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MARCH 20-22, 2026
Warped Pinball at Texas Pinball Festival 2026
Special Formats on Classic Machines
Warped Pinball introduces Special Formats play on Classic Williams and Bally titles at Texas Pinball Festival 2026!
Warped Pinball Formats bring new excitement and new ways to compete and connect on classic machines. Fun new ways to compete make these classic games super accessible for new players and level the field when playing with Pinball veterans.
Compete in the Warped Classic Cup
This year, the Warped Classic Cup will be taking place in the Classic Pinball Park, enabled by Warped Pinball's flagship product, Vector. Vector brings fun new game formats and automatic competition scoring to classic pinball machines, making it easier than ever to compete with friends and track your progress throughout the festival.
🎉 It's Free to Play! 🎉
Anyone can sign up and compete in the Warped Classic Cup – no entry fee required. Registration will be open throughout the show. Anyone wishing to register should head over to the Classic Pinball Park to sign up and start playing!
Trinkets & Prizes
Players will be able to earn small key-chain trinkets inspired by the titles in the Warped Classic Cup. Custom made trophies will be awarded to the best scores for each major competition to commemorate your victory. Generously provided by our friends at XPIN
What are the Special Formats?
Each format offers a unique way to compete on classic pinball machines:
Golf
This is Golf, the lowest score wins!
- There is only one shot that matters, called the 'hole' shot
- Make the shot in the lowest number of balls you can
- Accumulate 1M points for each ball you use
- Hit the shot multiple times on the first ball and your score will decrease!
- Getting extra balls doesn't count against your stroke count
In Golf format on each game there is one 'hole' shot. Check the sign on the game to identify the hole shot. Your goal is to hit the hole with the fewest number of 'strokes' or balls used.
You start with a score of 1M. If you make the hole with the first ball you get the 1M points and you are done with that machine. If it takes a second ball your score goes to 2M, third ball 3M and so on - remember in golf the low score wins.
If you are really good and hit the hole shot twice on the first ball your score will be 500K, three times for 250K. Your score will periodically appear on the pinball machine and on the monitors. Finish your game and enter your initials with the flippers and start button, your score is automatically recorded.
Longest Ball
Longest single ball-in-play time wins!
- That's right - time is all that matters, score does not
- Watch the monitor display for your time
- Hold the ball too long and the timer will pause
Score does not matter, only who can keep one ball alive for the longest time. The pinball machine display will show regular game score while the scoreboard/web will show your time for the current ball in play. Your 'time' score is 100 pts for each second of play. Each ball is a new chance to get the longest ball!
Holding the flipper or letting the ball sit in the shooter lane will pause the timer, so no cheating.
Low Ball
High score wins, but there is a catch
- Only your lowest scoring single ball counts
High score wins, but only your lowest scoring ball in a single game counts. Play all three balls as normal. The game will record the score achieved for each ball individually and award you the score for only the lowest scoring ball. You must try to score evenly across all three (or five) balls. Your score is reset for each new ball.
Half Life
The highest score wins!
- Your score slowly decreases the longer you play
- Judge the right time to end your game and keep your big score
Your score slowly drops (decays), wait too long and it will all be gone. Score big and score fast to win, if you hit a jackpot is it time to drain before your score disappears?
More Formats Coming Soon!
Enjoyed these exciting formats? Stop by the Warped Pinball booth in the Classic Pinball Park to learn about all the other innovative formats included in our new hub product Origin (launching later this year)!
Origin will be on display at the festival, running the competitions and showcasing live big-screen scoring:
- Limbo - Where the lowest score wins! Can you score low on purpose?
- Practice Mode - Hone your skills with endless gameplay
- ...and many more exciting formats to be revealed!
Visit us at the booth to see Origin in action and be among the first to experience the future of classic pinball!
Classic Pinball Park
Join us in the Classic Pinball Park, located in the south east corner of the main hall at Texas Pinball Festival 2026. We're proud to partner with these amazing vendors to create a special area dedicated to classic pinball:
