May brought a broad mix of new arcade venues, relocations and family entertainment centres across North America, Europe, Asia and beyond. This edition of Location Watch focuses on openings reported during the month, alongside selected expansion and closure news.
Coverage is necessarily limited to venues that become known through operators, readers and industry publications including RePlay Magazine and InterGame Online. April was relatively quiet, while preparation for EVO Japan and AAA delayed this roundup.
Earlier 2025 editions covered Japan, February and March. The latest openings are grouped by region below.
North America
Gamecenter Arcade — Kent, Washington
100 Yen Life, a supplier familiar from US arcade conventions, has opened its first permanent freeplay, admission-based venue. Gamecenter Arcade has a strong Japanese import character, with candy cabinets and rhythm games forming the centre of its collection. The straightforward name may not win prizes for originality, but the independent venue adds another destination for Japanese arcade enthusiasts.
Anastasia Island’s Arcade Museum — St Augustine, Florida
After closing in November last year, Anastasia Island’s Arcade Museum has moved into a larger venue. The new site can also serve food and drinks, while the museum’s collection includes more than 80 games. Its focus remains classic arcade and electromechanical machines from the 1960s and 1970s, although pinball is represented by several newer Stern machines. More details are available here, with updates also appearing on the venue’s Facebook page.
The Arcade On Detroit — Lakewood, Ohio
This new arcade bar combines classic and modern arcade games with pinball, Skee-Ball, billiards, shuffleboard and foosball. Food and drinks are part of the offer. Public photos clearly show a newer Texas Chainsaw Massacre pinball machine and a crane, although they do not reveal many other modern video games.
Game On — Eureka, California
Game On is primarily a new laser-tag venue, but its services also mention an arcade area. Available imagery provides the clearest evidence of the games included, and the name suggests that arcade entertainment may be a meaningful part of the visitor experience rather than merely a waiting-area extra.
Play Money Pinball Arcade Bar #2 — Fort Pierce, Florida
Play Money has opened its second Florida location. The pinball-led bar includes rows of machines, video games and several 2010s videmption titles, including Monopoly and Fruit Ninja FX. The operator shares updates through its Facebook page.
PixelJoy — Coralville, Iowa
PixelJoy is a mall-based arcade chain making its first appearance in this series. Cranes and redemption attractions dominate the initial layout, supported by Dead Heat, Transformers: Human Alliance DX and Winter X Games Snocross. A Pac-Man air-hockey table occupies the centre, while substantial spare floor space leaves room for future additions if the opening mix performs well.
GameStar Arcade — Durland, Illinois
Near the Wisconsin border, GameStar Arcade has opened with an entertainment-centre-style mix of video games, redemption, cranes and slots. The venue also offers a golf simulator, food and drinks. Its video selection leans heavily towards Raw Thrills, with Godzilla Kaiju Wars VR standing out as a now-widespread attraction. The venue’s arcade page provides further information.
Level Up by Bandai Namco — Anaheim, California
Bandai Namco’s US arcade operations were sold several years ago, but the company continues experimenting with location-based entertainment. Its Level Up format began last year at BMO Stadium and has now reached the Angels Stadium in Anaheim.
The venue features a large Pac-Man statue, Gashapon machines and several Pac-Man attractions: Pac-Man Battle Royale Chompionship DX, multiple Pac-Man’s Pixel Bash cabinets and World’s Largest Pac-Man. The Pac-Man Street Series is notably absent, possibly because its balls and pucks require closer supervision.
Other North American openings and updates
- Dave & Buster’s opened in Freehold, New Jersey, with an especially strong new-game package.
- Dave & Buster’s also opened in Ala Moana, Hawaii, and Lansing, Michigan. The Lansing report predates the installation of Hot Wheels Victory Lap.
- Elev8 Fun opened its third location in Jensen Beach, Florida.
- Infinity Fun opened in Watertown, South Dakota, while Surge Entertainment opened its sixth venue in Metairie, Louisiana.
- Gemu Arcade opened in Detroit with an interactive playground and a crane-focused “clawcade”, rather than a traditional video-game room.
- Bowlero Queens officially became Lucky Strike Queens.
- Velocity Esports filed for bankruptcy after closing its Schaumburg location. Both sites had previously been Gameworks venues that closed in late 2021.
Europe
Sega Prize Zone — Wolverhampton, England
Sega Prize Zone venues continue to appear inside Superbowl UK locations. Wolverhampton is notable because the city previously had a Sega World arcade at a bowling venue that no longer exists. That earlier site was known for attractions including the R360 and eight-player Daytona.
The new venue is more redemption-focused and has few shooting games, with Men In Black the possible exception. It does, however, place several bright new Apex Rebels cabinets near the entrance.
Continue Arcades #2 — Taunton, England
Continue Arcades opened its second freeplay venue in Taunton only days after the previous March roundup. The chain began in Plymouth last year and remains concentrated in south-west England. The new site offers a modern attraction mix that includes another Lethal Lawns from LAI.
Gamestate — Berlin, Germany, and Nordborg, Denmark
Gamestate is expanding ahead of the planned summer reopening of the historic Circus Vandoort venue in Zandvoort. Berlin is now home to the chain’s largest location, while the smaller Nordborg venue is its first in Denmark and part of a new partnership with Center Parcs. Access to the Danish site is limited to Center Parcs guests.
The Nordborg lineup includes Super Bikes 3, Bigfoot Crush, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games 2020, redemption attractions and an American Pinball Legends of Valhalla machine.
Playtopia Arcade — Paphos, Cyprus
Playtopia quietly opened in Paphos during the month, with information supplied by a visiting arcade enthusiast. The venue may not yet have its complete game list, which would explain the relatively small opening selection. Current machines include late-2000s titles such as Sega Rally 3, Deadstorm Pirates and Harley-Davidson: King of the Road.
Other European developments
- The Light opened a new Huddersfield venue with another Sega Amusements-equipped arcade, including House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn, Let’s Go Island and Apex.
- Bandai Namco Amusement Europe launched its Arcade Allies series with The Pavilion in Bromley.
- Genda opened its first two European GiGO mini locations in London. These sites focus on cranes.
- Freeplay Gaming Arcade announced the closure of its Portland, UK venue after less than six months.
The Portland closure is a reminder that a freeplay arcade needs more than a collection of machines. A venue should launch with a substantial enough game count, offer complementary attractions such as food, sport or PC gaming, and consider charging separately for equipment such as pinball and Skee-Ball. Location, foot traffic and the willingness to adjust the business model also matter.
Asia, the Middle East and Oceania
Exbar Tokyo Plus — Akihabara, Japan
Taito has opened another Exbar arcade bar beside its Taito Station at Akihabara Station. It is the brand’s third venue, following locations in Shinjuku and Canal City Hakata. The emphasis is on the bar and merchandise shop, with a relatively small game selection that includes Ice Cold Beer, Super Mario Bros Mushroom World pinball and Sega Japan’s Dartslive units.
GiGO — Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Tokyo, Japan
GiGO’s Asian venues continue to receive more expansive treatment than its new European mini locations. A renewed Tokyo site and a new Vietnamese location include more than cranes. The Vietnam venue features Taiko and Wacky Gators kiddie rides outside, plus maimai DX and Pump It Up in a neon-lit rhythm-game area.
Other regional developments
- Nakano TRF, a renowned fighting-game arcade, closed but is expected to reopen. The venue had recently received exA-Arcadia units for testing new games.
- Dave & Buster’s has begun planning an expansion into the Philippines, a market already served by numerous Timezone venues.
- FunXtreme is opening a family entertainment centre in Kolkata, India.
- REBOUND has arrived in Bangalore, while Masti Zone has opened a large venue in Noida.
Coming soon
- Pirates Cove FEC is planned for Havre de Grace, Maryland, in July.
- Field Day is planned for Huntsville, Alabama.
- Astro Fun World is expected to open in Battle Creek, Michigan, during summer.
- Main Event is planned for Taylor, Michigan, in August.
- Score Entertainment is converting more Sears locations into family entertainment centres in Texas.
- Another Main Event is planned for Mesquite, Texas, although no date has been given. Mesquite previously attempted to ban Aladdin’s Castle around 1982, an issue that reached the Supreme Court.
- Cats Alley is scheduled to open in Decatur, Texas, in June.
- Round1USA is coming to Willowbrook Mall in Houston, Texas.
- Bowl Central’s third Reading, UK, venue is planned for summer.
- Alan-1 is preparing The Hangar in Tooele, Utah, as a public arcade. The building and collection require work, but a game list has been prepared to determine what stays.
New venues depend on visitors, not just online attention. If one of these locations is near you, consider visiting in person. For readers planning a home arcade, RETROCADE’s arcade machine buying guide covers the practical decisions involved, while our arcade blog follows the wider industry.
Whether the goal is a full-size upright arcade, a compact bartop cabinet or a dedicated racing arcade, the same principle applies: thoughtful equipment choices and sustainable operation give arcade businesses their best chance of lasting.
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