Tournaments

Pinball Tournaments

Tournament requires show entry. Note that the show does not start until Saturday. All posted times are local.

Schedule (all times PDT)

Main

Friday, July 18 – Qualifying – 6PM to midnight (not mandatory)
Saturday, July 19 – Qualifying – 10AM to midnight
Sunday, July 20 – Finals – check in by 9:30AM

Women’s

Friday, July 18 – Qualifying – 6PM to midnight (not mandatory)
Saturday, July 19 – Qualifying – 10AM to 2PM
Saturday, July 19 – Finals – 2:15PM

Classics

Friday, July 18 – Qualifying – 6PM to midnight (not mandatory)
Saturday, July 19 – Qualifying – 10AM to 6PM
Saturday, July 19 – Finals – 6:15PM

Youth

Ages 12 and under can participate in the Main qualifying events. Prizes will be awarded to the top three in qualifiers. See more details under the Main Qualifying section.

Location

Main will be located in the Cypress room at the top of the escalator. Women’s and Classics in the Napa room on the first floor, past the escalators.

Stream

Finals for all tournaments will be streamed at https://www.twitch.tv/dri374

Pre-registration

https://www.neverdrains.com/cax2025/playerIndex.php?disp=preReg

Not required but will make check-in/buying entries easier.

Standings

Matchplay event listing: http://matchplay.live/cax2025
DTM: https://www.neverdrains.com/cax2025/playerIndex.php

Format

Qualifying

Main

Main division will be card based. Cards are a collection of scores containing a total of 5 scores from unique machines. At any point during play or immediately after play has been completed, the player may elect to abandon their card by notifying the scorekeeper that they wish to void. This will void all of the scores recorded on the card, and the card will not be entered into the scoring system No money will be refunded, but the player has no further obligation to complete the previously in-progress card and is free to purchase/play additional cards if they wish. Only one card may be opened at any time.

Each player’s best score on a machine will receive a point value based on its rank compared to all other recorded scores. The top score earns 200 points, second place earns 197 points, third place earns 195 points and fourth and beyond earn one less point per position, i.e. 194 points down through 1 point. A player’s overall score for a card is the sum of their five ranked machine scores.

After totaling scores, the top 24 will be in the playoffs. The top 8 players will receive a bye. The next 16 players ranked outside of the IFPA top 1000 will go to B playoffs. Players with byes do not have to check in at the start of playoffs. They just need to be there when their round starts. In the event that they are not there when their round starts they will lose any game or order selection and absence rules will be applied if they are not there in time for their game.

Youth

The top youth (ages 12 and under) in the main qualifying will receive a trophy. There will be prizes for the top 3 in qualifying for this division. No playoffs for this division. Please make sure to tell them if you are eligible for youth division.

Women’s

Women’s qualifying will be unlimited, best game format.  Players can play as many entries as they want in an effort to put up the best scores on a bank of games. The top score earns 200 points, second place earns 197 points, third place earns 195 points and fourth and beyond earn one less point per position. Each player’s top 4 (subject to change) scores will count out of a bank of ~6 games. Top 8 to playoffs.

Classics

Classics qualifying will be unlimited, best game format.  Players can play as many entries as they want in an effort to put up the best scores on a bank of games. The top score earns 200 points, second place earns 197 points, third place earns 195 points and fourth and beyond earn one less point per position. Each player’s top 4 (subject to change) scores will count out of a bank of ~6 games. Top 16 to playoffs.

Cost

Cash only. Exact change appreciated. Unplayed entries will not be refunded. Please plan accordingly.

Main

One card for $15. Five cards for $60. 

Women’s/Classics

$5 for 2 entries. $10 for 5 entries. 1 entry = 1 game. Entries can be used in either division.

Scorekeeping/Volunteers

We need volunteers to help with scorekeeping.  Volunteers will receive $15 worth of credit for each hour. To sign up for scorekeeping, add your name to the spreadsheet for the hours you’d like to scorekeep here.

Divisions

Players ranked outside of the IFPA top 1000 are eligible for the B Division in the main tournament.

Games

All subject to change

Main

  • ACDC (Premium)
  • Alienstar
  • Bond 60th
  • Can Crusher
  • Dimension
  • Dog Soccer
  • Excalibur
  • Foo Fighters (Pro)
  • Hoops
  • King Kong (Pro)
  • Rush (Premium)
  • Stern Trek (Pro)

Women’s

  • Deadpool (Pro)
  • Future Spa
  • Genesis
  • Jungle Queen
  • Pulp Fiction
  • Star Wars (Premium)

Classics

  • Evel Knievel
  • Grand Prix
  • High Hand
  • Mystic
  • Tag Team
  • Vulcan

TBD / Backups

  • Eight Ball
  • Ultraman

To Be Decided Division

Note: in the event that game(s) from main go down and are unavailable for finals, they may be replaced with games from the women’s or classics banks. Players will be given the option of 30 seconds of practice on any games that were not in the qualifying bank (as well as any games that have significant modifications after qualifying).

Tie-breaking

Ties which are not deemed “significant” will not be broken. Significant ties are those that determine whether a player makes playoffs or whether a player receives a bye. These ties will be broken by a 1-game playoff on a random game from the bank with order chosen randomly before playoffs begin on Sunday morning. In the event that this tiebreaking game is for multiple spots, it will only be used to determine who gets the spots and the insignificant tiebreaking rules will be used to determine seeding. Insignificant ties will be broken by first looking at each player’s best score in qualifying. If each player has the same best score, then the second best score will be used, and so forth as necessary. If each player has the same scores in qualifying then the tie will be randomly broken.

Playoffs

Finals will be PAPA style groups of four. Players will play three games (4-2-1-0 scoring). The two players with the highest scores after these games will move on to the next round (if it’s not the final round).

The highest seed will get first choice of game or position. Selection will then proceed by seedings in the group.

We will be using matchplay software for finals and all selections will be made at the start of a round (except the final round) to avoid blocking groups for one long playing game.

Games may not be chosen more than once by the same group in a round. In the event that a tie occurs that affects who advances (or occurs in the final round) a tie-breaking game shall occur. The highest seed gets first choice of game or position. Following selections are by seed. The tie-breaking game cannot be one that has already been played by the group in the round.

Main

For (at least) one out of the three games, the highest seed must not select game choice. The second highest seed is guaranteed at least one opportunity for game choice. Which game number this occurs on is at the discretion of the highest seed of the group. On games one or two, they may defer game selection to the second seed. If they have not deferred game choice by the third game, then they must do so.

Classics

The top seed will get game choice and position choice. For tiebreakers, a player is allowed to pick a game that was already played that round.

Prize Structure

All entry fees minus IFPA and trophy costs will be given out in prizes.

Main

3% to top qualifier

A:
1st: 21%
2nd: 13%
3rd: 8%
4th: 6%
5th – 8th: 3%
9th – 16th: 1.5%
17th – 24th: 1%

B:

1st: 4%
2nd: 3%
3rd: 2%
4th: 1%
5th – 8th: 0.75%
9th – 16th: 0.5%

Women’s

5% to top qualifier
1st: 33%
2nd: 21%
3rd: 12%
4th: 9%
5th – 8th: 5%

Classics

3% to top qualifier
1st: 30%
2nd: 20%
3rd: 10%
4th: 7%
5th – 8th: 3.5%
9th – 16th: 2%

Rules

The IFPA/PAPA ruleset will be used.

Additional notes:

  1. Any tie scores on a game will be broken by playing one additional ball on the same game for the tied players.

Video Arcade Tournaments

Alan-1 Missile Command: Grid Gauntlet Tournament

Saturday through Sunday at 2:30PM at the Alan-1 Booth

This high-stakes showdown will pit players against each other for the ultimate prize: a full-size Missile Command Recharged arcade cabinet—valued at over $6,000.

The tournament will be powered by the Major League eSports (MLeS) platform, a competitive leaderboard app that brings arcade eSports to life. Anyone attending California Extreme can join the competition by simply logging into the MLeS app and playing the Tournament Mode on the Missile Command: Recharged machine at the Alan-1 booth.

Participation is easy:

  1. Download the free MLeS app from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android).
  2. Create an account or log into your existing account.
  3. Link your account to the game by scanning the QR code that appears after pressing start on the arcade cabinet using the app.
  4. Play to win! Once you’re logged in and playing, your score will automatically be submitted to the live leaderboard.

Once you’ve logged in and played, your score is automatically submitted to the live leaderboard. The player with the highest score at the end of the show will take home a brand-new Missile Command Recharged arcade cabinet.

2nd & 3rd place contestants will be able to pick a part from Alan-1’s hardware from our catalog (joystick, retro controllers, MLeS gear, etc.).

“We’re excited to bring competitive arcade gaming to life at California Extreme,” said Luke Anderson, CGO at Alan-1. “This is a great opportunity for fans of retro games and competitive players to go head-to-head and win a machine that blends classic gameplay with modern design, following what we did last year with awarding an Asteroids Recharged machine at that event.”

For more details, see the Alan-1 Missile Command tournament page.

Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting

Saturday, July 19th

  • Sign up by the Street Fighter II arcade cabinets in the main ballroom starting at 11AM
  • Tournament starts at 2PM
  • Free entry
  • Registration on-site