World’s Smallest Arcade Machine Officially Recognized by Guinness
Kiran Patil’s playable, 0.98-inch-tall Space Invaders arcade cabinet is the world's smallest, officially setting the Guinness World Record.
If you have been involved in the maker community for any length of time, then you have surely seen plenty of “world’s smallest”-type claims about personal projects. Some of them may be true, but most are little more than wishful thinking. Kiran Patil has made what he calls the world’s smallest arcade game, however in this case, he has the receipts to back it up. His 0.98-inch tall, playable arcade cabinet has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the real deal.
The 24-year-old aerospace engineer from Bangalore, India, has been fascinated with electronics since childhood, with a particular passion for microelectronics — the art of building extremely small but functional electronic systems. Over the years, he has experimented with microcontrollers and displays, steadily sharpening the skills that would eventually allow him to shrink an arcade cabinet down to dimensions smaller than an AA battery.
The idea first struck several years ago when Patil discovered the existing record for the smallest arcade machine. An early prototype followed, though he describes it as rudimentary. University coursework and work commitments forced the project onto the back burner for a time, but in the summer of 2025 he revived the effort with renewed focus — particularly on refining the software needed to make the miniature system truly playable.
The finished machine measures just 24.85 mm tall, 15.25 mm long, and 15.1 mm wide. Despite its size, it features four tactile buttons and runs an emulated version of the arcade classic Space Invaders.
Now the only question remaining is: Who will shrink it down to an even smaller size? Surely there is another millimeter here or there that could be shaved off the case, right? If you try for a new record, be sure to let us know!