Homebrew Pinball Interviews at Texas Pinball Festival 2026
Inside Texas Pinball Festival 2026: Homebrew Pinball Livestreams & Creator Spotlight
At Texas Pinball Festival 2026, we set out to capture the creativity, ingenuity, and passion driving the homebrew pinball community.
Homebrew pinball machines—custom-built games designed by independent creators—are one of the fastest-growing and most exciting parts of the hobby. From original themes to innovative mechanics, these builds showcase what’s possible when passion meets engineering.
In collaboration with Manu Smith (Mystery Pinball Theater 3000, Free Gold Watch), Erika’s Pinball Journey, and the Fliptronic crew (Jordan Berger & Rebecca Salam)—along with special guests Retro Ralph, Dirty Pool Pinball, and The JBS Show—we produced a full series of homebrew pinball livestreams and interviews, all in support of PINDEVCON 2026.
Watch the Homebrew Pinball Livestreams
These aren’t just gameplay videos—they’re deep dives into the design and development of custom pinball machines. Each creator walks through their build, sharing insights on:
Game design decisions
Mechanical and software challenges
Creative breakthroughs
What it takes to bring a homebrew pinball machine to life
Whether you’re an experienced builder or just getting started, these livestreams are packed with inspiration and practical knowledge.
Top Homebrew Pinball Highlights from Texas Pinball Festival 2026
The homebrew section at Texas Pinball Festival 2026 showcased an incredible range of creativity—from fully original themes to innovative mechanical designs pushing the boundaries of what pinball can be.
What Is Texas Pinball Festival?
Texas Pinball Festival is one of the largest annual pinball events in the United States, featuring hundreds of machines, tournaments, vendors, and a growing showcase of homebrew pinball games.
Featured Homebrew Machines at Texas Pinball Festival 2026
Big Trouble in Little China (Kyle Smet)
A themed homebrew machine based on the cult film, typically focusing on fast action and cinematic callouts tied to the movie’s characters and moments.
Bootleggers (PinForge)
A prohibition-era themed game centered around crime, speakeasies, and bootlegging culture with original rules and artwork. Created by the PinForge crew, using Bootleggers pinball as a template to help other creators jumpstart their first pinball machine design. Follow along their instructional journey with their weekly livestream sessions! https://www.pinforgepinball.com/
ELF (Bob Nies)
A holiday-themed pinball inspired by the movie Elf, blending humor, festive modes, and character-driven gameplay.
Friday the 13th (Kyle Smet)
Kyle Smet's first homebrew build, a horror-themed pinball machine built around the iconic slasher franchise. Features dark visuals, suspenseful modes for all 12 movies of the franchise, and thrilling camp-themed objectives. This game won Best in Show at the Texas Pinball Festival 2024 competing against hundreds of other pinball machines from the event!
King of the Hill (Nick Taseris)
A TV-inspired homebrew that captures the humor and setting of King of the Hill through character-based modes and themed objectives.
Monster League Hockey (Jake Danzig and Killdozer Studios)
A sports-meets-monsters concept where hockey gameplay is fused with over-the-top fantasy characters and fast-paced scoring in a head to head battle setting.
Monsters Inc (Ernie Silverberg)
A family-friendly homebrew based on the Pixar film, Monsters Inc, focusing on character interactions and playful, story-driven modes. Features the first ever magna-ramp seen in pinball where the ball travels on the bottom of the ramp!
Pinball in Wonderland (Cayman Kai)
A custom homebrew pinball built in a Street Fighter pinball cabinet that brings the whimsical Alice in Wonderland story into a fully playable table with original design and code. Featuring a beautiful stained glass design for the playfield.
Pokemon Pinball (Owen & Luke Underwood)
A widebody custom pinball machine Pokémon-themed table built around catching creatures, evolving progress, and video-game-inspired progression systems- giving all the retro vibes any Pokemon fan would adore.
Space Balls (John Marsh)
A comedic sci-fi parody table inspired by Spaceballs, emphasizing humor, references, and chaotic multiball action. One of the first pinball machines ever made to include a LCD screen playing clips from the movie!
Tiki Tapu (Nate Lembcke aka ManBearPig)
A tropical adventure-themed pinball using Cobrapin hardware featuring island aesthetics, exploration-style objectives, and vibrant artwork that evolved from inspiration from a rethemed Cheetah Virtual Pinball table.
Top Gun (Brad Holliday from Hot Rod Pinball)
A high-speed aviation-themed game inspired by the film, Top Gun, built around missions, dogfights, and fast ramp shots-paying respects to the service men and women. The first of many to come from Hot Rod Pinball quickly became a crowd favorite at this year's Texas Pinball Festival.
Turbo Time (Nicklaus Morand aka MooglyMoog)
A video game-inspired racing pinball concept centered on speed, progression, and arcade-style challenges. Featuring a HEMI engine, steering wheel from Atari Road Blasters, and a need for speed made for and by the ultimate motor heads.
What Is Homebrew Pinball?
Homebrew pinball refers to fully custom pinball machines created by independent designers rather than major manufacturers.
These games often feature:
Original themes and artwork
Custom code and rulesets
One-of-a-kind mechanical features
Experimental gameplay concepts
Events like Texas Pinball Festival are one of the best places to experience these machines and connect with the creators behind them.
Featured Pinball Creators
We collaborated with an incredible group of creators helping showcase the best of homebrew pinball at Texas Pinball Festival 2026. Explore their channels below to dive deeper into gameplay, interviews, and behind-the-scenes content.
Manu Smith (Mystery Pinball Theater 3000 / Free Gold Watch)
Watch on YouTube (Mystery Pinball Theater 3000): [HYPERLINK]
Follow on Twitch: [HYPERLINK]
Connect on Facebook: [HYPERLINK]
A staple of the Bay Area pinball scene, Manu blends virtual and physical pinball streaming with a strong community focus rooted in Free Gold Watch.
Erika’s Pinball Journey
Watch on YouTube (Erika’s Pinball Journey): https://www.youtube.com/@erikaspinballjourney
Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@erikaspinballjourney
Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erikaspinballjourney
Erika brings a storytelling lens to pinball, capturing gameplay, travel, and behind-the-scenes access across the industry.
Fliptronic (Jordan Berger & Rebecca Salam)
Watch on YouTube (Fliptronics):https://www.youtube.com/@fliptronicatx6793
Follow on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/fliptronic
Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FliptronicATX
Austin-based duo Jordan and Rebecca create fun, engaging pinball content, known for excellent tournament livestreams and commentary, approachable game walkthroughs, and community-driven coverage.
Retro Ralph
Watch on YouTube (Retro Ralph): https://www.youtube.com/RetroRalph
Connect on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/RetroRalphLLC
Retro Ralph covers arcade and pinball culture with a focus on collecting, restoration, and nostalgia-driven content.
Dirty Pool Pinball
Watch on YouTube (Dirty Pool Pinball): https://www.youtube.com/@dirtypoolpinball
Follow on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/dirtypoolpinball
Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572306249356
A livestream and podcast platform from a sound designer’s perspective, focused on interviews, industry conversations, and community storytelling.
Explore the Dirty Pool Pinball Free Homebrew Sound Effects Kit:
👉 https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts-blog/dpp-free-sfx
The JBS Show (Jamie Burchell)
Watch on YouTube (The JBS Show): https://www.youtube.com/@jamie_burchell
Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamie.burchell/
The JBS Show delivers long-form interviews and discussions with key voices across the pinball industry with your favorite pinball host, Jamie Burchell... and all his pinball his friends!
“How Do You Build a Homebrew Pinball Machine?”
Ready to start your own homebrew pinball machine?
We’re continuing to expand our dedicated Homebrew Pinball Parts & Supplies section with tools, components, and resources designed specifically for builders at every level.
👉 Shop Homebrew Pinball Parts & Supplies
Whether you're prototyping your first playfield or refining a full custom build, you'll find the parts and inspiration you need to bring your game to life.
Homebrew Loot Crates & Builder Resources
Looking for a curated way to get started?
Check out our Homebrew Loot Crates, built to help creators quickly source essential parts and components for their builds.
👉 Read more about Homebrew Loot Crates
Powered by the Homebrew Community
This project wouldn’t be possible without the support of partners helping push the homebrew movement forward.
Special thanks to:
These companies continue to provide tools, technology, and support that make building custom pinball machines more accessible than ever.
What’s Next
We’re just getting started.
Keep an eye out for Dirty Pool Pinball’s FREE Homebrew Callouts Library, recorded live at Texas Pinball Festival and coming soon.
Final Thoughts
The homebrew pinball community continues to push the boundaries of what pinball can be—and Texas Pinball Festival 2026 proves that innovation in this space is stronger than ever.
Dive into the livestreams, get inspired, and start building.