Nova Pinball brings the feel of a real arcade machine to your browser — no app store, no download, no plugin. Every flipper shot uses genuine contact-point physics: hold a flipper to cradle a slow-rolling ball, or time a release for a full-power smash shot up a ramp, exactly like a coin-op cabinet's solenoid-driven arm. Under the hood, the ball is simulated at a fixed 60Hz timestep with three physics sub-steps per frame, so fast shots never tunnel through a rail or a flipper tip — the single most common flaw in browser pinball clones.
Start on Neon Voyager, a deep-space table with a wormhole kickout hole and a comet-loop orbit shot. Rack up 50,000 lifetime points and Retro Arcade unlocks — a tighter, faster synthwave table built around rapid-fire bumper combos. Reach 150,000 and Deep Sea opens up, the hardest of the free tables, guarded by a spinning current and an angler-lure gauntlet in front of the Kraken's Maw. Each table runs its own multi-stage mission with an escalating jackpot, plus classic pinball staples: slingshots, drop-target banks, rollover lanes, a spinner, and full 3-ball multiball.
Play with keyboard (arrow keys or Z/slash for flippers, space to plunge, N to nudge) or touch (tap either half of the screen, drag to pull the plunger). Your high scores and table progress save automatically in your browser — come back anytime and pick up where you left off.
| Action | Keyboard | Touch |
|---|---|---|
| Left flipper | ← or Z | Tap/hold left half of table area |
| Right flipper | → or / | Tap/hold right half of table area |
| Plunger | Space or ↓ held then released | Drag downward from the plunger lane, release to launch |
| Nudge | N | Tap the on-screen NUDGE button |
| Pause | Esc or P | Tap pause icon (top-right) |
Neon Voyager (free): "Wormhole Run" — light the Wormhole Gate targets, loop the Comet, then shoot the Wormhole for an escalating jackpot and Nova Multiball. Retro Arcade (50,000 lifetime pts): "High Score Chase" — clear the target bank, loop the Bonus Loop, and vault it, with a rapid-fire bumper-combo bonus layered on top. Deep Sea (150,000 lifetime pts): "Abyssal Hunt" — breach the Pressure Hull, ride the Riptide (orbit or ramp), then thread the Current spinner and land in Kraken's Maw within an 8-second window. Aurora Elite (Pro): "Borealis Gauntlet" — open the Aurora Gate, complete both orbits and both ramps, then ignite the Core for a 50,000-point jackpot and 4-ball Super Multiball.
Yes. Neon Voyager is free forever, and Retro Arcade and Deep Sea unlock permanently by reaching lifetime score milestones (50,000 and 150,000 points) — no payment required to reach any of the three main tables. A 4th table, Aurora Elite, is available as an optional one-time Pro unlock for players who want it immediately without the grind, plus it force-unlocks the other two instantly as a bonus.
Yes, fully. Tap the left or right half of the screen to fire the corresponding flipper, drag downward from the plunger lane to pull back and release the launcher, and tap the on-screen NUDGE button to nudge the table. No app install needed — it runs in any modern mobile browser.
Nudging the table (keyboard N or the touch NUDGE button) helps guide a ball that's about to drain, but nudging too often too quickly builds up a tilt meter. You get two warnings; a third rapid nudge tilts the table, disabling your flippers for the rest of that ball. Space your nudges out and you'll rarely tilt by accident.
Each table has its own multi-step mission (shown in the strip above the playfield). Complete every step and shoot the table's kickout hole to trigger multiball — 3 balls in play at once (4 on the Pro-exclusive Aurora Elite table's Super Multiball), with jet bumpers scoring double and a re-lightable jackpot at the kickout hole.
Yes — high scores, lifetime score, and table unlocks are saved automatically to your browser's local storage. They'll persist across visits on the same device and browser, but won't sync across devices (there's no account system).
High scores and progress are stored locally in your browser (localStorage) and are not uploaded to a server or shared publicly. Clearing your browser data will reset your progress. Nova Pinball is a game of skill for entertainment purposes only — no real-money wagering, prizes, or purchases are required to play any of the three main tables.
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