September 2022 brought a varied group of new arcade venues, family entertainment centres, arcade bars and prize-focused locations across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. This roundup records the openings identified at the time, including several venues combining arcade games with bowling, food, pinball, consoles or other attractions.
For Australian readers interested in the wider arcade scene, the RETROCADE arcade blog covers machines, industry developments and gaming culture. Opening information can change, so check each venue before travelling.
North America
Starport Arcade & Pub — Morgantown, West Virginia
Starport is a token-operated arcade bar spread across two levels, with a sizeable collection of new video games and pinball machines. Its line-up includes Batman 66, Beatles pinball, Black Emperor, Cruis’n Blast, Halo: Fireteam Raven, House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn, Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, Minecraft Dungeons Arcade, Nitro Trucks and Total Nuclear Annihilation.
A video walkthrough is available here, and further venue information is available on Starport’s website.
Flip-A-Coin Arcade Bar inside Bite Me Cake Company — Pueblo, Colorado
Bite Me Cake Company is primarily a bakery, but it also houses the new Flip-A-Coin Arcade Bar. The venue is strongly focused on pinball, with a smaller selection of video games. Reported titles include Asteroids Deluxe, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Dracula, Jack*Bot, Meteor, Stars and The Mandalorian.
The bar operates from Thursday to Saturday. Guests must generally be at least 21, while under-21 visitors are permitted from noon to 6pm on Sundays when accompanied by a parent. The venue’s bar information provides the current details, and visitors can collect a cake after playing.
Scene 75 — Romeoville, Illinois
Scene 75 opened its first venue in the south-western Chicago area in a 135,000-square-foot family entertainment centre. Attractions include food, go-karts, laser tag, mini-golf, inflatables, laser mazes, mini-bowling, batting cages and an indoor roller coaster.
The arcade advertises more than 150 games, covering modern video and redemption equipment. Scene 75 has also previously invested in larger attraction-style installations. Visit the venue page here.
Gibby’s — Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Two arcade spaces operated by Gibby’s opened at The Empire Mall: Gibby’s Arcade in a dedicated mall location and Gibby’s Junior in the food-court area. Both offer video games and ticket redemption machines.
The video selection is weighted towards Raw Thrills releases, including Cruis’n Blast, Halo: Fireteam Raven, Jurassic Park, Space Invaders Frenzy and Super Bikes 3. The Empire Mall stores page lists both locations. The operator’s Facebook presence covers several operations headquartered in Sioux City, Iowa.
Respawn Arcade — Alexander City, Alabama
Respawn combines free-play arcade games with a console area using recent consoles and televisions. The venue occupies a brick building that may previously have been a saloon. Its machines include DDR Extreme, Hang-On, House of the Dead 2, Millipede, Mortal Kombat I & II, No Fear pinball, Pac-Man, Stargate pinball, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1989), WWF WrestleFest and X-Men.
Entry uses a wristband system, with the games set to freeplay. Updates are available on Respawn’s Facebook page.
The Grid Arcade Bar — Pensacola, Florida
This new TRON-themed arcade bar is described as family-friendly until 9pm. Its tokens feature nudity, making it a more adult-oriented venue outside those family hours. The collection includes classics and less common machines such as 1942, 720, Aqua Jet, Die Hard Arcade, Dig Dug, Godzilla pinball, House of the Dead III, Jaleco Rally: Big Run, Motor Raid, Ms. Pac-Man, Q*bert and both Midway’s TRON video game and Stern’s TRON pinball machine.
Reboot Social — Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Opened over the Labor Day weekend, Reboot Social is an eatertainment venue pairing drinks with mostly classic arcade games. The reported line-up includes Area 51, Big Buck HD Wild, Crazy Taxi, Dig Dug, Donkey Kong, Mortal Kombat II & 4, Ms. Pac-Man, NBA Jam, NFL Blitz, Robotron: 2084, Street Fighter II Turbo, Super Mario Bros., Tempest and Tetris. More information is available from Reboot Social.
Fun Hub Action Park — Hadley, Massachusetts
This 33,000-square-foot family entertainment centre opened inside a shopping mall. Its attractions include trampoline activities and rope-course-style play, alongside an arcade that appears to concentrate mainly on redemption games. The site also has a Hologate Arena. Visit Fun Hub Action Park for venue information.
Tilt Studio — Sioux City, Iowa
Tilt Studio opened at Southern Hills Mall with an arcade, laser tag and party facilities. The location advertises more than 150 games, including the uncommon UNIS Derby Champion attraction. A video of that game is available here.
Chain openings
- Round1 opened locations in Puyallup, Washington, and Sacramento, California.
- Chuck E. Cheese opened its first Egyptian location.
Europe
European openings were quieter than in many earlier updates, possibly reflecting the energy crisis affecting the region.
Dead Space — Sheffield, United Kingdom
Dead Space aims to turn underused “dead spaces” into gaming venues. Its first Sheffield site combines arcade machines and consoles, including an older Raw Thrills Fast & Furious, Dancing Stage EuroMix, The House of the Dead and several basketball games. The venue is compact but makes use of the available space. Updates appear on Instagram.
Elsewhere in the European amusement sector, Sega Amusements purchased Fun Box. The acquisition strengthened Sega’s position in European operations and raised questions about whether the company might eventually pursue venues in the United States again.
Asia, the Middle East and Oceania
Dave & Buster’s was expanding through franchising in the Middle East and Africa, with 11 planned locations across Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Japan was also preparing to fully reopen to tourists, although the new Japanese sites being reported at the time were mainly crane- and prize-focused rather than video-game arcades.
Mastiizone #9 — Ghaziabad, India
The ninth Mastiizone opened in Shipra Mall as amusement options continued to grow in India. Its offering appears aimed at children and includes an arcade, archery shooting range, zip line, 7D theatre, bowling, cricket, trampolines, virtual reality and a snow park. The operator listed nine further locations as coming soon. Details are available through Modern Masti.
Kicks Tenpin & Arcade — Parramatta, New South Wales
This bowling-led family entertainment centre opened at the beginning of August. Its arcade reportedly includes classics dating back to Space Invaders, along with newer attractions such as MotoGP, The Walking Dead and an XD Dark Ride. The size of the arcade was not stated. Visit Kicks Tenpin’s website for venue information.
Q Prize Zone — Philippines
A new, prize-focused venue was identified in the Philippines, although its city was not confirmed. It includes video basketball games towards the rear of the site.
Timezone expansion
Timezone continued adding venues across the region.
- A new Timezone opened at Phoenix Palladium Mall in Mumbai, India.
- Another opened at Westfield Plenty Valley in Victoria, Australia. This was reported as Timezone’s 250th family entertainment centre.
- A further Australian location opened in Broadmeadows.
Game Space — China
The city and opening date for this Chinese venue were not confirmed. Images showed a lower level dominated by prize machines, with a second level at the back that appeared to contain additional attractions. Later images confirmed that video games were also present.
Coming soon
- A 350-machine pinball venue was planned for downtown Girard, Ohio.
- Gamer’s Garage Arcade was announced for Marseilles, Illinois.
- Joystiq was due to open in Merced, California.
- Sports & Social DraftKings planned an eatertainment venue in Troy, Michigan.
- NQ64 was working on new Sheffield and Leeds venues in the United Kingdom.
- Andretti’s was announced for Grand Prairie, Texas.
- A new entertainment centre was scheduled for San Antonio during winter.
- A pinball-and-ice-cream venue was planned for Allegan, Michigan, in 2023.
- Flight 509 was scheduled to open in Spokane, Washington, the following spring.
These openings show how modern arcade venues continue to diversify, from dedicated pinball rooms and arcade bars to large family entertainment centres. For home players considering their own setup, RETROCADE’s arcade machine buying guide and selection of arcade machines are useful starting points.
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