Stranger Things
Stern Pinball, 2019 — shot-by-shot rules and strategy guide.
Open Stranger Things in the Pinball Genie app →Brian Eddy's first Stern (after Attack from Mars and Medieval Madness), released December 2019 and based on Netflix Seasons 1–2. It's a two-flipper, six-ball, symmetric fan layout with eight main shots: left orbit, left ramp, left saucer/kicker, center (Demogorgon behind a 4-bank of drops), Burn It Back inner loop, right ramp, right orbit, plus the left standup/mystery lane as the utility/combo-ender. Three editions — Pro / Premium / LE — share the sculpted Demogorgon bash toy, drop-target guard, two hideout scoops, a Demodog spinner, and three ramps. Premium/LE add a first-ever Stern playfield video projector and Eleven's telekinetic magnet ball lock (the Pro locks balls mechanically at the left ramp instead); LE extras are cosmetic.
Skill Shots (chosen on plunge)
One drop roves the 4-bank at ball start. Standard = full plunge into the flashing drop (5M, +1M each). Super = soft-plunge toward the flippers then shoot the saucer (10M, +2.5M each) — safe and sets up a chapter. MXV = do both on one plunge, rebounding off the drop into the saucer (25M, +5M each, +1 Drawing).
The Six Objectives → Final Showdown
All six inserts must be solidly lit to reach the wizard mode: 5-Way Combo, Send It Back (all 6 Season-1 chapters), Demodog! (all 3 Demodog modes), Demogorgon! (all 5 Demogorgon modes), Light the Fire (all 6 Season-2 chapters), and Telekinesis Multiball (collect its Super Jackpot).
5-Way Combo: chain five shots each within a few seconds. The first four are any mix/repeat of left orbit, left ramp, Burn It Back, right ramp; the 5th must be a terminal (saucer, left standup, center, or right orbit). It adds +10M to end-of-ball bonus for the rest of the game — grab it early.
Chapters (12: six Season 1 + six Season 2)
Start any chapter by lighting three inserts on one main shot (left orbit/left ramp = Season 1; right ramp/right orbit = Season 2), then shooting that shot. Pops cycle the selected chapter (left pop = S1, right pop = S2); the left standup can spot progress early. Each chapter awards +1 Drawing (+2 if you meet its restriction). Notable ones: Where's Barb? (saucer reveals the flashing shot), Monster Hunting! (five drop waves), Operation Mirkwood (ramp↔ramp combo, +1M per comboed ramp), Save Will! (fixed five-shot combo for ~50M), Quarter Hunt! (switch frenzy), Lure Dart! (raised by the Dart pop-bumper level).
Multiballs
- Telekinesis Multiball (3-ball, priority): light the two green Light Lock standups flanking the left ramp, lock at the left ramp (safe, returns to left flipper), 3rd lock auto-starts. Collect 5 lit jackpots (~1.1M rising) then the Super at the saucer (~6M). Premium/LE relock a ball via the magnet for a 2x/3x Super.
- Demogorgon multiballs: Trap 'Em! (2-ball), Run Will! (4-ball, raising ramp), Can't Stop This! (5-ball, 60s unlimited ball save, Super up to ~100M). Each is qualified by clearing the drop bank (one more clear per successive mode) and started at the Demogorgon mouth.
Demodog Modes (3)
Spell D-E-M-O-D-O-G on the standups (first can be spotted at the saucer), then play Break Out!, Junk Yard!, and It's a Trap! Completing all three lights the Demodog! objective.
Multipliers
- 2x Playfield Scoring (60s) lights at the saucer by Burn It Back loop counts (7, 18, then every +14). Cash it only over a live multiball + mode stack — the biggest single swing.
- Bonus X (1x–5x) advances on even return-lane completions (odd completions light Mystery). Bonus carries over between balls and can dwarf live scoring, so cycle the inlanes to 5x before draining a loaded ball.
Burn It Back Loop
The most-farmed repeatable shot. Loops accumulate all game for an award ladder: Extra Ball (loops 1–10 and at 50), Spell of Protection outlane ball-save (3, 12, 25, then +14 — "like an extra ball"), and 2x Scoring lit at the saucer (7, 18, then +14).
Drawings
Eleven's drawings are a game-long currency: each adds +10M to every wizard-mode starting jackpot and +2M to bonus; 11 Drawings lights an Extra Ball. Earned from MXV skill shot, any chapter, each Demodog mode, the Telekinesis Super, Dart level 4, and a Mystery roll.
Wizard / Mini-Wizard Modes
All start on the next left-ramp shot and open with 10M per Drawing. Total Isolation 1 & 2 qualify after playing chapters on all four main shots (once, then twice) — combo the lit jackpots to double them; the center scoop is the Super. Send It Back and Light the Fire are the season-completion mini-wizards. Final Showdown is the true wizard mode requiring all six objectives lit; completing it launches the Snow Ball Dance victory lap.
Strategy Summary
The safe geography is the left side: the left ramp returns to the left flipper, so open there to arm Telekinesis Multiball under ball-save, then take any stack (Chapter + Demodog + Telekinesis). Grab the 5-Way Combo early, never neglect Burn It Backs, save 2x Scoring for a stack, and max Bonus X before draining. Avoid the Demogorgon center mouth except when required or under multiball — it's the game's danger shot, and bricks kick straight down the middle.
How Stranger Things plays
Stranger Things is a fast, dangerous Stern game centered on the Demogorgon in the middle and six objectives that gate the wizard mode. Play out both seasons of chapters, run the Demodog and Demogorgon multiballs, and light all six objectives to reach Final Showdown.
The loop
- Fill the three inserts under the left orbit or left ramp for Season 1 chapters, and under the right ramp or right orbit for Season 2, while the pop bumpers cycle which chapter is queued.
- Complete the green lock standups and lock three balls at the safe left ramp to start Telekinesis Multiball.
- Clear the center drop bank to arm the Demogorgon mouth, then start its two-, four-, and five-ball multiballs there.
- Spell D-E-M-O-D-O-G on the standups to run the three Demodog modes, and loop Burn It Back for its Extra Ball, ball-save, and 2x scoring ladder.
- Solidly light all six objectives to start Final Showdown at the left ramp.
Reading the lights
- Season Chapter Lanes (mode) — lit: Three inserts sit under each season lane -- the left orbit and left ramp run Season 1, the right ramp and right orbit run Season 2 -- and a lit insert is one still to fill before that lane's chapter starts. · then: Fill a lane's three inserts, then re-shoot that lane to start the queued chapter, and let the pop bumpers rotate which chapter is next so you can pick the one you want. Finish all six chapters of a season to light its mini-wizard multiball -- Send It Back for Season 1, Light the Fire for Season 2 -- at the left ramp.
- Telekinesis Locks (status) — lit: The two green lock standups by the left ramp light the Telekinesis locks, so a lit lock is a ball you can bank at the left ramp, which safely returns to your left flipper. · then: Lock three balls to start a three-ball multiball, then collect five jackpots at the lit major shots to light the Super at the left saucer. It is the easiest big-point engine on the game and firmly checks off one of the six objectives that gate Final Showdown.
- Demogorgon Mouth (mode) — lit: Four center drop targets guard the Demogorgon, so a lit drop is one still standing, and clearing the bank arms the mouth behind it for a mode start. · then: Shoot the mouth to start the two-, four-, and five-ball Demogorgon multiballs, each ending in a Super Jackpot there, with the five-ball opening a sixty-second unlimited ball save. Only take the mouth from a cradle under cover, because a missed drop shot rockets straight back down the center, and running all five modes lights the Demogorgon objective.
- DEMODOG Targets (letters) — lit: Seven standups spell D-E-M-O-D-O-G, so a lit one is a letter left, and spelling the whole word qualifies a Demodog mode. · then: Start the mode at the left standup lane, then blast the lit Demodog targets through escalating waves for climbing value. Run all three Demodog modes to solidly light that objective for Final Showdown.
- Burn It Back Loop (ladder) — lit: Burn It Back is the right inner loop and the most farmable shot on the game, and because its return feeds back to a flipper, a lit loop is one you can keep re-shooting. · then: Cumulative loops climb an all-game ladder: an early Extra Ball, then a Spell of Protection save, then 2x Scoring waiting at the saucer. Cash 2x only over a live multiball-and-mode stack, where sixty seconds of doubling is the single biggest swing in the game.
- 5-Way Combo (shot arrows) — lit: The 5-Way Combo chains five shots in quick succession from the left orbit, left ramp, Burn It Back, and right ramp in any mix, capped by a saucer, standup, center, or orbit. · then: Land the chain to light the game's first objective and bank a permanent +10M that rides your end-of-ball bonus every ball afterward. The first four shots all return to a flipper, so it is really about not hesitating between them.
- Bonus X Return Lanes (multiplier) — lit: The return lanes build the end-of-ball Bonus X, where every even completion of the pair adds a full multiple and every odd completion lights Mystery at the left standup instead. · then: Cycle the inlanes with the safe left ramp and the bicycle orbit to push Bonus X toward 5x before you drain a loaded bonus. Take Hold Bonus from a lit Mystery to carry that multiplied total into your next ball.
Lane change: not verified for this machine yet.
Start scoring
- Ball one — Take the safe skill shot -- a soft plunge into the left saucer, or a full plunge into the flashing drop -- then farm the left ramp, which returns to your flipper with almost no drain risk. Fill a left-side lane's inserts to start a Season 1 chapter under ball save, and stay off the Demogorgon mouth cold. — Super Skill Shot, The Safe Left-Ramp Opener, Beginner: First 30 Seconds
- Building — Lock three balls at the left ramp for Telekinesis Multiball, run the Demogorgon and Demodog modes, and loop Burn It Back up its ladder. Cash 2x Scoring only when a multiball and a chapter are stacked together, then max Bonus X before you drain. — Telekinesis Multiball, Can't Stop This! (Demogorgon 5-Ball), All Three Demodog Modes, Cash the Stack, Then Max Bonus
- The big one — Solidly light all six objectives -- the 5-Way Combo, Demodog, Demogorgon, both season mini-wizards, and Telekinesis -- to start Final Showdown at the left ramp. Winning that Demogorgon battle seals the gate and rolls into the Snow Ball Dance victory lap for the rest of the ball. — Final Showdown, Send It Back, Light the Fire (Season 2 Mini-Wizard)
The Action Button on Stranger Things
Center of the lockdown bar.
Quiet for most of a game. The button lights exactly once for the Demogorgon Bomb — a single panic press that kills whichever Demogorgon you're fighting. Premium and LE machines give it a second job stealing balls out of the Telekinesis lock.
- Demogorgon mode running, button flashing red: Spends your one Demogorgon Bomb and kills the monster instantly, though for a reduced payout.
- Bombing out of a Demogorgon multiball mode: The bomb freezes the jackpot value where it stands and leaves the Super Jackpot value alone.
- Balls locked, another multiball running (Prem/LE): Swipes a locked ball into the multiball you're already playing — no limit on how often.
Goals in Stranger Things
Every goal below is tracked step-by-step, with shot paths drawn on the playfield map, inside the app.
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Soft-plunge the ball back toward the flippers, then immediately shoot the left saucer for a big, drain-safe skill award.
Reward: 10M + 2.5M per successive skill shot; saucer is a safe cradle that sets up a Chapter start.
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The tournament skill shot: rebound the ball off the flashing drop target and into the saucer on a single plunge, scoring both normal skill shots at once.
Reward: Both normal skill shots' points, plus 25M + 5M per successive MXV, and +1 Drawing (a game-long currency).
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The one truly named combo and objective #1: chain five shots, each within a few seconds of the last. Grab it early so the +10M rides every bonus.
Reward: Solidly lights the 5-Way Combo objective; adds +10M to end-of-ball bonus for the rest of the game. Required for Final Showdown.
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Repeatedly loop the right inner orbit for the game's best repeatable award ladder — Extra Ball, Spell of Protection ball-save, and 2x Scoring.
Reward: Extra Ball (loops 1-10 and at 50); Spell of Protection at 3/12/25 then +14; 2x Scoring lit at saucer at 7/18 then +14.
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Season-1 chapter built around comboing the two ramps back and forth; each consecutively comboed ramp adds +1M to the shot value.
Reward: Collect 10 items (10th = 10M, up to ~20M if all comboed); Extra Drawing for a 5-way combo using only ramps.
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Season-2 chapter that is a fixed five-shot combo — complete all five in sequence without breaking the chain for a huge bonus.
Reward: ~50M bonus + an extra Drawing if completed as one unbroken combo.
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Total Isolation (Comboed Jackpots)
In the Isolation mini-wizard multiballs, the correct technique is chaining lit major shots — comboed jackpots are doubled.
Reward: Jackpots start ~1M +100k each and double when comboed; center scoop = Super Jackpot (3rd Super adds a ball).
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The priority multiball and objective #6 — reached via the safe left ramp, it is the easiest big-point engine and grants ball-save time.
Reward: 3-ball MB; 5 lit jackpots (~1.1M rising) then Super Jackpot at the saucer (~6M); Super solidly lights the objective +1 Drawing.
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The second Demogorgon mode and an alternate multiball — qualified by clearing the drop bank, then started at the Demogorgon.
Reward: 2-ball MB; hurry-up locks a value, all majors light for jackpots, then Demogorgon Super = sum of all jackpots.
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A 4-ball Demogorgon multiball with a raising/lowering ramp — qualify via the drops, start at the mouth, then work the drops-to-Demogorgon jackpot cycle.
Reward: 4-ball MB; Super Jackpot = total collected; collecting the Super restarts the jackpot phase.
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Can't Stop This! (Demogorgon 5-Ball)
The 5-ball Demogorgon multiball with a 60-second unlimited ball save — the highest-ceiling, lowest-risk repeat in the game.
Reward: 5-ball MB; red jackpots everywhere, then Super at the Demogorgon = sum (cap 100M), relighting for repeat Supers.
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A Season-1 chapter: start it on a left-side shot, then use the saucer to reveal which shot is flashing and hunt Barb down.
Reward: Shots start 1M (+250k per wrong guess), last shot 10M; finding Barb on the very first shot = 40M + extra Drawing. +1 Drawing.
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A Season-1 chapter fought entirely at the drop targets across five escalating waves, finished with a center shot.
Reward: Drops score 1M/1.5M/2M/2.5M/3M per wave; final center shot 7M-28M. +1 Drawing.
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A Season-2 frenzy chapter: every switch scores, both ramps are lit to boost switch value, and each 25 hits levels up.
Reward: All switches = 50k; every 25 hits levels 1M/2.5M/5M/10M; a ramp adds +25k to switch value. +1 Drawing (+2 for all 4 levels).
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The first Demodog mode. Spell D-E-M-O-D-O-G on the standups to qualify it, shoot the left standup lane to start it, then blast the lit Demodog targets across three waves.
Reward: 1M each, hit 15 to complete; wave 2 = 2M, wave 3 = 4M each. +1 Drawing; completing all 3 Demodog modes lights the Demodog! objective.
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A 60-second all-scoring doubler lit at the saucer by Burn It Back loops — the single biggest score swing when timed over a stack.
Reward: 60 seconds of doubled scoring on everything; stacks over multiballs and modes.
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Build the end-of-ball multiplier by cycling the return lanes — even completions add +1x. Max it before you drain a loaded bonus.
Reward: Bonus X from 1x to 5x; multiplies the whole carry-over bonus (5-Way +10M, Drawings, mode points, etc.).
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A mini-wizard multiball (objective #2) qualified by completing all six Season-1 chapters, started at the left ramp.
Reward: Opens with 10M per Drawing; alternate major shots and center shots, then Super at the center ramp (or mouth for instant kill) = total mode points.
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The true wizard mode: qualify by solidly lighting all six objective inserts, then start the final Demogorgon battle at the left ramp.
Reward: A multiball battle to seal the gate; completing it starts the Snow Ball Dance victory-lap mode for the rest of the ball.
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The consensus opener: bank all your early progress on the safe left side, which returns to the left flipper with almost no drain risk.
Reward: Arms Telekinesis Multiball and Bonus X under ball-save without ever losing flipper control.
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A copy-paste beginner playbook — take the safe skill shot, farm the left ramp, then grab any stack while ball-save is live.
Reward: Two scoring streams running at once under ball-save — never pass up a chance to run two things at once.
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Cash the Stack, Then Max Bonus
The two biggest score levers, in order: layer 2x Scoring over a live stack, then cycle inlanes to max Bonus X before you drain.
Reward: A 60s doubler over a multiball + mode, plus a 5x multiplier on a loaded carry-over bonus — often more points than the ball itself.
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Spell the Demodog word three separate times across a game to qualify and play all three Demodog modes, which lights that objective.
Reward: +1 Drawing per mode; clearing all three solidly lights the Demodog! objective needed for the final wizard mode.
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Light the Fire (Season 2 Mini-Wizard)
The Season 2 counterpart to Send It Back: finish all six Season 2 chapters on the right-side lanes, then play the mini-wizard multiball it opens.
Reward: Mini-wizard multiball; its Super Jackpot pays out the mode total and solidly lights one of the six objectives for Final Showdown.
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Stranger Things hides a second layer of play behind its attract screen that most players walk straight past. Holding both flippers while the machine sits idle opens a menu with a stripped-down tournament ruleset and a standalone challenge scored purely on Demogorgon kills.
Reward: Access to Competition, Challenge — which includes a Demogorgon challenge with its own high score for the most kills — and a DJ Mixer jukebox
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Drawings are the accumulator humming away under everything else you do. They come from finishing modes, and they pay you three separate ways: a heavier end-of-ball bonus, an extra ball once you have gathered enough, and a jackpot that lands the instant a wizard mode kicks off, sized by how many you are holding. Nothing on this playfield rewards patience like closing out modes instead of abandoning them.
Reward: A heavier end-of-ball bonus, an extra ball, and a bigger jackpot the moment a wizard mode starts
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The bumper nest is not dead space on this machine. Bumper hits pile up and push Dart along, and the pops get more rewarding as that happens. There is a second reason to visit: while the ball is bouncing around up there it is also shuffling which chapter is queued, which turns a lucky rattle into a choice.
Reward: Dart advances, the bumpers pay better, and you get to steer which chapter comes up next
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