Think of an arcade gamer and what is called to mind? Perhaps a diehard Street Fighter fan who knows T. Hawk’s “double typhoon” super-combo, or a pedal-smashing racer desperately trying to beat the clock in Out Run 2?
Whatever game floats your boat, London is now bursting with an array of nostalgia-drenched retro arcades. Here’s our guide of the best across town.
NQ64
A black-lit neon extravaganza awaits at this underground — in every sense of the word — joint. The wall-to-wall gaming is reminiscent of the best early Noughties bowling alleys; think Time Crisis, Street Fighter and Out Run 2, and the addictive playing helped by plentiful beers means it’s a particularly nostalgic way to spend an afternoon. It’s also open till 3am, which is a bit of a boon.
53-54 Berwick Street, W1F 8SP, nq64.co.uk
Four Quarters
With three locations across town in Peckham, Elephant and Castle and Hackney, you’re well catered for with Four Quarters. With so-called “quarters” costing 50p — a slight misnomer, you might think — and most arcade games costing just one quarter per game, there’s a nice affordability factor here. And yes, they have Sega Rally — and yes, it’s still great.
Peckham, 187 Rye Lane SE15 4TP; Elephant and Castle, 20 Ash Avenue, SE17 1GQ; Hackney, Unit 8, East Bay Lane, E20 3BS, fourquarters.bar
London Games Rooms
Spread across town with sites in London Fields, Islington, Farringdon, Peckham Levels, Clerkenwell and Hoxton, London Games Room has more than 40 games across its sites. What sets LGR apart is the plentiful foosball alongside the arcade classics, with a detailed directory of table football manufacturers online and where to find (and play) each kind. Note that some of them go by the name “Plonk” — not a reference to cheap wine, but to the mini golf the spots each champion.
Across London, londongamesroom.co.uk
Loading Bar
Peckham seems to be the place to be for arcades, with Loading bar found here too, having opened back in 2021 inside the Mountview campus. There’s another site in Stoke Newington, and both are particularly focussed on offering a relaxed, welcoming environment; no black lights and thumping music here, think more relaxed, open vibes. There’s no food mind, but with both London locations close to some particularly delicious restaurants, it’s an ideal post-dinner hangout.
129 Stoke Newington High Street, N16 0PH and 120 Peckham Hill Street, SE15 5JT, loading.bar
Fairgame
Straightforwardly dubbed “gaming, with a competitive edge”, this Canary Wharf funfair focusses less on the likes of Donkey Kong and PacMan, and more on the fairground games of carnivals gone by. Alley hoops, whack-a-mole and skee-ball all feature in a wide line-up of this joyfully abundant space. This is carnival gaming done well.
25 Fishermans Walk, E14 4DH, wearefairgame.com
Heart of Gaming
Heart of Gaming is more reminiscent of the destination arcades found in middling provincial towns. Think bright strip-lighting, cardboard cartons of bad chips, off-brand ketchup and easy-wipe linoleum tiled floors. It retains the certain charms of those childhood venues, an anti-hipster locale that focuses on the gaming. Straightforward and boasting London’s biggest arcade collection, the no-frills lounge has over 60 games, 20 consoles and pool tables to boot, all in one spot.
44-46 North End Road, CR0 1UG, heartofgaming.co.uk
Four Thieves
There’s no getting around it: Four Thieves is a massive, slightly mediocre pub near Clapham Junction. For the gamers out there, though, there’s great reason to visit thanks to a massive arcade located on the first floor. There’s a decent selection of retro games, from Dance Revolution to Point Black 2, as well as covered table hockey. At the weekend, they stay open till 1.30am, making it a great late-night den.
51 Lavendar Gardens, Battersea, SW11 1DJ, fourthieves.pub
Gravity Wandsworth
Gravity Wandsworth is perhaps best known for its massive indoor karting track, e-sports gaming and the holo-gate VR area. Whilst these experiences are rightly headline grabbing, and the VR in particular is among the worlds’ most advanced, it’s the vintage arcades which are the Standard’s favourite. Named the “Funbox Arcade”, nostalgic shoot-em-up’s, racers and more are all under one roof — perfect for those who like their gaming a little less immersive.
Wandsworth High Street, SW18 4TF, gravity-uk.com
Queens London
West London’s arcade gaming scene might be a little light on the ground and Queens — a classic ice skating, bowling and curling poly-hyphenate — is the only worthwhile spot around. Evoke your 15-year-old self with Mortal Kombat, Super Mario Bros and Street Fighter two, then sneak a cig by the bike sheds.
17 Queensway, W2 4QP, queens.london
Las Vegas Arcade Soho
Walking through seedy Soho on a night out you’ll have doubtless noticed the bold neon signage pointing you to Las Vegas. On the ground floor, there is a den of slot machines and gambling, but underground you’ll find the friendlier Sega racing machines, Mario Kart and a selection of imported Japanese favourites. Oh and plenty of dance mats. This is all simply arcade-y fun, right in the heart of town. Lights, sounds, pool and booming music; in other words, a perfect arcade.
