Arcade · Rules

How to play Pinball

One table, two flippers, three balls. On it: three bumpers, two slingshots, three lanes across the top, three drop targets in the middle, an orbit up the left side and a saucer on the right that locks balls for multiball.

Players
1
Balls
3
Multiplier
Up to ×5
Extra ball
150,000
The rules

Eleven things. The lanes and the lock are where the score is.

  1. Launch

    Hold LAUNCH to pull the plunger back, and let go to fire. On a keyboard hold Space, the down arrow or S. A full pull takes about 1.2 seconds. A pull that is too gentle lets the ball roll back for another try.

  2. The skill shot

    Every new ball lights a gold band on the plunger meter. Let go while the pull is inside the band for 5,000 points.

  3. Flip

    Each flipper has an on-screen button, and holding the left or right half of the table works too. On a keyboard the left flipper is the left arrow, Z or left Shift, and the right flipper is the right arrow, the slash key or right Shift. A flipper that is still rising when it meets the ball throws it harder, and hardest from the tip.

  4. Top lanes and the multiplier

    Rolling through an unlit lane lights it for 100. Light all three and the multiplier goes up by one, to a limit of ×5. You bank 500 times the new multiplier and the lights go out. Each flipper press slides the lights one lane across, so you can move the dark lane under the ball. The multiplier goes back to ×1 when you lose a ball.

  5. Bumpers and slingshots

    The three bumpers are 50 a hit. The two slingshots above the flippers are 10.

  6. Drop targets

    Three targets, 100 each. Knock all three down within nine seconds of the first and you bank 1,000 and light the lock. If you are too slow they stand back up.

  7. Orbit and saucer

    A shot up the left channel is the orbit, worth 500. A slow ball that drops into the saucer is worth 500, and is held for about a second before it is kicked back out. If the lock is lit, that ball counts as locked.

  8. Multiball

    The second lock starts multiball. Two more balls are launched, so three are in play. Until you are back to one ball, every orbit and every saucer also pays a jackpot: 5,000 for the first, then 1,000 more each time, up to 10,000. Jackpots are not multiplied.

  9. Ball save

    For about five seconds after a launch, a ball that drains comes straight back. Multiball starts with about ten seconds of save.

  10. Play it or it stops paying

    Bumpers, slingshots, lanes, targets, the orbit and the saucer are all multiplied by your multiplier. But after 40 scoring hits in a row with no deliberate flipper touch, the table stops paying. It wakes up when a flipper that is raised or moving touches the ball.

  11. How a run ends

    The last ball drains with the save off. The first time your score reaches 150,000 one extra ball is added, once per game. A run also stops after 20,000 ticks of the game clock, which is about ten minutes.

One shot

The top lanes, twice over.

What happenedPoints
First set: three lanes at 100, multiplier ×1300
Multiplier goes to ×2. Bonus of 500 × 21,000
Second set: three lanes at 100, multiplier ×2600
Multiplier goes to ×3. Bonus of 500 × 31,500
Two sets of lanes on one ball3,400

The first set is worth 1,300 and the second 2,100. Everything else on the table is now paying three times over, which is the real prize. Lose the ball and the multiplier is back to ×1.

People ask

Balls, multiball and the keys.

How many balls do you get in Pinball?
Three. One extra ball is added the first time your score reaches 150,000, once per game. A ball that drains while the save light is on comes straight back and does not count.
How do you start multiball?
Knock down all three drop targets before they stand back up. That lights the lock. Then drop a slow ball into the saucer to lock it. Do that twice and two more balls are launched.
What is the skill shot?
Every new ball lights a gold band on the plunger meter. Let go of the plunger while the pull is inside the band and you score 5,000.
What are the keyboard controls for Pinball?
Left flipper: the left arrow, Z or left Shift. Right flipper: the right arrow, the slash key or right Shift. Plunger: hold Space, the down arrow or S, then let go to launch.
Why did the table stop scoring?
The table only pays while you are playing it. After 40 scoring hits in a row with no deliberate flipper touch, nothing pays until a flipper that is raised or moving touches the ball again.
Now play

Three balls. Light the lanes first.

Nothing at stake
You play alone. No opponent, nothing to stake and no rating.
Best run
Only your best run ranks on the high scores board.
Checked score
The game records what you did and sends it when the run ends. The server replays it and works out the score itself.
Play Pinball

Free, and no account needed. Opening the game seats you as a guest, and the run starts when you press Start.

one of the games in the Arcade.