Right now I think the best value is buying tables on your phone or preferred gaming device. Played some on a friend’s Switch and while not the same as the real thing, it was fun. I do agree with Guardians though. Its a fun game and doesnt seem to be super high in demand. I would say that some older SS Sterns and DE games are generally cheaper and a good value for the gameplay.

Buck a play on location is the best value by far.

Gottlieb System 1s are still undervalued.

Stern pro is still the best NIB value by far.
As far as used games go, the only really good values are early digital and EM games, but that doesn't help out noobs as they usually only have an appetite for $10K games.

The sounds are atrocious. Some of the worst in pinball and thus the “value” pricing. You’ll be begging someone to take them

I would say Dialed In. DI is one of the most loaded games in pinball yet it's resale value hasn't increased as much compared to other newer pins. The game is a blast to play but I think it's theme have prevented prices from increasing as heavily as with some other titles. The other week I hesitantly sold (just wanted something different) my low play and modded Dialed In LE for $8,500. It's crazy to think that Stern will soon be selling premiums for almost $9k, some of which have half the number of features / toys compared to DI.

Breakshot is one of the cheapest DMDs, and I think it's a great game

I love those charming old "bleep-bloop" sounds! It's always fun to try to hit enough shots sufficiently quickly to trigger a continuous stream of those 70s robot sounds, no easy feat in floaty WB games like Genie! Sure they are "atrocious" by today's standards, but those early transitional digital games have a certain kind of "retro" appeal that is lacking in other generations of machines, and the cheesy sounds are a big part of that.

No one "needs" to own a pin. Even worse if you have one then you feel like you need 2-3 so you have balance and there's both time and cost to consider there. (dont look at my collection, this isnt about me).
So playing on location seems like the best "value" but past that, if you can get a Deadpool, AIQ, JP, GOTG pro for under $6k I feel like that's a nice win.

Demolition man has a lot of bang for the buck. Anything by Capcom, besides Big Bang Bar, can generally still be had for a reasonable price relative to the build quality and fun.

location, location, location. I am out of purchasing game unless things tank.

Almost all System 11 games are great and you can still pick them up for a fair price (although prices have been increasing on those also).

The differences between pros and premiums almost always seem like some huge deal upon reveal, and almost always seem like not a big deal at all once you've played both of them a bunch.

And if you are "budget conscious" like you seem to be, it really seems like a no-brainer. Why spend $2,000 more on a game just to get some trinkets and gimmicks?

Fact is if you are looking for "value" games you are about five years late.

Sorry.

I have purchased all these for $1000 or less except for Taxi. There are still some good deals out there. It is really about timing.

EMs for sure. Lots of nicely restored EM games in the $900-1700 range if you look around. Also less popular SS games, usually pre-DMD. For modern stuff, all three American Pinballs are good values. Relatively speaking, of course. $5000-6500 is still a lot of money.

I always liked early Stern dmd games from the 2000's and early 2010's. A lot of these games would be considered premium in todays market with deep code.

Data East:
Last Action Hero
Maverick
Star Trek
Laser War
Gottilieb
Wipeout (Saw one not sell at York for 1500 with DMD)
Sure Shot (just saw one with a nice playfield go for $500 at York)
Royal Flush
El Dorado
Cactus Jacks
Bally/Williams
NBA Fastbreak
Roadshow
Demolition Man
World Cup Soccer
Star Trek The Next Generation
Stern
Star Trek
Roller Coaster Tycoon
JJP
Dialed In
Flight 2000
Meteor

Full throttle

And no I’m not joking. One for sale at 4K!!

Dialed in as well

Agreed --- stern pros have always been the best values, even better a used, non-hot, title. I'd say used Star Trek Pros are pretty good values to be specific. For whatever reason they sell for less than most older pros and it really is a good Steve Ritchie game. It's crazy to me to see how the same people that decry the price increases will also convince themselves that they "need" premium features even on a game like Star Trek where the pinball experience is 99.8 percent the same. This has kept the price of Star Trek Pros down and you can find them in the low 4k area sometimes -- not bad for a "top 20" game.

Absolutely. Folks I’ve invited over to play my all-EM lineup have gone away surprised at how much fun they are to play. The enjoyment-to-price ratio is huge!

What? Most TNGs are pushing over 5k these days. That's not a good value, it's a joke.

The joke will be when a mech breaks and there's no replacement parts to be had.

No, WCS or STTNG at $4-5K are not good values. You'd be better off getting the used Stern pros at $500 or so more.

You seem to know what you want so why are you asking us? Opinions around here are usually useless, everybody has a tribal instinct to defend/pump whatever it is they own, and attack whatever they don't own/want.

THere's about 3,000 "what are some underrated game/what are some good value game" threads here, so most of those will still apply if you are looking for lots of different opinions. The prices have changed but for the most part the perceived disparity in value remains the same every time the question is asked.

Properly shopped EM's with a good backglass and playfield for about $700 are better, IMO, than system 1's. Once they are dialed in, they will generally be more reliable than most early solid state games.

I also think Space Shuttles and also some system 80 games are under valued.

I think of value in terms of Mileage and condition.

So many Great Stern Pros that sold for $4k that may be up to $5K ish today, will have low plays and
Great care.

If you arent skilled at repair, another game can keep you busy, instead of playing.

Enjoy any of those choices, +/- a few hundred, and when you are tired, sell or swap for another.

Worst case if you do reasonable, is a 10% loss to play and enjoy.
However with every game going up, breaking even, or even a gain, is the norm.

I didn’t notice that much hesitation when you sold it to me.

Cracks Knuckles,

Star Trek; The Next Generation is a fantastic bang for your buck. It is a widebody (extra shots). It has, a wizard mode, 11 regular modes, 2 video modes, 3 multiballs, a 6 ball multiball, multiple custom sculps, a ship that shoots the ball back at you, 2 rotating ball launchers, full assets from the show to include custom callouts from the entire cast and high quality DCS recordings of the show soundtrack. It was made by the greatest pinball designer at the height of his career. I have it at home next to a Rick and Morty, Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, Torpedo Alley, and Sorcerer. I still play ST:TNG more than the other pins, even though I’ve had it the longest by far.

We all have our favorites, and ST:TNG is a theme I love with great callouts by my favorite designer. It is mechanically complex, hard to shop, and the cannons pretty much all need new looms, but mine is my only pin bolted to the floor.

Yes it’s a lovely game. It’s a poor value at today’s inflated prices. Back when they were 1800 Bucks yeah they were a steal. Even with the constant maintenance headaches.

It's not even that hard to shop out and keep running. On location, maybe. At home? Please. If my dumbass was able to fully tear down two separate STTNGs, get them bulletproof, and make thousands of dollars of profit when I sold them... I'm pretty sure that the issue is people not taking their time to do things properly, NOT with how STTNG is designed. The one flaw is that stupid tieback diode.

Aside from that? Mechanically, the game is a work of art. Code wise......it's kind of a turd, which is why I've sold it twice.

Apart from location play, best values in pinball are usually private deals, offline between friends with buyback dibs and handshakes. Lots of great deals between friends.

I think any high production, late seventies, early to mid eighties solid state pin is still potentially a great value: Firepower, Mata Hari, Flash, Playboy, Gorgar...there are some cool EMs out there with a "bang for the buck" flavor. Maybe some pins like Firepower 2, Blackout, Alien Poker, Laser Cue, Jungle Lord, Count Down...maybe some stuff that would be considered a "donor machine" like the Bally Star Trek, Black Pyramid, Kings of Steel. Stuff like that.

My favorite era and they still hold up. Low maintenance. Highly entertaining and any level of skill can play them. My 5 year old always wants to play Ballys. For me theyre a good value as well.

But of course, if were talking classic solid states at around $5-6k or more, then you start to compare and contrast between SS and Stern Pros.

For the most part i think Stern Pros are a great value. Even though at that price range is when i also start to consider rarity as a factor if there is something im ever looking to buy.

I don't buy into the premise of your question that certain games are a good value. In general a Stern pro may be a good value but you never know what you are going to get or how your playfield will look after 1000 plays. I also have much different taste in titles than you do so that part of the question is useless.

The answer to your question is build a network of pinball friends, always be on the hunt, gently bring it up in conversation with people you meet because almost everyone knows someone with a pinball machine stashed somewhere. The real value game then becomes the one you find a good deal on.

If you hunt for certain "value" titles you will quite likely end up overpaying.

Your favorite, Taxi, is a relative steal at $2700-2900 if you compare it's more popular System 11 brother, Whirlwind, which is hovering around 5K these days. Still, if you remember what Taxi sold for just a few short ago, then it too is ridiculously priced.

Thats how I feel about certain machines from the 80s. I love them and know there are fewer in the wild compared to machines from the last 10 years.

EBDLE and Centaur 2.

Two of the best SS games that can be had a lot cheaper than EBD or Centaur in the more appreciated cabinets.

Yes to all these titles. Get a firepower tuned up and crank up the back legs and you have something that can keep you on your toes more than most newer games.

My friend has a BLY Playboy and plays it every day for years and counting.

Used to own a count down and would love another one

Gottlieb System 1s are still undervalued.

Sinbad has a Pinside average of 900
Solar Ride at 800
Genie at 1200
Totem 1000
In this market probably 10 to 20% more.
They are fun to play, will go up in value, they have the Pascal All in One available to replace aging electronics.