Ahhh, Japan. The land of plentiful crane games (sometimes referred to as UFO catchers or claw machine). We can never resist stopping in an arcade. This trip, we won 10 plushies! You can watch some of our wins on our Instagram Stories. Now, we want to share with YOU our tips and tricks on how to win a cute plushie! Anyone can use these tips and tricks, you don’t need to be a crane game master to win!
TIPS AND TRICKS
- Look to see if anyone else is winning anything. Notice that the arcade is busy but no one has any prizes in their hands? Move onto the next arcade. Our favorite arcade is RoundOne and Taito. Some people like SEGA as well. We’ve found that the small independently run arcades have the worst chances of winning and we advise you stay away from those.
- Watch other people play. Learn what others do to win a plushie and copy their moves. If someone plays a machine but the claw doesn’t move the plushie at all, you know it’s a weak claw and not worth playing.
- We love 3 pronged claw machines because we find them the easiest. Ideally this claw would pick up the whole plushie and lift it up. Each time the prize drops, it should be closer and closer to the prize chute. Your final move is usually flipping it over into the prize chute. If the claw doesn’t even lift up the prize, abandon the machine.
- The closer to the chute you are, the better your chance of winning. This is a general rule but if you come across a machine like the Donald Duck cushion above, you should try playing it.
- Not all strategies are the same. The Chip plushie above is hoisted by two pillars. The way to win this is to use the claws to push/hook/prod the plushie into the chute. We found these games extremely hard and would not recommend for beginners.
- Be ready to walk away. Your prize might seem very close but if you keep putting your 100 yen into the machine with no results, walk away. These plushies aren’t worth more than 2000 yen on their best day.
CONCLUSION
Good luck on winning your favorite plushies! We hope these crane game tips and tricks will help you. If you have any tips of your own, please leave us a comment! We’d love to see what you have to share.
