From Frogger to Top Gun Maverick, find the best places to play arcade games in Charlotte
Few things capture childhood like stepping into an arcade — it’s an experience like no other. The lights. The challenges. The prizes.
An arcade can serve duty as a birthday party hot spot, give you a place to play indoors on a rainy day or a hot one, or even give you a chance to reminisce about your younger days with friends or a date. At many Charlotte businesses with arcade games, you’ll also find food and drink options, as well as other games to fill your day, including bowling, go karts and laser tag.
Here are places in the Charlotte area you can go to play arcade games:
The Basement Arcade Bar
Location: 14 Union St S, Concord, NC 28025
The Basement Arcade bar in downtown Concord offers classic 80’s and 90’s games such as Frogger, Galaga, Mortal Kombat II and Ms. Pac-Man, plus current pinball titles. It’s family friendly until 8 p.m., then 21+ only afterward. (And there are no prizes here — it’s a place to play for the fun of the game.)
Pro tip: Admission on Wednesdays and Thursdays is half off for adults ($5).
The Blind Pig
Location: The Exchange at 36th, 453 E 36th St, Charlotte, NC 28205
The game room at The Blind Pig offers a mashup of classic and current games, incuding skeeball, World’s Largest Pac-Man, Dirty Drivin’, a claw machine and more. If you’re there on a Wednesday night, you can also indulge in a few rounds of trivia.
Chuck E. Cheese
Location: 7701 Pineville-Matthews Rd, Charlotte, NC 28226
Birthday party destination Chuck E. Cheese is still “where a kid can be a kid,” but adults can play, as well. Grab a pizza and then run off to try your hand at basketball or skeeball. Next, you can choose from among dozens of arcade games to earn e-tickets to exchange for something fun behind its iconic prize counter — it’s the candy for me, please.
Citycade
Location: 122 S Oakland St, Gastonia, NC 28052
At Citycade in downtown Gastonia, the games rotate — but the pay-to-play venue sticks with a mix of classic and new video games, plus pinball. Board games and a few video game consoles are available, as well. After 8 p.m., the arcade becomes 21+ only.
Dave and Busters
Location: Concord Mills, 8361 Concord Mills Boulevard, Concord, NC 28027
Location: Carolina Place Mall, 11049 Carolina Pl Pkwy Suite LS-05, Pineville, NC 28134
Game center mega-chain Dave and Busters has Charlotte area locations in Concord and Pineville that are each attached to malls. Inside, you’ll find Skee-ball, Master Chief, Pop-A-Shot, Pac-Man, Wicked Tuna, Top Gun Maverick and more to make your gaming dreams come true.
Pro tip: Dave and Busters offers half price games every Wednesday, from open to close — but the offer doesn’t include virtual reality selections.
District 57
Location: 1526 Alleghany St B, Charlotte, NC 28208
District 57’s AllSorts venue offers old school Sega and Nintendo video games, along with four-player Pac-Man and other games. There’s also ping pong, pool, foosball and electronic darts to keep you busy while you’re waiting for a pizza or chips and queso to come out of the kitchen. Children under 10 aren’t allowed without written permission in advance, and all visitors must be 16+ after 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Frankie’s Fun Park
Location: 10621 Bryton Corporate Center Dr, Huntersville, NC 28078
Frankie’s Fun Park offers dozens of arcade games, including Big Buck HD, Ghostbusters, Hot Shot, Transformers and Wheel of Fortune. Bowling, bumper cars, mini golf and more are available at the entertainment complex, as well. Only adults 18+ are allowed after 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and children inside the facility at other times must remain with a parent.
Gibson Mill Market
Location: 325 McGill Ave NW, Concord, NC 28027
Scratch Made Hospitality Group has opened a new arcade in Gibson Mill Market, a 17,000-square-foot food hall. Games include Cruisin’ Blast, Iceball, claw machines, NBA Hoops, Space Invaders and more. Food and drink spots nearby that can keep you going during breaks in play include Barco’s Sports & Raw Bar, Churn Buddies and Kuni’s Kitchen.
Pro tip: If you’re into other kinds of games, too, Luck Factory Games is on site in Gibson Mill’s lower level. The board game cafe offers more than 1,000 options to choose from.
Lake Wylie Bowl N’ Bounce
Location: 4034 Charlotte Hwy, Lake Wylie, SC 29710
Lake Wylie Bowl N’ Bounce offers 90 games, including video, crane, virtual reality and table games. Self-serve stations are available to purchase game cards, and there’s a fully-stocked prize counter. Combos with bowling, laser tag and play zone options are available, as well.
Monster Mini Golf
Location: 230 E. W.T. Harris Blvd., C-4, Charlotte, NC 28262
Location: 3924 E. Franklin Blvd. Gastonia, NC 28056
Monster Mini Golf’s arcades include Jurassic Park, Spongebob Squarepants, Big Bass Wheel, and Down-a-Clown, along with skeeball, air hockey and basketball hoops. Wins result in tickets to turn in for prizes on your way to play mini golf or after you finish, as you choose. Bowling, laser tag and other entertainment options are also found at the venue.
Paranoia Pinball
Location: 412 W Palmer St, Charlotte, NC 28203
Paranoia Pinball is — you guessed it — focused on pinball machines. Titles offered include Star Wars, Iron Maiden, Batman, Guns-N-Roses, Hot Wheels, Heavy Metal and many more. Those under 21 are welcome only on Sundays with a parent or guardian.
Pins Mechanical/16-Bit Bar + Arcade
Location: 307 W Tremont Ave, Charlotte, NC 28203
Pins Mechanical, a go-to bar for duckpin bowling, foosball and ping pong, also offers a variety of pinball machines to play on. The same address includes 16-Bit Bar + Arcade, with more than 30 classic games and cheekily named cocktails such as Pinball Wizard, Gintendo and The Game Over. All ages are allowed in both spots until 8 p.m. every day, then after it becomes 21+. only.
The Pit
Location: 346 E Plaza Dr, Mooresville, NC 28115
The Pit offers over 85 arcade games, laser tag, mini-golf and two pool tables, along with indoor go kart racing. Games you’ll find at the Lake Norman entertainment center to wrack up points for prize tickets include Jurassic Park, Deal or No Deal, BigBuck HD WIld, MotoGP, Daytona USA2, EA Sports NASCAR Racing and several others.
Player 1 Up
Location: 140 East Main St. , Rock Hill, SC
Player 1 Up, an arcade bar in Rock Hill, has a full bar and kitchen so you can grab a bacon cheddar burger or a Mummy’s Chicken Wrap to eat while you play pinball or air hockey. You’ll also find immersive games like Super Bikes 2 and a claw machine.
Replay Brewing
Location: Kingsley, 1317 Broadcloth St, Fort Mill, SC 29715
Replay Brewing mixes craft beer (along with cocktails, wine and n/a beverages) with arcade vibes. You’ll find pinball machines and a Super Smash Brothers tournament every Tuesday. There’s also a scoreboard in the taproom that tracks the competition for high scores each month for prizes. People under 21 must be accompanied by an adult at all times, and dogs with leashes are welcome outside under the covered patio.
Slingshot Social Game Club
Location: 332 W Bland St, Charlotte, NC 28203
Slingshot Social offers an arcade lineup including Guitar Hero, MarioKart, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Foosball World Tour. Extreme Duckpin Bowling and Superskee add to the entertainment. No one under 21 is allowed aftr 8 p.m., and no dogs are allowed after 9. p.m.
Spare Time
Location: 16317 Statesville Road, Huntersville, NC 28078
Location: 9600 Pineville-Matthews Rd, Pineville, NC 28134
Spare Time’s Huntersville and Pineville locations offer bowling, laser tag and escape rooms, as well as arcade games. The vast game zone includes games such as Virtual Rabbids, Super Bikes 3 and Hot Wheels, Iceball, Taj Mahal, NBA Hoops and many more. And you won’t find a sad prize counter — there’s a whole prize room of treasures to browse.
Sports Connection
Location: 11611 Ardrey Kell, Charlotte NC 28277
Location: 10930 Granite Street, Charlotte NC 28273
Location: 8626 Hankins Road, Charlotte NC 28269
Sports Connection’s three Charlotte locations are stocked with arcade games, and esports games are available, as well. Bumper cars, laser tag, bowling and sports activities as also options for entertainment at the venue built for sports of all kinds, including volleyball and basketball.
Stars and Strikes
Location: 545 Concord Pkwy N, Concord, NC 28027
Stars and Strikes, an entertainment center with bowling, laser tag, bumper cars and event space, has arcade games, as well. Its offerings include “The Walking Dead,” and Dance Dance Revolution, plus games for preschoolers. “ And there’s no tokens — it’s all digital.
Stone Fired Social
Location: 106 North Main Street Suite B, Belmont, NC
Stone Fired Social opened in Belmont with space for about 100 guests to enjoy its menu of pizza, homemade pastas, sandwiches, garlic knots and more. The pizza parlor also features an area with arcade games, plus a full bar and a gelato counter, so you can enjoy a drink or one of 12 gelato flavors while you play pinball or Pac-Man’s Pixel Bash.
Super Abari Game Bar
Location: 1015 Seigle Ave Charlotte, NC 28205
Super Abari Game Bar, located in Charlotte’s Belmont neighborhood, is a super-sized gamer destination. The arcade for adults includes 55 arcade games, 35 pinball machines and the world’s largest to-scale working Gameboy replica. You’ll also find beer on tap, TV screens and patio seating for resting in between games.
Victory Lane
Location: 2330 Tipton Dr. Ste. 100, Charlotte, NC 28206
Victory Lane is a go kart venue that also offers bowling, escape rooms, ax throwing and virtual reality experiences, along with an arcade. You’ll find claw machines and games including The Walking Dead, Barrel of Monkeys, World’s Largest Pac-Man, Terminator Salvation and more. Anyone under 15 must be accompanied by an adult.
