December’s Location Watch rounds up recently opened arcades, barcades and family entertainment centres across North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Australia. The list arrives after the IAAPA trade show, with additional openings likely to follow in a second instalment.
These venues show the continuing variety of the modern arcade business: dedicated retro game rooms, pinball-focused bars, branded racing experiences and larger entertainment centres combining games with food, bowling or mini-golf. For Australian operators and enthusiasts, the best support is still practical: visit venues, play their machines and spend money on the experience.
Industry updates are also tracked by Replay Magazine and InterGame Online.
North America
Lit Arcade Bar, also known as The L.A.B. — Ogden, Utah
Lit Arcade Bar is a new Ogden venue operated by Nate Smith. It uses an Amusement Connect card system and places a strong emphasis on pinball, with machines including Guardians of the Galaxy, Hot Wheels, Jurassic Park from Stern, Legends of Valhalla, Playboy, Star Wars from Stern, The Beatles and Toy Story 4. The line-up also includes video games such as Dragon Saber.
The venue’s performance also highlights the potential of the barcade model. Its game income was described as substantially stronger than that of a conventional shopping-mall arcade, although the comparison came from the operator’s own experience. Find the venue on Facebook.
Pints N’ Play — Blue Springs, Missouri
Pints N’ Play is a retro arcade and bar that became the operator’s fifth location. Its game room includes Bosconian, Burgertime, Mario Bros., Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Man, Robotron 2084, Street Fighter II, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from 1989, Turtles in Time, X-Men and Xenophobe, alongside other classic video games and pinball machines. More information is available on the official website.
The Lot Beer Co. — Granville, Ohio
The Lot Beer Co. is primarily a bar, with a smaller arcade area containing two Skee-Ball lanes, two pinball machines and games including Ivan Stewart’s Super Off-Road, Street Fighter II and an older Golden Tee installation. Venue images were shared through the operator’s Facebook page.
Two-Bit Circus #2 — Dallas, Texas
Two-Bit Circus has expanded its micro-theme-park concept from Los Angeles to Dallas. The venue combines standard arcade games and pinball with original games created specifically for the company. It also supports independent titles such as Killer Queen and Armed and Gelatinous. Details about the Dallas venue are available on its location page.
Subpar Mini-Golf — Alameda, California
Subpar’s new Alameda arcade is close to the site of its original venue, which closed four years earlier. The replacement location features newer video and redemption games including Connect4Hoops, Cruis’n Blast, Halo: Fireteam Raven, Minecraft Dungeons Arcade, Step ManiaX and Super Bikes 3. Visit Subpar Mini-Golf for details.
Family entertainment centre openings and updates
Game lists are often difficult to confirm for family entertainment centres, where arcade areas share attention with attractions such as bowling, mini-golf, cinema and indoor play. The following links cover recent openings and business updates:
- Dave & Buster’s reports improved profits alongside slower sales.
- Lefty’s Alleys & Eats opens The Spare Room in Lewes, Delaware.
- A new Pinstack opens in San Antonio, Texas.
- Urban Air opens in Columbus, Ohio.
- Emagine Entertainment adds an arcade in White Bear Township, Minnesota.
- Supercharged Entertainment opens in Edison, New Jersey, with more than 140 arcade games across two floors.
- Social Latitude opens in Greenville, South Carolina; available images appear to show Arcade1Up or MAME-style cabinets.
- Armory STL opens in St. Louis; it is unclear whether the facility includes a dedicated arcade.
- The Park opens in Richmond, Virginia, offering mini-golf and duckpin bowling, although an arcade was not confirmed.
Europe
Four Quarters #3 — Newcastle, United Kingdom
Four Quarters’ third UK venue opened in late November with original arcade machines. Its published list contains 29 machines, including Asteroids, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Dance Stage Euromix, Guitar Hero Arcade, House of the Dead 2, Lucky & Wild, Moonwalker, Sega Rally Twin and The Simpsons, plus pinball. See the Newcastle games list and venue page.
Gamestate #47 — Wrocław, Poland
Gamestate’s first Polish venue describes itself as the country’s largest arcade, occupying 1,000 square metres. Visible attractions include King Kong VR and Atari Pong Knock Out, with the remainder appearing to focus largely on redemption games. Visit the Wrocław location page.
F1 Arcade — London, United Kingdom
F1 Arcade takes a highly focused approach: the venue is built around a proprietary licensed Formula 1 Grand Prix racing experience rather than a broad multi-game floor. Food and drinks are available for players and spectators. The company also announced a Birmingham location planned for the following year. Explore F1 Arcade.
The Panic Room — Gravesend, United Kingdom
This new family entertainment venue is centred on escape rooms but also offers a free-play arcade with a selection of retro arcade games. It was not clear whether the machines were original cabinets, multicades or Arcade1Up units. Attractions also include Mini Golf.io and a custom augmented-reality air hockey table. Visit The Panic Room.
Three Peaks Entertainment — Hyde Park, London
Three Peaks Entertainment appears to be a temporary or pop-up arcade rather than a permanent venue. Its Hyde Park installation features mostly redemption games.
Gravity Entertainment opened in Castleford; available information suggests an FEC without confirmed arcade games.
Asia, the Middle East and Oceania
The Flipside Barcade — Adelaide, Australia
Adelaide’s Flipside Barcade brings an American-style food and arcade-bar concept to Australia, with pinball as its main attraction. The line-up includes CSI, Dr. Who, No Good Gofers, Spider-Man, Star Trek from Stern, Total Nuclear Annihilation and TRON: Legacy. Video games include Maximum Tune 3, Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam and the 1989 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Learn more about The Flipside.
For readers building a home setup around similar machines, RETROCADE’s arcade machine buying guide covers the key considerations before purchasing.
Three Mastiii Zone venues — Jodhpur, Amravati and Ghaziabad, India
Mastiii Zone added venues in Jodhpur, Amravati and Ghaziabad. The chain appears to have around two dozen locations, although the exact total was not confirmed. The new sites combine modern arcade attractions with Western and Eastern games, including virtual-reality experiences. Images and promotional material are available through the operator’s website and social channels.
TimeZone — Patna, India
TimeZone continues its rapid expansion with a new venue at City Centre Mall in Patna. The large arcade includes modern games and a videmption attraction called Demolition King, in which players appear to swing a ball at a screen like a wrecking ball.
Venue 56 Entertainment Center — Salmiya, Kuwait
Venue 56 combines bowling and mini-golf with a modern arcade. Reported games include Mission: Impossible Arcade SDX and Super Bikes 3. Its bowling area uses Touch Magix’s SPARX mixed-reality system. The venue shares updates through Instagram.
Other announcements and planned venues
- A Namco Game Center announcement includes Taiko no Tatsujin.
- Unbeetable was listed as coming soon to Schenectady, New York, although its last update at the time was in September.
- A bowling and arcade project was planned for Birmingham, UK.
- Unleashed Play Arena was planned for Fresno, California, in 2023.
- Tilt Studio was planned for Bismarck, North Dakota, in 2023.
- Peter Piper Pizza was planned for the Kansas City area the following February.
- Champion Mill Arcade was planned for Hamilton, Ohio, in 2023.
- The Palms Theatres & IMAX was planned as an 80,000-square-foot FEC in Tiffin, Ohio; construction had not yet begun and no opening date was stated.
From pinball-led barcades in Australia to purpose-built racing venues and large international FECs, December’s openings demonstrate how broadly the arcade format continues to evolve.
At home, a suitable arcade machine can bring some of that variety into a games room, while professional arcade repairs help keep older cabinets operating.
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