Location Watch January 2024: New Arcades Open Worldwide

Arcade venues continued to appear across the globe in January 2024, from dedicated free-play rooms and pinball clubs to barcades, family entertainment centres and even a cruise-ship game room. This edition surveys recent openings, notable updates, upcoming projects and selected closures.

Industry news continues to be tracked by publications including Replay Magazine and InterGame Online. For home players inspired by these venues, RETROCADE’s arcade news and gaming blog follows the wider scene.

Bar-and-arcade venues feature prominently in this month’s roundup, but there is plenty here for fans of Japanese rhythm games, classic cabinets, modern racers and pinball.

North America

Lucky Cat Arcade, Little Rock, Arkansas

Lucky Cat Arcade brings Japanese arcade gaming to Little Rock, with fighting games housed in candy cabinets alongside rhythm attractions. The venue’s reported line-up includes Gitadora and a recent version of Dance Dance Revolution. A complete game list was not available, but more information can be found on the Lucky Cat Arcade website.

Captain Crazy’s Paradise, Foley, Alabama

This free-play arcade combines established classics with newer Japanese and driving attractions. Its games include Blasteroids, Ms. Pac-Man, NBA Jam, Initial D8, maimai Finale and Groove Coaster. The venue also has 16 pinball machines covering releases from the 1980s through to the present. See the venue’s website for further details.

Broad Leaf Brewery, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Broad Leaf Brewery has added an arcade selection of approximately 15 to 20 video games and pinball machines. The mix reportedly combines older and newer equipment, giving the brewery another attraction for visitors.

A Gamechanger, Conroe, Texas

A Gamechanger is a two-level barcade serving food and drinks alongside its games. Access requires an entry fee. The emphasis appears to be on classic video games, although newer titles and several pinball machines are also part of the venue. Its main website has additional information.

The Pinball Basement at The ACME Pie Company, Arlington, Virginia

At The ACME Pie Company, visitors can pair a meal with a dedicated pinball experience. The Pinball Basement operates through membership, with access priced at $10 per day or $40 per month for unlimited play. Opening days are limited, focusing on busier periods.

The reported machine list includes Cactus Canyon, Deadpool, Elvira and the Party Monsters, GoldenEye 007, JAWS, Jurassic Park from Stern, RUSH and Ultraman, among others. Pinball fans can find the venue here. Home enthusiasts can also compare dedicated virtual pinball machines.

Game Over, Alton, Illinois

Game Over combines a bar and restaurant with a broad arcade collection spanning the 1980s to current releases. Examples include Pac-Man, linked Cruis’n Blast machines, Arch Rivals and snowmobile racing games. A local report includes photographs of the venue, while its Facebook discussion provides another look at the opening.

Retro Replay Arcade, Peoria, Illinois

Retro Replay describes itself as a 1990s arcade destination, with roughly 30 machines. Its collection includes Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam and San Francisco Rush, supported by earlier favourites such as Ms. Pac-Man, Robotron: 2084 and The Getaway pinball. Updates are available through Retro Replay’s Facebook page.

The Club House Bar, Red Deer, Canada

The new Club House Bar reportedly has slightly more than 50 games. Its social channels and local coverage do not identify the individual machines, but the venue adds another barcade option to the region.

Brundage Swap Meet Arcade, Bakersfield, California

Visitors to the Brundage Swap Meet can also find an arcade featuring games such as Area 51. The available information does not confirm whether the arcade has room to expand.

Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean

The Icon of the Seas cruise ship has opened a compact arcade with a mixture of video games and redemption attractions. Available imagery appears to show Sega’s ATV Slam among the machines.

Family Entertainment Centre openings and updates

• Round1 USA in Glendale, Arizona.
• Spare Time Arcade in Omaha, Nebraska.
• Nitro Zone in Dowagiac, Michigan.
• MB2 Entertainment in Bakersfield, California.
• Barcade’s Philadelphia location.
• Surge Entertainment in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
• Rollhouse Entertainment in North Olmsted, Ohio.
• Power Up Action Park in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
• Play Boston has opened in Boston, Massachusetts. Its published arcade selection is modest and weighted towards redemption games, although the actual line-up may be broader.
• Pecan Lake Entertainment has opened in Queen Creek, Arizona. It is clearly a family entertainment centre, although an arcade room could not be confirmed.

Europe

A Sega arcade inside Wendy’s, Hull, United Kingdom

Hull’s first Wendy’s restaurant, described as potentially the largest Wendy’s location, includes a children’s play area and a Sega-branded arcade. Only a small selection of machines has been shown in local coverage, and further details remain limited.

Panenka Bar, Sheffield, United Kingdom

Panenka adds another bar-and-arcade venue to Sheffield. Images focus largely on the bar, but also show games including older examples of Fast & Furious and Terminator Salvation.

Family Entertainment Centre openings and updates

• Preston Palace in Almelo, the Netherlands includes an arcade among its entertainment facilities.
• MI12 Fun Center in Belgium has opened a second location.

Asia, the Middle East and Oceania

Tiger Town, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

Tiger Town appears to be the first Iraqi arcade covered in this series. The venue seems to have been equipped by Chinese manufacturer Yuto Games, which acquired the InJoy Motion intellectual property. A video provides the available visual look at the location.

Family Entertainment Centre openings and updates

• A new GiGO venue in Susukino, Japan.
• Timezone in Indonesia.
• LED Game Zone in Rajasthan, India.
• Game On in Malaysia, combining arcade games with trampolines.
• A new family entertainment centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, featuring a video arcade and AR BattleKart.

Coming soon

• Elev8 Fun Center number four in Miami.
• Jackpot Pinball Arcade in Purcellville, Virginia.
• Dave & Buster’s in a former GameWorks site in Schaumburg, Illinois.
• G3 Entertainment in Carthage, Missouri.
• Bad Axe RetroCade in Bad Axe, Michigan.
• Tortuga Island in Nigeria.
• Slick City Action Park in Milwaukee.
• Levity in West Fargo, North Dakota, launching with a tumble gym.
• Playdium in Toronto.
• A multi-level entertainment complex in Lake Ozark, Missouri, planned for 2025.

Closures

Openings are the focus, but venue closures also matter to the arcade industry. The following locations were reported as closed:

• Two Bit Circus Dallas.
• Rock The Mall Video Pinball in Rockaway, New Jersey.
• Ozone Laser Tag in Owensboro, Kentucky.
• KidZania in London, an attractions facility rather than a conventional arcade.
• Fire Loop VR in Irvine, California.

For operators and enthusiasts, the January picture is mixed but active: new venues continue to open, while established businesses still face the challenges of running a specialised entertainment space. Anyone planning a home setup can explore RETROCADE’s arcade machine buying guide, browse upright arcade cabinets or consider compact bartop arcades.