We’ve been eagerly anticipating the release of a few different racing games that made their debut at Amusement Expo 2026, but due to various external circumstances, all of them have been delayed. That said, the first of the three, Disney Speedstorm Arcade by Adrenaline Amusements, is now available and shipping to locations who placed an order for them, so let’s check it out.
Disney Speedstorm Arcade
For a quick recap (given that it’s been a few months since we last talked about it), Disney Speedstorm Arcade was one of the few surprises that was at Amusement Expo, with no teases or hints about it at all prior to the event. As is common with new titles from Adrenaline, it was just suddenly there, albeit in a prototype format with changes said to be imminent for the release version. Those changes have indeed now come, mainly with one major aspect concerning how the game will work on the behind-the-scenes operations side, though most other parts (e.g. the game software, based on the original Gameloft title for all home platforms) remain much the same from what they were at that show.
Starting with the immediate impression of the piece for those who may have not seen it before, the game cabinet comes with a huge 75″ vertically-oriented screen, a 5.1ch sound system, a motion seat, and a card dispenser + reader. The placement of that last one has changed compared to the beta cabinets, although there is a bigger difference pertaining to the cards that has been made.
The big change is that they will allow operators to run the game as a cardless game, if they so choose. This would make all of the characters available on the machine, working better for routed locations so that the operator doesn’t have to constantly be going and refilling the machine with fresh cards. Granted, I don’t know how many FEC pieces like this are routed these days, but I still like that option, as it also works for locations who don’t want to be dealing with such a system. They become a huge hassle if you run out of cards and the game refuses to work, and you have to wait for more to arrive (sure, you should ideally order enough, but sometimes you may have other things on your plate).
Of course, if it means the game makes more money, then I’m sure operators will lean in that direction, but it’s still nice to have the option. If you do have the cards on, then the user has the option to buy a card (i.e., extra spend at the machine, which can mean those better earnings), or by completing a full cup (three races), then the game will give you one.
The other details haven’t changed; there are still three cups with three tracks each making for a total of nine, and operators can link up to four of these at once. I haven’t been able to confirm how many cards are available at first, but in asking one distributor about the price, they are “around $21k USD” per unit. Pricing will vary, depending on your distributor, but likely in that neighborhood.
I’d be surprised if you had already, but have you seen this out there yet and played it? What did you think of Disney Speedstorm Arcade if so?
Discover more from Arcade Heroes
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Leave a Reply