Staying at home through most of 2020 meant playing a lot of video games. I’ve always loved the classics (Super Pac-Man & Jungle King my favorites).
Thanks to Pinball FX3 & Stern’s Pinball Arcade on PS4, I’m now into pinball too. With those two games, I’ve learned many of the tricks & ways to master some of the more popular pinball tables and looked forward to playing them in real life. It appears I wasn’t alone spending 2020 that way as classic arcades didn’t just survive that lost year, but are now thriving and popping up in more & more places.
Denver, Nashville & Chicago are my highlights for arcades or arcade bars. I put together a list of my 20 favorite ones. Just know I haven’t been everywhere, so this is just the ones I’ve actually been to & think are worth recommending. Also worth noting I’m in Buffalo, NY so the northeast US is the area I visit most often.
What I look for in an arcade is an awesome collection of both classic video games & pinball that are also maintained well. There’s quite a few arcades that didn’t make the list because so many games were out of order, not working right or placed in a spot where you couldn’t see the screen during the day. Atmosphere plays a huge part for me too.
While everything on this list is awesome, I’ll go in order by favorites…
1 - THE 1UP ARCADE BAR - COLFAX (DENVER, CO)
Games: Classic video games & pinball
$$: Pay per game
Bar: Yes
Food: No
It’s dark room after small dark room of endless classic video games & pinball. And everything works. It’s the perfect arcade & perfect atmosphere with tons of games. I was only in Denver for 3 days but ended up going here twice. I can’t wait to go back. This is arcade perfection.
2 - GAME TERMINAL (NASHVILLE, TN)
Games: Classic video games & pinball
$$: Video games free / pinball $1
Bar: Yes
Food: Yes (daily food trucks)
It’s a huge warehouse (actually in a warehouse district) filled with classic video games & rows of pinball. Plus a whole giant area out back with outdoor games. It’s like a massive arcade party all the time. And everything works. There was so many cars in the lot when I went & yet the place was nowhere close to crowded because of its size. This is another perfect classic arcade.
3 - GALLOPING GHOST ARCADE (CHICAGO, IL)
$$: Pay one price
Bar: No
Food: No
This is more museum than arcade, but everything’s playable. And everything here is in absolute perfect condition. This is not a party atmosphere arcade - it’s more serious gaming. But you get to play some crazy rare games & have a giant collection to choose from - and all are probably in better condition than they even were originally. If video games could dream, this is where they’d dream of ending up. For pinball, there's a different location nearby (Galloping Ghost Pinball).
Games: Classic video games & pinball
$$: Pay per game
Bar: Yes
Food: Yes
They claim to be the world’s largest arcade & I think they’re right. There’s tons to do here - lots of classic video games & pinball, some newer video games, bowling, indoor mini-golf, bumper cars, small kiddie rides & even bingo next door. Later is better here as there’s less kids around then.
5 - PINBALL PA (PITTSBURGH, PA)
Games: Classic video games & pinball
$$: Pay one price
Bar: No
Food: No
While this isn’t huge, it’s filled with an incredible collection of video games & pinball. And the people that maintain them are on site so you can expect everything to be working great.
6 - POCKETEER BILLIARDS & SPORTS BAR (BUFFALO, NY)
$$: Pay per game
Bar: Yes
Food: Yes
Unlike the other places above, this place focuses almost exclusively on pinball instead of video games. Their collection is impressive & all are always in near perfect condition. There’s also a ton of pool tables here & the food is excellent. Plus if you go on Tuesdays, four of the games are set to free play.
7 - ROBOT CITY GAMES & ARCADE (BINGHAMTON, NY)
Games: Classic video games & pinball
$$: Pay per game
Bar: No
Food: No
They’ve
got a great collection of video games and pinball & I love the classic arcade
feel. Plus there's a big video game store up front.
8 - TAPPERS ARCADE BAR (INDIANAPOLIS, IN)
$$: Video games free / pinball pay per game
Bar: Yes
Food: No
It's a perfect bar / arcade atmosphere & the game collection
is always in great working condition. The perfect place to end a night in Indy.
9 - THE 1UP ARCADE BAR - LODO (DENVER, CO)
Games: Classic video games & pinball
$$: Pay per game
Bar: Yes
Food: Yes
Smaller than the Colfax location, but still an incredible place. And this location has food. This is the one arcade chain I really wish would expand into other cities.
10 - LOGAN ARCADE (CHICAGO, IL)
Games: Classic video games & pinball
$$: Pay per game
Bar: Yes
Food: Yes
Another fun bar / arcade that has a totally different feel than nearby Galloping Ghost. Not as many games as Galloping Ghost, but an excellent collection & all in great condition. And visually, a very cool place.
Games: Classic video games & pinball
$$: Pay per game
Bar: Yes
Food: Yes
A
bar / arcade on the Pearl Street Mall walk. The artwork alone impressive but there's also a fun bunch of games. Feels like a night arcade all the time down in this place.
12 - HEADQUARTERS BEERCADE (NASHVILLE, TN)
Games: Classic video games & pinball
$$: Pay per game
Bar: Yes
Food: Yes
One of my favorite hangouts just a little off Broadway. The games aren't always in perfect working condition, but it's a good collection & always a fun time.
13 - THE PORTAL ARCADE, CAFE & BAR (SAVANNAH, GA)
Games: Classic video games & pinball
$$: Pay per game
Bar: Yes
Food: Yes
A small place but packed with an excellent bunch of games & pinball. The food is really good too.
14 - ROANOKE PINBALL MUSEUM (ROANOKE, VA)
THE ROANOKE STARCADE (ROANOKE, VA)
Games: Pinball at one / classic video games at one
$$: Pay one price (for each)
Bar: No
Food: No
These are two separate places, one upstairs from the other. The pinball museum is small but they have a little of each era of pinball. I did a quick walkthrough of the Starcade upstairs (it was closing for the day) and saw a really good collection of classic video games. Just plan to pay twice if you want to visit both.
15 - THE PLAYHOUSE / SWILLBURGER (ROCHESTER, NY)
Games: Classic video games & pinball
$$: Pay per game
Bar: Yes
Food: Yes
Having a full fast food place inside is a giant plus. And it's a good collection of games. Being so close, I always forget to take pics when I'm there. But it's inside an old church with narrow stairs and a weird layout of rooms. It's a cool place.
The Pinball Hall of Fame in Vegas was a huge collection of pinball & video games when I went in 2017, but it's since closed. I would have had it at #5. Now The Pinball Hall of Fame is only pinball with the arcade games in a separate location.
Other worthy mentions are Canobie Lake Park's Pinball Parlor, Indiana Beach Park's multiple arcades & the Seattle Pinball Museum (it's small but I spent 3 hours there & would've stayed longer if they hadn't closed).
Also, the Rochester Pinball Collective recently opened in Rochester, NY. They have 45 pinballs and is pay one price. I've yet to get there when they're open though (it's very limited hours).
As I travel to more cities, I'll update the list with anything new I come across.
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