As you get playing pinball, you will undoubtedly begin racking up some impressive high scores, maybe claiming the coveted Grand Champion ranking on the game. Generally, a pinball machine will remember the highest scores even if it is switched off for a length of time (as long as its internal memory batteries last for) but it is very easy to reset a pinball machine high score in the machine’s internal menus if you want to.
Note: The following guide only covers Williams, Bally, SEGA and STERN Pinball machines. If you have a Data East or Gottlieb pinball machine, then it is best to contact us for further help.
How to reset the high scores on a Bally or Williams pinball machine
To reset your pinball machine high score on your Bally or Williams pinball machine, then access the service menu using the service switches. You can learn how to access and navigate the menus in our guide to navigating a pinball menu here.
The option to reset the high score can be found in the utilities menu under the option “Reset H.S.T.D Table” (HSTD standing for Highest Score To Date). Resetting the HSTD table will clear out all player achieved high scores, and will instead reinstate the factory default ones. Once the table is cleared, exit back out of the menu and back to regular operating mode where you will see the high scores have been reset.
How to reset the high scores on a STERN pinball machine
Resetting the high score on a STERN pinball machine is much like resetting on a Bally or Williams pinball machine, but splits the high score table into two parts, which can be reset independently. This allows you to just clear either the grand champion’s high score (the highest overall high score) or the general high score table (the top scores beneath the grand champion’s). Much like the Bally and Williams machines, you can exit out of the menu when you’re done.
