Museum of the Game ®

International Arcade Museum® — Killer List of Videogames®

VAPS

Member: mclemore

Locations Visited

Name Address Rating Comment
Neon Retro Arcade Pasadena, California, United States 4/5 This place is near my house. It's a small quaint neighborhood location, for kids of all ages. Update: I haven't been since before Covid.
Museum of the Game (HQ) - Test Entry Pasadena, California, United States 5/5 This is a test
Barcade (Los Angeles, CA) Los Angeles, California, United States 5/5 Pretty place focused around a bar and a ton of carefully selected classic games. Clearly professionally run, with a great name and part of a small chain.
Barcadia Cape Town, South Africa 4/5 I visited just before they opened. My kids played a pinball game while I chatted with the owner, who was really nice and enthusiastic. There aren't a lot of classic arcade games in Southern Africa, so this is a nice addition to the neighborhood!
Museum of Pinball (Banning)

Permanently Closed-gone

Banning, California, United States 5/5
Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade Portland, Oregon, United States 5/5
Game Terminal Super Arcade + Bar Nashville, Tennessee, United States 5/5 This place is...massive.
Pinball Hall of Fame Las Vegas, Nevada, United States 5/5 A huge selection of pinball (and some videogames and EM), at a easy location on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip near the Las Vegas Sign and Mandalay Bay. Worth a visit, especially if you like seeing unusual pinball machines.
Dave & Busters - Arcadia, CA Arcadia, California, United States 5/5 Dave and Busters is a well known national chain carrying modern video games (and redemption machines). This one is fairly close to my house, and my kids like it.
Dave & Busters - Irvine, CA Irvine, California, United States 5/5
Strong Museum of Play Rochester, New York, United States 5/5
Two Bit Circus

Permanently Closed-still there

Los Angeles, California, United States 5/5 More modern, less classic. Lots of operator controlled VR attractions, etc.
Vigamus Video Game Museum Roma (Rome), Italy
Eighty Two LA Los Angeles, California, United States
Family Arcade LA Los Angeles, California, United States While I've been there, it's been a good 15-20 years since I've been there, so I don't feel like rating it now.
Playland Arcade at Santa Monica Pier Santa Monica, California, United States
Grinkers Grand Palace

Permanently Closed-gone

Eagle, Idaho, United States 5/5 My family and I were amongst their last visitors. It was opened up for us late one night after they knew they were closing. It was splendid in its glory with just us, and I'm sure it would have been even more so when it was fully alive and roaring with a crowd.
Pacific Pinball Museum Alameda, California, United States
Musee Mecanique San Francisco, California, United States 5/5 Not a typical arcade, but instead with a heavy focus on antique mechanical games as well as coin-operated working models (moving mechanical shows). Musée Mécanique used to be located at the Cliff House, but its move some years back to Pier 45 put it in the middle of the action at Fisherman's Wharf. It's a unique experience, and if you like coin-operates machines worth a stop while in San Francisco.
Museum of Soviet Arcade Games Moscow, Russia 5/5 It's really fun to see a different world of electro-mechanical and coin-operated video games from the Soviet era. I visited in October 2019. Hopefully the world settles down sooner rather than later. Until then, I don't think they will be getting many Western visitors...
Museum of Soviet Arcade Games St Petersburg, Russia 5/5 It's really fun to see a different world of electro-mechanical and coin-operated video games from the Soviet era. I visited in October 2019. Hopefully the world settles down sooner rather than later. Until then, I don't think they will be getting many Western visitors...
Coin-Op Game Room, Gaslamp San Diego, California, United States 3/5 Well located in the Gaslamp (tourist bar area) of San DIego, this is a bar first and center. It has a decent selection of both pinball and video games (separated into different areas). It has also has a few cute retro display cases in the back (but not worth a trip in themselves). No one is admitted under 21 years of age.
The Bay Arcade

Permanently Closed-gone

Newport Beach, California, United States 3/5 A small arcade that was in a tourist area.
Retro Video Game Museum (at The Gamesmen video game store) Penshurst, Australia 3/5 It was cute and I was happy to make the side trip from Sydney. It's console oriented though, not coin-op oriented.
The Den Arcade + Drinkery Vancouver Vancouver, Canada 3/5 A cozy (small) neighborhood bar with cheap drinks. There are a good number of pinball machines to play, though the place is light on videogames (Pacman vs, Mame iCade cabinet, Big Buck HD Wild, Turtles in Time TMNT, and a Golden Tee 2022). There were also 2 dart machines, 2 skee ball machines, and a basketball shooter when I visited. In a backroom was an extra pinball machine, as well as some classic consoles (Nintendo Gamecube, Sony PS1 re-release, Sega Genesis re-release). It's fun if you happen to be in the area with friends
Greta Vancouver, Canada 4/5
Chuck E. Cheese Pasadena, California, United States 3/5 Great for kids, bad for adults.
Sega Republic

Permanently Closed-gone

Dubai, United Arab Emirates 5/5 It was nice playing some Sega driving games with motion cabinets -- full size car body motion cabinets!
Idaho Pinball Museum Garden City, Idaho, United States 5/5 For owners Dwayne and Debbie, this place is basically a labor of love. $10 gets you admission, which gets you unlimited time on the free-play machines. The machines are generally working and well-maintained, and some have signs on top with trivia or other historical information about them. Want a soda or water-- $1. T-shirts? $20 ($15 for red when I visited). Staff are friendly and they hold regular tournaments. This place rates a 5 for pinball for their about 65 pinball machines., a 1 for videogames (there were only 2 videogames and the controller on the battlezone could user some -minor- adjustment. Looking for video games instead? Try the nearby Jeremy's Arcade in Nampa instead.
PlayJoy x Ellis Amusement - Boise Airport Boise, Idaho, United States 2/5 In the C gate area, I had to try 7 different bills before the coin changer would accept one. Big Buck Hunter worked great and I had fun playing with one of my kids. In the B gate area, the pinball, and pinball, the photobooth, and one of the sucker games didn't work. 2 points for convenience, but that is all.
Howlers Family Restaurant and Amusements Ucluelet, Canada 1/5
Hotel Zed Tofino Tofino, Canada 4/5
Button Mash

Permanently Closed-gone

Los Angeles, California, United States 5/5 I paid them a visit 4 days before their official close. It is pretty hard to describe the place. It doesn't really fit in any of our normal categories. Basically, it's half sit-down restaurant & bar, half-arcade, and it's basically impossible to experience either half without being in the middle of the other.