Pokémon

Stern Pinball, 2026 — shot-by-shot rules and strategy guide.

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Designed by George Gomez and Jack Danger on Stern's SPIKE 3 platform (revealed Feb 12 2026), Pokémon is a two-flipper game built around three parallel scoring paths that a top score must feed together: Story Modes, Catching Pokémon + Rival Battles, and Team Rocket Multiball. The single most important physical shot is the Pokédex triple captive ball — it scans caught Pokémon, finishes story modes, and cashes out combos. Treat it as the hub. Editions are Pro / Premium / LE (750 units); rules are identical across all three, with Premium/LE adding an animatronic Pikachu, an animatronic ball-lock Poké Ball, the Squirtle Whirlpool, a Psyduck Sneak-In scoop, and a chaos-inducing battle-arena electromagnet.

The Playfield

The four major shots each map to a starter: Left Orbit = Bulbasaur, Left Ramp = Squirtle (the steepest shot, backhandable through a one-way gate), Right Ramp = Pikachu (encircles the Pikachu toy), and Right Orbit = Charmander (fronted by an optical spinner, the fastest route into the Tall Grass pop bumpers). The center Battlefield holds two 3-banks that spell B-A-T-T-L-E, a gated center lane, and the Meowth balloon bash toy. To the right sits the Town Scoop (Rival Battles, Mystery, Travel, Extra Balls). Berry targets (two flanking the left ramp, one by the Pokédex) arm 2× Playfield; training targets heal and extend timers.

Skill Shots

• Standard: full plunge into the flashing top lane for +2× bonus multiplier (base 500k). The tutorial-preferred default because the ball then drops into the bumpers, the main way to spawn Pokémon.
• Super: hold the left flipper and hit any flashing shot off the plunge (2× value, base 1M). Into the center lane it instantly completes BATTLE and lowers the balloon; into the scoop it lights a mystery.
• Secret: bounce into Psyduck for 3× value (base 1.5M).

Story Modes

Each starts by hitting its home shot 3× and finishes at the captive ball; each completion awards a shot multiplier and adds a ball to the Charizard wizard. Bulbasaur lights ramps/orbits for pollen (clearing a set without the berry = +1× bonus X). Squirtle spins the whirlpool and raises a blue-shot multiplier up to 4×. Pikachu vs. Raichu is a 2-ball multiball — collect 3 captive-ball super jackpots; it is the easiest and most valuable opener. Charmander rips the spinner for 100 spins with a jackpot multiplier up to 4×.

Catching and Rival Battles

Fill the Discover gauge at the bumpers/top lanes to spawn a Pokémon, scan it at the captive ball to start the CATCH! hurry-up (base ~2M), spell C-A-T-C-H on purple shots, then capture at the left ramp (value = combined purple-shot value). Catches gate Rival Battles, started at the Town Scoop: hit flashing shots and Battlefield targets to deal damage, cash faint jackpots at the center lane (multiplied per Pokémon defeated), and grab the victory bonus at the left ramp within ~10s. Keeping your party alive so the faint-jackpot multiplier compounds across battles is the game's biggest sustained points engine. Travel between biomes (Forest → Lake/Desert/Mountain) unlocks by discovering+catching, completing training targets, playing a battle, and completing all four story modes.

Team Rocket Multiball

Spell BATTLE to lower the Meowth balloon, bash it 3× (+2 each subsequent MB), then hit the lane beneath it to start. 6 jackpots light a super jackpot (worth the jackpot total) that qualifies a shot multiplier and opens ~15–20s of unlimited super jackpots; the next cycle needs 8. Add-a-ball: re-spell BATTLE during multiball and press the action button while it blinks green — the core expert tactic for keeping the multiball alive. MB2 (\"Mecha-Meowth\") introduces freeze/thaw jackpot-multiplier mechanics.

Multipliers

• Shot Multipliers (2×): earned by completing a story mode or the first Team Rocket super jackpot. Applies 2× to everything the next major shot scores (mode values, CATCH! hurry-up, Eevee combo third shots) for the rest of the ball. Once all shots hold a 2×, the next qualifies at 3×. Priority: left ramp, then right-orbit spinner.
• 2× Playfield (Berries): left berry ×2 + right berry ×2 + flashing center berry = 20s of doubled scoring; hitting the center berry during it adds +5s (cap 20s). Layer it over any big window.
• Bonus X: built on the top lanes (+2× per standard skill shot), caps at 20×, multiplies end-of-ball bonus.

Combos and Awards

Combos register by shooting the four ramps/orbits in quick succession; each shot awards a Poké Ball (+1 if TEAM-boosted), and a 2-way-or-greater combo lights the captive ball to cash Poké Balls equal to combo length. The headline system is the eight Eeveelution combos — preset 3-shot sequences (e.g., Espeon = Right Ramp → Left Ramp → Captive Ball) scoring 2.5M + 500k each, with all eight worth 10M and resetting for repeat play. 50 Poké Balls or 25 captive-ball hits light an extra ball at the scoop. TEAM lanes arm timed sub-modes (Pikachu Hurry-Up, Squirtle Prize Pool, Charmander Super Spinner, Bulbasaur Loops) that boost a shot's value for the rest of the ball.

Wizard Modes

Completing all four story modes lights Pikachu vs. Charizard at the right ramp — a 2–6 ball multiball of four phases (base = 10% of each story mode's score) ending in a center-lane super jackpot capped at 100M (200M with 2× playfield), with a Last Chance ball-add. The catch/battle path leads toward the Lucario challenge and the Team Rocket path toward the Arena/Mewtwo challenge; both remain TBD in current code (~0.81–0.83). Scores typically settle around 100M–200M, with strong players breaking a billion.

How Pokémon plays

Pokemon (Stern, 2026) sends you across four habitats to catch Pokemon and win Rival Battles. Discover and catch wild Pokemon, run the four story modes, and climb toward the Charizard and Lucario wizard goals.

The loop

1. Plunge a lit top lane to build your bonus multiplier, then feed the ball down into the Tall Grass bumpers, which turn up a wild Pokemon.
2. Scan it at the Pokedex captive ball to start the CATCH hurry-up, hit the purple shots, and finish at the left ramp to make the catch.
3. Spell BATTLE on the center banks to lower the Meowth balloon, bash it, and shoot the lane beneath it for Team Rocket Multiball.
4. Start a story mode at its home shot -- left orbit, left ramp, right orbit or right ramp -- to earn a shot multiplier you hang on your best shot.
5. Take a caught Pokemon into a Rival Battle at the town scoop and chain battles so the faint jackpot keeps compounding.

Reading the lights

• Top Lanes (Tall Grass) (lanes) — lit: The flashing rollover is your skill-shot lane, and every top lane you complete steps up the Bonus multiplier, which climbs toward a twenty-times ceiling. · then: Roll the lit lane, then let the ball settle down into the Tall Grass bumpers below -- working the bumpers fills the Discover gauge and turns up a wild Pokemon for you to scan.
• Pokedex Captive Ball (status) — lit: The triple captive ball is the game's hub -- it scans a discovered Pokemon to start the catch, cashes combos into Poke Balls, finishes story modes, and collects super jackpots. · then: Trap on the left flipper and take it from the cradle rather than swinging on the fly. Scanning starts the CATCH hurry-up with a short ball save; the first catch of the game needs a single purple shot and each one after asks for more.
• BATTLE Banks & Meowth Balloon (letters) — lit: The two center Battlefield banks spell B-A-T-T-L-E, and the center lane spots any letter you miss; completing the word lowers the Meowth balloon over the arena. · flashing: With BATTLE spelled, the Meowth balloon flashes -- bash it three times to light the lane directly beneath it. · then: Shoot the lit lane under the balloon to start Team Rocket Multiball. Re-spelling BATTLE during the multiball feeds add-a-balls off the action button rather than jackpots, which is how you keep it alive.
• Berries (2x Playfield) (multiplier) — lit: The two flanking berries take two hits each, and then the center berry flashes to arm 2x Playfield. · flashing: The flashing center berry starts twenty seconds of doubled scoring; hitting it again during that window adds a few seconds toward the cap. · then: Layer 2x Playfield over your biggest window -- a multiball or a super-jackpot burst -- so everything scores double while it runs.
• Story Home Shots (mode) — lit: Each story Pokemon lives at its own shot -- Bulbasaur at the left orbit, Squirtle at the left ramp, Charmander at the right orbit, Pikachu at the right ramp -- and three hits to a home shot begins that mode. · then: Finishing a story mode qualifies a shot multiplier you hang on your money shot; playing all four lights the right ramp for the Pikachu vs. Charizard mini-wizard.
• Town Scoop (Rival Battles) (mode) — lit: The far-right Chansey scoop starts a Rival Battle once you have caught a Pokemon, and also hands out Mystery awards, Travel to a new habitat, and lit extra balls. · then: Keep your party alive and chain battles: the faint jackpot at the center lane is multiplied by every Pokemon you have beaten, so it compounds into the biggest sustained points source on the game. Catch, battle, and clear the training targets to open Travel to the next habitat. · control: Right flipper button: during a battle the scoop flashes in a benched Pokemon's colour, and a tap of the right flipper changes which party member it is offering, so you can bring in whichever type has the advantage over what you face (before you shoot the flashing scoop mid-battle)

Lane change: the flipper buttons move the lit lane. Clear the two town targets and the outlane ball save lights up, then tap either flipper to slide that protection to whichever outlane the ball is drifting toward. Only one side is guarded at a time, and each save you spend burns it -- clear the town targets again to relight it.

Start scoring

• Ball one — Plunge safely to a lit top lane and let the bumpers spawn your first Pokemon, then start Pikachu's easy two-ball multiball at the right ramp. Clear the town targets early so the outlane ball save is lit and can be steered before you take any risks. — Standard Skill Shot, Pikachu vs. Raichu Multiball, Steer the Outlane Ball Save, Beginner First 30 Seconds
• Building — Put your first shot multiplier onto the left ramp, arm 2x Playfield at the berries, and queue Team Rocket Multiball by spelling BATTLE so you can stack it over a story mode. — Shot Multiplier (Stack to 3x), 2x Playfield (Berries), Team Rocket Multiball, Best Opener / First Three Shots
• The big one — Run all four story modes and the right ramp lights for the Pikachu vs. Charizard mini-wizard, a four-ball multiball with a super jackpot up to a hundred million -- doubled under 2x Playfield. Chaining Rival Battles for the compounding faint jackpot is the biggest sustained engine underneath it. — Pikachu vs. Charizard, Lucario Battle Qualification (Catch Path), Rival Battle Faint-Jackpot Engine

The Action Button on Pokémon

Center of the lockdown bar.

Read the color and you know what the button holds. Green means an add-a-ball is waiting, red means a Pokedex Assist is loaded. In between it locks in hurry-up values and grabs whirlpool prizes while the game is holding your ball for you.

• BATTLE re-spelled during Team Rocket Multiball: Press while it blinks green to bank an add-a-ball — the standard way to stretch that multiball out.
• Pikachu Hurry-Up, ball held at the right ramp: Mash to drive the value up from 6M; only the number showing at release actually scores.
• Ball spinning in the Squirtle whirlpool: Press to take the prize showing right then at double value; every spin swaps the award.
• CATCH! hurry-up running, button blinking red: Spends a Pokedex Assist to collect the lit shot for you — it can't take the final catch shot.
• Rival battle underway, Assist loaded: Press and the game scores your most valuable lit shot without you shooting it.

Goals in Pokémon

Every goal below is tracked step-by-step, with shot paths drawn on the playfield map, inside the app.

• Standard Skill Shot skillshot · Easy

  The default plunge: hit a lit top lane for bonus multiplier, then let the ball drop into the bumpers to spawn a Pokemon.

  Reward: +2x Bonus Multiplier (base 500k) and a bumper-spawned Pokemon

• Super Skill Shot to Center Lane skillshot · Hard

  Hold the left flipper on the plunge and redirect into the center lane to instantly complete BATTLE and lower the Meowth balloon, fast-tracking Team Rocket Multiball.

  Reward: Instant BATTLE complete + balloon lowered (2x skill value, base 1M)

• Espeon Eeveelution Combo combo · Medium

  A right-to-left-to-hub three-shot Eeveelution combo that ends on the captive ball, ideal for landing a shot multiplier on the finisher.

  Reward: 2.5M +500k per unique Eeveelution made; all 8 = 10M

• Vaporeon Eeveelution Combo combo · Medium

  Ramp-to-ramp-to-Battlefield Eeveelution; a natural chain since both ramps feed a flipper.

  Reward: 2.5M +500k per unique Eeveelution made

• Poke Ball Combo Cash-Out combo · Medium

  Chain any two-or-more ramp/orbit shots then cash them at the captive ball for Poke Balls equal to the combo length - the input to the 50-ball extra ball and end-of-ball bonus.

  Reward: Poke Balls = combo length (+1 per TEAM-boosted shot)

• Team Rocket Multiball multiball · Medium

  Spell BATTLE to lower the Meowth balloon, bash it, then hit the lane beneath it to start the game's headline multiball.

  Reward: Team Rocket Multiball; 6 jackpots light the super jackpot + shot multiplier

• Pikachu vs. Raichu Multiball multiball · Medium

  The easiest and most valuable story mode - a 2-ball multiball started by hammering the right ramp; collect 3 captive-ball super jackpots to complete.

  Reward: 3 super jackpots (2x at captive ball); the recommended opener

• Team Rocket Add-a-Ball Stack multiball · Hard

  The expert farming tactic: re-spell BATTLE during Team Rocket Multiball and bank add-a-balls off the action button to keep the multiball alive indefinitely.

  Reward: Add-a-ball; extends the super-jackpot window

• Bulbasaur Story Mode mode · Medium

  Start at the left orbit; light ramps and orbits for pollen and bank it at the center berry, or leave the berry alone and clear a whole set to raise the pollen multiplier instead.

  Reward: Shot multiplier, and a higher-scoring Charizard mini-wizard

• Squirtle Story Mode mode · Medium

  Start at the left ramp; raise the whirlpool multiplier via blue shots and finish at the captive ball. Stacks efficiently with Team Rocket Multiball.

  Reward: Shot multiplier; ideal to stack with Team Rocket MB

• Charmander Story Mode mode · Medium

  Start at the right orbit; rip the Charmander spinner for jackpots and raise the spinner multiplier, finishing after 100 spins at the captive ball.

  Reward: Shot multiplier, and a higher-scoring Charizard mini-wizard

• Rival Battle mode · Medium

  After catching a Pokemon, start a battle at the town scoop; deal damage with flashing shots and Battlefield targets, then cash faint jackpots and the victory bonus.

  Reward: Compounding faint jackpots + a speed-scaled victory bonus

• 2x Playfield (Berries) multiplier · Medium

  Hit the two flanking berries twice each plus the flashing center berry to run 20 seconds of doubled scoring - layer it over any big scoring window.

  Reward: 2x Playfield for 20s (doubles all scoring)

• Shot Multiplier (Stack to 3x) multiplier · Medium

  Complete a story mode (or first Team Rocket super jackpot) to qualify a 2x shot multiplier, hang it on your money shots, and cycle a full set to unlock 3x.

  Reward: 2x -> 3x scoring on your best shots for the rest of the ball

• Pikachu vs. Charizard wizard · Hard

  The story-mode mini-wizard: play all four story modes to light the right ramp, then run four phases and a capped super jackpot in a four-ball multiball. How many of those modes you actually completed sets the scoring inside.

  Reward: Super jackpot up to 100M (200M with 2x playfield)

• Lucario Battle Qualification (Catch Path) wizard · Hard

  The catch-and-battle progression toward the Lucario final challenge: discover, scan, run the CATCH! hurry-up, capture at the left ramp, then chain Rival Battles across biomes.

  Reward: Progress toward the Lucario mini-wizard (rules TBD in current code)

• Best Opener / First Three Shots strategy · Easy

  The consensus expert opening line: safe top-lane plunge into the bumpers, start Pikachu's easy multiball, queue Team Rocket, and hang your first multiplier on the left ramp.

  Reward: Safe, high-value opening line feeding all three scoring paths

• Beginner First 30 Seconds strategy · Easy

  A drain-averse beginner sequence: front-load safe timer-based scoring and a first catch before touching volatile multiball geometry.

  Reward: Front-loaded safe scoring plus a first catch and banked Poke Balls

• Rival Battle Faint-Jackpot Engine strategy · Hard

  The biggest sustained points engine: keep your party alive and chain Rival Battles so the faint-jackpot multiplier compounds - 2x, 3x, and higher - across successive battles.

  Reward: The top documented sustained scoring source in the game

• Team Rocket Super Jackpot multiball · Hard

  During Team Rocket Multiball, collect the six lit jackpots off the two ramps and the Meowth balloon, then cash the super jackpot at the lit lane beneath the balloon.

  Reward: Super jackpot worth the accumulated jackpot value, plus a shot multiplier

• Extra Ball via Poke Balls strategy · Hard

  Farm Poke Balls by cashing combos at the Pokedex until the total lights an extra ball, then collect it at the town scoop.

  Reward: Extra ball at 50 banked Poke Balls

• Steer the Outlane Ball Save secret · Medium

  Pokemon's outlane ball save only ever guards one outlane at a time, and which side that is can be changed. Completing the town targets lights it, and a flipper press moves the protection across, so the save can be waiting on whichever outlane the ball is actually drifting toward.

  Reward: Outlane ball save protection on the side you choose

• Catching Gets Harder Every Time progression · Medium

  Catches are the currency the whole game runs on. They are what lights rival battles, what opens the next habitat, and what pads your bonus at the end of the ball. The first one is nearly free and every one after it stretches the sequence, so a catch made early in a ball is worth far more than the same catch made late.

  Reward: Rival battles unlocked at the scoop, progress toward a new habitat, and a bigger end-of-ball bonus

• Swap Your Pokemon for a Type Advantage progression · Medium

  Rival battles are the one place where type matchups change the math. You always open with Pikachu, but the scoop lets you bench it and bring in another member of your party, and choosing the type that beats what you are facing turns a slow grind into a quick knockout.

  Reward: Faster knockouts and a party still standing when the next battle starts

• Travelling Between Habitats progression · Hard

  The game is built as a journey across four habitats, and every one of them has to be earned. You begin in the forest and only move on once you have caught something there and taken on that habitat's rival team — and because each habitat further along the journey demands more catches before its battle will even light, most games never leave the trees.

  Reward: A new habitat with different Pokemon to find and a differently typed rival team