The 10 Best Arcade Basketball Games

Families who want the bar-game feel at home should start with the Pop-A-Shot Home Dual Shot, from the brand whose name most people use for the whole game. Infrared sensors count each basket, so a swish and a rim-rattler both score. The backboard sits at three heights for kids, teens and adults, and there are 16 games to pick from. It folds up and rolls on wheels. Open, it takes a long stretch of floor, and setup needs a helper.

The Pop-A-Shot Dual Shot Sport keeps the brand's two hoops and long ramp at a lower price. It folds unusually flat for this kind of machine, so it can stand against a garage wall or slip into a closet corner. Mechanical paddles behind each rim count the baskets, and the scoreboard offers ten games with music and sound effects. The catch is that paddles can miss a soft shot, and the maker's warranty lasts six months.

Short on storage space? The Hall of Games EZ Fold folds to under two feet deep and rolls on wheels, so it can live behind a door between games. It comes from the factory that built the ESPN-branded version, with a steel frame, a printed court on the ramp and a full set of balls. Paddle sensors keep score across eight games. It runs on AA batteries only, with no plug option, and the seller doesn't spell out a warranty.

Brothers and sisters of different ages can play side by side on the Lifetime Double Shot Deluxe, because each hoop sets its own height. Infrared sensors count the shots, a scoreboard mounted on top shows both players' totals, and it plugs into the wall instead of eating batteries. There are 12 games. It's a big, heavy frame, so plan where it will live before you build it, and the warranty covers only 90 days.

For a garage, porch or damp basement, the Pop-A-Shot Indoor/Outdoor Dual Shot swaps in parts made for rougher conditions: a sun-resistant ramp, a plexiglass backboard and water-resistant electronics. It keeps the brand's 16 games, runs on AA batteries and folds onto wheels. The maker publishes no weather rating, so store it dry and covered. Some machines develop sensor or controller faults, and the backboard can wear under heavy daily play.

Two grown shooters get real elbow room on the Hathaway Shot Pro Deluxe, whose frame is wider than usual and built from thick steel tubing. A clear acrylic backboard and a rip-stop ramp round out the build, and the frame folds and locks with pins. Seven balls and a plug-in scoreboard with eight games come in the box. It's a younger design than the best-known names, so there's less owner history to judge it by.

A solo shooter with a narrow wall to spare can fit the Pop-A-Shot Home Single Shot, which is about as wide as an interior door. It keeps the brand's infrared scoring, runs from a plug or batteries, and folds onto wheels for storage. The maker backs it for a year. With one hoop, there's no side-by-side play and only six games, so friends take turns.

Teens and adults who have outgrown a standard machine can step back with the Hall of Games Xtra Long Shot. Its ramp is about a third longer than a regular one, so every shot travels farther. A rack under the front holds the balls between rounds, paddle sensors count the baskets, and the scoreboard runs ten games for several players. It needs a long room with a high ceiling, and the design has little owner history so far.

Escalade Sports, the company behind a long line of rec-room games, sells the Triumph Playmaker Double Shootout as a lighter, lower-cost machine. Its frame clicks together with few tools, and it carries a one-year limited warranty, which stands out in this price range. An electronic scorer runs a countdown clock and several games. Only four balls come with it, so a two-player race can leave someone waiting on the ramp.

Kids' birthday parties and casual family nights suit the Giantex Foldable Double Shot, which brings infrared scoring and eight games at an entry-level price. The frame is powder-coated iron with a wood-composite backboard, and it folds for storage. Build quality is the trade-off. Side nets can tear early and the electronics sometimes fail, so check every part as soon as it arrives. The scorer needs AA batteries, which aren't included.