The digital realms of today’s video games utterly eclipse the 8-bit adventures we huddled around decades ago. Yet vintage arcades still glow with nostalgia, pixelated soundtracks still chiptune through memories. Let’s revisit 10 relics keeping the original arcade experience’s quarter-swallowing magic alive across North America.
Funspot – Laconia, New Hampshire
At the massive “Billion Dollar New Hampshire Arcade”, you’ll swear it’s 1985 all over again. With over 500 classic coin-op games filling a huge two-story complex, Funspot bursts with neatly arranged rows of unadulterated arcade nostalgia.
Step inside the 60,000 square foot time-warp and rediscover your forgotten prowess at vintage video and redemption games. Go head-to-head in 2-player classics like Pac-Man or Spy Hunter. Have your fortunetold by Zoltar like in Big. Shoot hoops to win stuffed unicorns. Funspot’s mix of video, pinball, skee-ball and redemption machines will burn through your quarters faster than you can grab a token roll.
With many cabinets preserved in near-perfect condition, it feels like these glowing, beeping games teleported directly out of the 80s heyday untouched. Funspot also hosts the annual Classic Arcade Tournament where players make high score history on retro machines. Truly the American Classic Arcade Museum, Funspot is a treasure trove for the young at heart. Just don’t forget to bring a pocketful of quarters!
Yestercades – Red Bank, New Jersey
Founder Michael Mrozinski’s lifelong hobby became New Jersey’s premier old-school arcade when he opened Yestercades in 2013. Today its neon-accented storefront houses over 50 immaculately restored 80s arcade and pinball machines straight from Mrozinski’s vintage collection.
Step inside off the quaint downtown Red Bank streets to discover arcade nostalgia at its finest. You’ll instantly recognize classics like Frogger, Donkey Kong, Tempest and Punch Out! amid the buzzing, beeping menagerie of cabinets. The machines here play just like you remember from misspent youth. Pay $10 to receive a wristband loaded with tokens and let the immersive nostalgia transport you.
True history buffs will appreciate the exhaustive research and effort to recreate an authentic bygone arcade ambiance here right down to the worn carpeting, glitzy décor and token-operated lockers. Yestercades expertly rekindles the lost magic of America’s golden arcade era.
Headquarters Beercade – Various Locations
Offering a combo of craft brews and vintage arcade hits, Headquarters unites generations through the shared language of foosball, pinball and Golden Axe. With multiple locations in Chicago and the South, each venue houses dozens of carefully curated retro games surrounded by local beers on tap.
Favorites like Bubble Bobble, Street Fighter II and NBA Jam tempt you to sip then power slide your next pint to battle topside. Many machines still cost just 25 or 50 cents if you have stray quarters handy. Though the cacophonous, dimly lit bars packed with twin-stick shooters and fighting machines cultivate a lively camaraderie.
With their pioneering fusion concept, Headquarters made it acceptable for adults to geek-out on the Gremlins pinball machine or xybots without judgement over brews. Just don’t get tipsy and tilt the wrong way on a 4-player Simpsons cabinet if you want a shot at the high score!
Flynn’s Retrocade – San Francisco, California
San Francisco’s only remaining classic video arcade, Flynn’s Retrocade downtown continues preserving the original analog experience in over 40 iconic arcade games. Like stepping into a time machine, you’ll spot immaculately kept cabinets like Defender, Frogger and Spy Hunter proudly lining its walls.
The antique penny arcade games up front also capture the old-world amusement parlor spirit from the early 20th century mechanical era. But further inside pure 80s adrenaline pounds from classics Crazy Climber and Battlezone in a maze of beeps, blinks and lights.
Enjoy $10 arcade admission for unlimited plays – just like all the action we could consume from a single floppy billdollar back in the day. Flynn’s faithfully transports you through decades of coin-op history from orchestra bells to 8-bit alien invaders. Can you reclaim the top score on Galaga or Centipede? Or at least outlast the kill screen on original Donkey Kong?
The 1up – Denver, Colorado
Denver’s sprawling barcade provides over 50,000 square feet of craft beer and classic arcade action across three levels – making it the nation’s largest retro arcade space! Dozens of pinball machines like Twilight Zone and Terminator 2 mix with multiplayer fighting titles and racing classics awaiting your virtual driving skills.
As a bonus, modern fan favorites like giant Connect Four and basketball Pop-a-Shots let you school friends away from the screens. With well over 50 cabinets plus regular tournaments and high score challenges, you’ll need to budget a few hours to relive 1Up’s immersive digital nostalgia and rotating line-up while sipping local Colorado IPAs and lagers.
Just be sure to conquer the top floor’s vintage Neo Geo multi-game cabinet for serious bragging rights. Whether you come for the rare arcade relics or just to button mash with pals, the 1Up brings Denver’s bar scene into the 21st century high score-chasing big leagues.
Ground Kontrol – Portland, Oregon
With its signature blinking neon façade, Portland’s Ground Kontrol stands as a glowing monument to the artistic DIY principles fueling the city’s nonconformist culture. Inside awaits the largest collection of classic arcade and pinball machines in the Pacific Northwest amid punk rock aesthetics.
Embrace your rebellious younger self again while battling friends in NBA Jam arcade basketball or looping aliens in Tempest. Hunt for your initials among the vintage high scores or aim for modern glory on pinball wizardry like Judge Dredd. Don’t miss the rare Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back cabinet with vector graphics straight out of the early 80s.
Between rounds of frenzied button-pressing action, replenish craft cocktails and local ciders at the bar or grab a slice at the on-site pizzeria. With ongoing tournaments, new rare game premieres and quirky themed events, Ground Kontrol keeps Portland happily stuck in its retro gaming past.
Cade Museum – Gainesville, Florida
While newer than most on this list, the Cade Museum’s extensive Classic Arcade section authentically transports you back to gaming’s golden age around 40 immaculately restored cabinets. Wander through the glowing maze of machines featuring both iconic titles and deep cuts like Cloak & Dagger, Quantum and 720° skateboarding reliving Gen X glory in fixed pixelated form.
Kids eager to experience the original Super Mario Bros., Frogger and Galaga their parents raved about will find a perfect portal here alongside nostalgic adults. Pins like Addams Family, Twilight Zone and Attack from Mars also tempt your silverball skills. Florida tourists already planning Disneyland visits can easily add the Cade’s arcade time travel to their itinerary.
Located in Gainesville’s emerging Depot Park district, this incredible retro gamer’s paradise stays lively with tournaments and high score challenges between museum visits. Don’t leave without conquering the classics you know by heart!
Silverball Retro Arcade – Asbury Park, New Jersey
Inside a landmark merry-go-round pavilion on the Asbury Park boardwalk, Silverball Retro Arcade positions you to play through history experiencing over 75 vintage pinballs and classic video cabinets with the Atlantic Ocean as backdrop. Let the salty shore breeze propel your pinball through time.
Step up to rare tables like Hercules and Black Hole then battle friends in multiplayer classics like Tron, Gauntlet and Golden Tee Golf. The inclusive hourly play pricing leaves no excuses to finally master Dragon’s Lair and Pac-Man. Kids can discover why their parents obsess over these antique gaming relics while parents rekindle that fire.
With an atmosphere evoking seaside resort arcades of yesteryear, the historic carousel building now shelters Donkey Kong from the storm rather than painted ponies. But the journey through eras of pinball evolution and arcade nostalgia remains a magical ride.
The Pinball Hall of Fame – Las Vegas, Nevada
Where else would North America’s shrine to the silver ball reside but glitzy Las Vegas? At the Pinball Hall of Fame, you’ll find over 200 different machines from pinball’s 1940s origins to modern wizardry from designers like Pat Lawlor and John Popadiuk.
Lay eyes on early bagatelles, classic electromechanical designs from industry pioneers Gottlieb, Williams and Bally, and boards featuring your favorite movies, bands and games in immaculately restored form. Budget several hours to experience the entire chronological pinball journey firsthand amid the continual ringing and flashing.
You can even find penny arcade novelties and vintage kiddie amusement rides to complete the trip down memory lane. True pinball fanatics flock here alongside Vegas tourists looking for an off-strip activity between poker tables. Just bring plenty of quarters – you’ll need them to keep reliving glory on machines like Medieval Madness and Terminator 2.
With regular tournaments and new acquisitions like Michael Jackson, these bright pin wastelands ensure vintage table pinball never really dies. Just follow the bells and flashing lights to make your own luck mastering pinball’s irresistible skills and thrills outside the casino floors.
Rec Room – Various Locations in Canada
With retro game lounges in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto, the Rec Room brings Canada’s aging gamers back to the glory days of gamer hangouts and hotspot high score wars. Modern gastropub atmospheres meet an arena of classic Xbox360 hits, pinball favorites, air hockey, skeeball lanes, and the largest collection of VR games around.
Challenge friends to games like Call of Duty and Halo you enjoyed in dorm rooms not so long ago while enjoying craft food and local brews. In Toronto, get behind the wheel of a racing simulator or fly head-to-head air combat in enclosed pods. With regular console game tournaments and new high scores up for grabs, the Rec Room celebrates gaming’s role bringing people together across generations.
Splendidly melding social gaming innovation with throwback arcade action, Canada’s Rec Rooms let twenty-somethings relive childhood and parents join in the fun their kids can’t stop raving about.
Level 256 – Schaumburg, Illinois
Named after the infamous Pac-Man kill screen, Level 257 packs 34,000 square feet of food, drinks and over 90 arcade and pinball machines celebrating Chicago’s monumental role birthing the industry and luring gamer pilgrimages.
Modern lightgun shooters share space with lovingly restored rare Midway titles like Sea Wolf, Gun Fight and Wizard of Wor originally designed just miles away. The sprawling space lets you get lost chasing squadrons in Xevious, rescuing anthropomorphic ice cream cones in Mr. Do or spotting Chicago city namechecks in classics like Guzzler.
With monthly high score challenges, themed cocktails and menu items named after gaming icons, Level 257 playfully transports you through eras of Chicago gaming history across 40 years of hits.Grab a local brew and witness Windy City gaming’s origins at this shrine created by industry trailblazers paying tribute to the flagship franchises that started it all.
Vintage arcades enduringly capture our wonder in spaces filled with lively, social gameplay energy and nostalgia. Their blinking lights and electronic soundtracks compose an atmospheric analog experience impersonal online realms can’t replicate. Revisit these loving digital time capsules to rediscover why, despite everything games achieve today, well never outgrow our affection for these primal pixelated adventures.