEI |
| Bitter Bros | company | Used arcade and pinball machine dealer; located in Vegas; has relationship with RetroRalph |
| LiI Games | company | Arcade manufacturer; featured cyberpunk-themed shooting game licensed with CD Project Red; patent-pending gun technology |
| Band Dynamo | company | Japanese arcade game distributor; bringing rhythm-based games to American arcades; adapting for English-language markets |
| Pinball Hell | location | Pinball arcade venue in Las Vegas featured during RetroRalph's AEI coverage |
| X-Men | game | Recent Stern Pinball release mentioned in context of current production schedule |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Arcade game hardware trends at AEI 2025, Stern Pinball next-release speculation (King Kong rumors), Industry shift from VR to physical/tactile arcade experiences
- **Secondary:** Arcade1Up cabinet expansion and Atari licensing strategy, Gun-based/shooting arcade games as dominant genre at AEI, Japanese rhythm-based games entering American arcade market
- **Mentioned:** Media creator engagement and Stern's outreach strategy

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.82) — RetroRalph expresses enthusiasm about arcade innovation, physical experiences, and industry trends. Optimistic about future of arcade/pinball. No significant negativity; critiques are constructive (e.g., Top Gun Maverick in early code). Closing remarks explicitly state optimism: 'I'm leaving here optimistic about the future of arcade games and pinball.'

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Stern Pinball implementing Pinball Media Days initiative for content creator engagement and outreach (confidence: high) — RetroRalph: 'I thank them for continuing to support media creators like myself, especially with the new Pinball Media Days initiative' and direct meeting with Gary Stern and Seth Davis at AEI
- **[competitive_signal]** Arcade1Up selling Soda Slam units off the floor at AEI with June 2025 shipping; represents continued expansion into proprietary games beyond Atari licensing (confidence: high) — RetroRalph: 'they actually sold this one off the floor, believe it or not' with 'June' shipping date; cabinet was a 'prototype in the works' moving to 'full production'
- **[market_signal]** Japanese rhythm-based arcade games gaining foothold in American markets; Band Dynamo working to localize for English-speaking audiences (confidence: medium) — RetroRalph: 'This is the first year I've seen them bring these Japanese rhythm based games to a show like this' and 'they're even working on ways to sort of weave in a little bit of uh the American, you know, English language into it to make them easier to play'
- **[event_signal]** AEI 2025 marks shift in arcade manufacturer focus toward practical/experiential games over immersive technology (confidence: high) — RetroRalph's overall assessment: 'It's kind of a return to basics, but in a good way... The show and what manufacturers brought this year seems to reflect that'
- **[market_signal]** Industry-wide shift away from VR toward augmented reality and physical/tactile arcade experiences (confidence: high) — RetroRalph's closing observations: 'VR seems to be taking a backseat, while augmented reality and more real-world physical experiences are stepping up... People are glued to their screens all day, and I think they're craving something different'
- **[product_strategy]** Top Gun Maverick arcade confirmed in early code stage with music licensing and additional mission still pending at AEI 2025 (confidence: high) — RetroRalph directly spoke with Raw Thrills developer who confirmed licensing delays and pending features: 'they haven't quite licensed some of the Top Gun music... they're going to have that soon'
- **[rumor_hype]** King Kong pinball rumored as Stern's next release for April timeframe, allegedly designed by Keith Elwin (confidence: medium) — RetroRalph states 'if I had to guess, I think it's King Kong... that's what the rumor on the street is' and 'the rumored developer on that is Keith Elwin'
- **[technology_signal]** Gun-based arcade games transitioning from digital-only to physical target interaction (shooting actual objects that fall/respond) (confidence: high) — RetroRalph identifies consistent trend across Raw Thrills, Sega, LiI Games booths: 'The general theme of this show with anything that's a shooting game is it's like shooting an actual thing out of the gun instead of being like more of a virtual gun'

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## Transcript

Did I hear someone say new arcade games? Vegas, we're back, baby. It's like we never [Music] left. We're here at AEI 2025. I come to this show every year to see the latest and greatest in coin op equipment. John Youssi everything from pinball machines to arcade games. Think if you have an arcade location, FEC, whatever. This is where you want to go to figure out what games you want to buy to fill up your space. All right, let's go check it out. We stumbled upon this. Our first stop is the Raw Thrills booth. The thing that's really cool about Raw Thrills is every year they come out with a new game. This one is themed after the newer movie Top Gun Maverick. It reminds me a little bit at first glance of Afterburner Climax, which was later on in the Afterburner series. So, I'm really eager to play it. I feel the need for speed. Talk to me, goose. God damn it. This bogei's all over me. I don't have a clean shot. I got him. Bingo. I just finished playing Top Gun Maverick. It's It's really fun, but I can tell it's early code cuz there's just some things that are encoded into it. There's an extra mission they're going to add to it, and they haven't quite licensed some of the Top Gun music. I was talking to the developer. He said they're going to have that soon. It's pretty fun, but I can see where it's like early stages and I think it'll get a lot better. But the full motion cabin is pretty cool. The one thing I wish it had is with the afterburner, you don't really get the full sense of speed. I mean, you the game is coming at you, but it would be cool to have like a fan blowing at you. And I know you're in a cockpit, so you know, it's not realistic, but it's a video game. I just think that'd be a cool addition to give you that sense of speed. I haven't killed this dude. He's like all up in my ass. I had to stop at this one. All right, so we're here at Stern Pinball. Unfortunately, there's nothing new on this visit. They just released Dungeons and Dragons. Before that, they released X-Men. So, we're in that weird period where there's something new coming. Probably in the April time frame. And if I had to guess, I think it's King Kong. But for now, that's what the rumor on the street is. And that would be pretty cool cuz if it is King Kong, the rumored developer on that is Keith Elwin. And we all know Keith Elwin games are absolutely amazing. But for right now, we'll check out the booth and I'll show you Dungeons and Dragons for those of you that are unfamiliar with it. It's a pretty cool mix between traditional D&D and pinball and bridging those worlds together. It's a totally unique pinball experience. It really captures the D&D vibe, battling monsters, exploring dungeons, unlocking hidden paths. It feels like you're on a quest. It's got depth, progression, and it's just the right mix of fantasy and pinball. Whether you're a hardcore pinball fan or a D and D nerd, there's something here for you, and I can't wait to see how Stern evolves the code on this one. Now, this caught my eye. Hey guys, we're over at Gel Blaster Nexus. What is this company and what do they do? So, they're modernizing laser tag. They have these guns that are very, very cool, almost Halo themed guns. And you shoot these objects. They're like these little pellets that are filled with water, but the cool thing about them is there's nothing to clean up. And what I love, unlike laser tag, sure they have vests and they have some haptic feedback and things like that. They light up, but you can actually feel it when you get hit. Can I do a face? No, I don't care. So, there's this level of tension I think that it creates. It doesn't hurt, but you definitely feel it and you're like, "Okay, I'm going to get this guy that just shot me." No, I don't want you to shoot me. I got to trust you more. I don't even know you. That works. Okay. Okay. So, it's just very cool. The rifle can be set to a bunch of different settings. You have a single shot setting. You have a sniper rifle setting and then a fully automatic one that's really fun. They're modernizing laser tag. Well, that was a quick look at Gel Blaster Nexus. It mixes video games, laser tag, and paintball into one fun experience. But is this the future? We'll have to wait and see. All right, that got me hyped up. But there's much more to see. Let's move on. Oh, that's kind of cool. Oh, it says now printing. If you've been watching the channel for a while, remember when I got that afterburner and kind of like didn't realize I got it or didn't realize I I won it? Well, right here at Bitter Bros is the one that called me. And so, it was funny cuz I walk by and go, "Hey, Bitter Bros. I know those guys." So, if you are looking for arcade games and pinball machines, you know, you on the used market, go check these guys out. They have tons of Coin Ops stuff. I'll have a link in the description. Uh, I love them. Great guys, and Eron was awesome to work with. So, check these guys out. I'm delivering so many patties. Hey. Hey, Mason. Will you [Music] drive? Oh, wow. Dude. Oh, whoa. Whoa. Crap. Oh. I thought that was you. I thought that was you. Okay, that was fun. That was pretty cool. All right, I'm over here at Sega Amusements and last year, if you remember, these pneumatic guns were really popular. So, Sega's taken this concept of a pneumatic light gun, but then sort of given a physical aspect to it where it's almost like a shooting gallery with real things that interact with the player. So, instead of it being shooting at a digital screen, you're actually shooting at real objects that fall over. So, as I'm shooting, you can see the targets are dropping. And it's got a pretty cool, really accurate scope, actually. And then halfway through, you get an automatic rifle, which is what it's doing right now, which is freaking epic. That's it. It did pretty good. Even though it doesn't seem like it would be, it's it's a ticket redemption game. I'm not really a big fan of the ticket redemption part, but it's really fun to play. starting to really do some interesting things around guns, but that was the theme last year and it seems like this is them further upping the intensity level of the gun games. It's pretty cool. So, Sega Amusements did a pretty good job on this. Games are everywhere you look. But hey, we are still in Vegas and after a bit of exploring, I knew exactly where to go to get my pinball fix. Welcome to Pinball Hell. Pinball Hell. That was a good one. Maybe when Mason edits this, he should use circus [Music] music. No, that's just too fun. Maybe something sad and dreary like [Music] hell. Yeah, that's it. I'm having less fun already. Out of order. Out of order. Out of Maybe I should just be out, too. Wow. Lots of rules. I really want to break them all. I'm skipping. Watch out. I'm skipping. I think that ball's going to come out of there. Oh, is that stuck? I'm swinging my arms like a wild animal. I hope there's not a rule against tying your shoes. I got to do this fast. Let me make sure nobody is watching. Out of order. Out of order, man. Man, this place is great. Five out of five stars. Are there cameras in this thing's eyes? Will you kill me if I skip again? Oh, this is part for the course, man. You will soon realize that solitude is bliss, and doing activities in your free time that fulfill you will lead to more fulfilled life. While roaming around the show floor, I ran into Seth Davis, the CEO of Stern Pinball, and the legend himself, Gary Stern. We had a great chat about the industry, current trends, and I thank them for continuing to support media creators like myself, especially with the new Pinball Media Days initiative. Honestly, both Gary and Seth are just awesome, downto-earth guys. They're super approachable, and Gary said he's going to let me know when he's in Phoenix in April, so I'm holding you to that, Gary. All right, so we're at the LIi Games booth, and this is really cool. So, this is a cyberpunk themed shooting game, and it actually is licensed with CD Project Red, so the video game assets are in it. The gun shoots like a actual physical thing out of it, and you're shooting down targets. It has a story mode and a versus mode. Uh, I got a little bit into Cyberpunk when it first came out, so I kind of dig this. Seems like the general theme of this show with anything that's a shooting game is it's like shooting an actual thing out of the gun instead of being like more of a virtual gun. I'm pretty stoked on this. I think this is going to be kind of cool. I did notice though and it is a patent pending. So, they're probably waiting for some kind of patent on the gun. This thing is pretty neat, man. I don't know what else to say. I had a lot of fun playing this. This is not for us. [Music] Time to check out something a little different. Okay, I'm really excited cuz we're over at Allen 1. Allen 1 was mainly known for their awesome Atari flight yolk that you could buy to put into your Atari game when you were doing a restoration, your Star Wars, but they've recently got into creating a lot of their own games. Their newest one is right here. It's called Soda Slam. I really am digging this because this is a game that you could put almost anywhere and like a kid or an adult would have fun with it. What it basically is is think about like root beer tapper, but if it were to become in modern times. So, you have your taps right here. You fill it up. But what's really neat is they put a little bit of like reactive things to it. So, if you spill your cup, there's a shaker motor that will actually rumble and then also as you're filling your cup, these like really cool LED bars light up to let you know like your progress of where you're at. This thing's going to ship in June. But this isn't the only thing. So, this is new. This is technically a prototype in in the works, but will be in full production. But they have their other games here, too. So, let's check those out. And they're right over here. So, Allen 1 keeps bringing the heat with these Atari games. For those of you who don't know, they actually have a contract with Atari to take the Recharge series and make them arcade cabinets. I love this because it brings arcades back, right? We're used to things like raw thrills, them making these modern games, but these are spins on games that we grew up with, but also that a new generation can appreciate. They have some modern elements to it. So, this is their model right now. This one will come out in June. They might be making a larger version. That's still to be determined, but they actually sold this one off the floor, believe it or not. But, they have a lot of cool modern elements to it. If you've ever played Missile Command Recharge, the one that you can get on Steam, this is actually slightly different. So, they actually modify it to have more of an arcade feel, right? Because if you've ever played the Recharge series, when you get hit, you just like die, right? This is more forgiving and it acts more exciting like an arcade game should. So, this is the latest from Allen one. Of course, they have Aven Nights and all those other games, too. But the new hotness is the Soda Slam game we just played and then Missile Command [Music] Recharged. Oh, dude. I don't think I like this already. All right, I got to get off this. Okay, so last year we brought you cotton candy. The year before that we brought you Skittles. And now we're bringing you robot ice cream. Let's see. I'm going to do [Music] that was close. Great job. Rhythm based games are very popular in Japanese culture. However, we haven't seen them that much in the American arcade space. But Band Dynamo is trying to change that. I have no idea what's happening right now. This is the first year I've seen them bring these Japanese rhythm based games to a show like this, which is really cool. And they're even working on ways to sort of weave in a little bit of uh the American, you know, English language into it to make them easier to play. But so far, I've been observing people play these things and they're really enjoying them. So don't be surprised if you start to see these rhythm based games take off. We've had Dance Dance Revolution and things like that. These are kind of next level and I really do think the younger generation would really enjoy these. So, you may start seeing them weave into your arcade space pretty soon. Drum roll. Oh, a drum roll. I got it. I got this, dude. Another amusement expo is in the books, and I got to say, I just love this event. It's the perfect chance to connect with operators who are deep in the coin op business, talk with manufacturers building these games, chat with the developers who are writing the code, and catch up with industry friends. This marks my fifth year attending, and it's been awesome to see how the landscape continues to evolve. Some things stay the same, sure, but others shift in major ways. VR seems to be taking a backseat, while augmented reality and more realworld physical experiences are stepping up. It's kind of a return to basics, but in a good way. People are glued to their screens all day, and I think they're craving something different. The show and what manufacturers brought this year seems to reflect that. I'm leaving here optimistic about the future of arcade games and pinball. Till next time, Amusement Expo. See you back here in Vegas. [Music]

_(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 7ec6c18f-9113-4df4-ae82-98a51abc8b8e*