Meet engineer who built world's smallest arcade machine
Kiran Patil, a 24-year-old aerospace engineer from Bengaluru, became the Guinness World Records title holder on 20 July 2025 for making the smallest arcade machine ever.
This mini console is only about 25mm tall—basically smaller than an AA battery—but it can run an emulated version of the classic arcade game Space Invaders with real buttons.
Patil started this project during the COVID-19 lockdowns
Patil started this project during the COVID-19 lockdowns but had to pause for school and work.
He picked it up again in 2025, carefully picking out the tiniest parts to pursue the Guinness World Records title.
He also built world's smallest working drill in 2019
Back in 2019, while at Manipal Institute of Technology, Patil also built the world's smallest working drill—just over 6mm long—proving he's got serious microengineering skills.
Retro games on something smaller than your thumb!
Patil's achievement shows how far tech has come—you can now play retro games on something smaller than your thumb!
It highlights what creative engineering and miniaturization can do, opening up cool possibilities for future gadgets.