London
Entertainment
The Best Arcade Bars in London
By Sofia Reeves
·
19 March 2026
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7 min read
London has embraced the arcade bar format with more enthusiasm than almost any other European city. The combination of craft cocktails, retro gaming machines, and a social atmosphere that cuts across age groups has turned these venues into one of the most reliable nights out in the capital. We visited 14 venues across the city to find the 9 that genuinely deliver on both fronts: the drinks and the games.
The best arcade bars in London are not amusement arcades that happen to sell beer. They are proper bars with thoughtful drinks menus that have installed gaming as a reason to stay longer and return more often. The distinction matters. You want a Negroni in a proper glass while you work through a cabinet of Street Fighter II, not a warm pint from a plastic cup.
Our Top 9 Arcade Bars in London
Four Quarters
Peckham · East London
The original and still the best. Four Quarters in Peckham opened in 2014 and set the template that most London arcade bars have followed since. Around 25 vintage arcade machines line the walls alongside a focused cocktail menu that rotates seasonally. Go for the Neon Sour or the house Old Fashioned. The weekend crowd is serious about both the drinks and the games, so arrive early to claim a machine.
$$ · Open until 2am Fri & Sat
NQ64
Soho · Central London
NQ64 has expanded from Manchester to multiple London sites, and the Soho outpost is the standout. The drinks menu is more ambitious than the format might suggest: 40 cocktails grouped by spirit, strong on whisky highballs and sour-style serves. The gaming setup covers arcade cabinets, pinball machines, and a section of classic consoles. Best visited on a Wednesday when the after-work crowd keeps the energy up without the weekend chaos.
$$ · Open until midnight weekdays
Roxy Ball Room
Bishopsgate · City of London
Roxy Ball Room pairs arcade gaming with pool tables, ping-pong, and shuffleboard, making it the closest thing to a proper entertainment complex in Central London. The drinks are priced fairly for the location and the beer selection covers all the major craft styles. The Bishopsgate site suits groups well: there is enough going on that everyone finds something to do. Book the private gaming booths for parties of 8 or more.
$$ · Private bookings available
Shoreditch and East London
East London remains the natural home for this format. The area's history of warehouse conversions and tolerance for unconventional venues has produced some of the most interesting gaming bars in the city. These are the three we send people to when they want the full East London experience with a controller in hand. If you want to explore more of the area's scene, our guide to London's hidden gem bars covers venues across every category that most tourists never find.
Barcade Shoreditch
Shoreditch · East London
The Shoreditch site of this small London chain benefits from the neighbourhood's early-evening energy. The 32 arcade machines skew heavily toward 1980s and early-1990s titles, and the cocktail list has been designed to work at the speed of gaming: boozy, simple, and well-made. The frozen margarita machine is operational year-round and should not be ignored regardless of season.
$$ · No reservations, walk-in only
Pixel Bar Hackney
Hackney · East London
One of the younger entries on this list, Pixel Bar opened in Hackney in late 2023 and has quickly built a reputation for the quality of its cocktail programme rather than just the gaming setup. The drinks are creative without being pretentious: 18 cocktails built around seasonal ingredients, most under £12. The gaming machines are spread across two floors with a quieter upper level for those who want to actually concentrate on the game.
$$ · Upstairs reservations available
"The best arcade bars are proper bars first. The games are a reason to stay, not a reason to visit."
Central and West London
Central London options tend to be slightly more polished, better suited to work nights out, and more reliably accessible by tube. These venues sit comfortably in the cocktail bar scene in London while offering something extra for the games-minded drinker. They are also the right choice for visitors staying in the West End who want a genuinely fun evening without venturing to Peckham or Hackney.
Loading Bar
Stoke Newington · North London
Loading Bar has been around long enough to have earned genuine institution status in the North London gaming bar scene. The format is deliberately casual: two floors of consoles and arcade machines, a short but well-chosen beer list, and cocktails that do not try too hard. The regular gaming tournaments draw a competitive crowd on Thursday nights. Good for groups who know what they want and do not need to be sold on the concept.
$ · Tournament nights Thursday
Press Start Bar
Farringdon · Central London
Tucked below street level in Farringdon, Press Start Bar leans into the speakeasy format that suits this area well. The entrance is deliberately understated and the interior rewards the effort of finding it. 20 arcade machines, a serious cocktail list built by a former head bartender from a well-known Soho venue, and a booking-recommended policy that keeps it from getting oppressively crowded.
$$$ · Booking recommended Fri & Sat
The Electric Shuffle
London Bridge · South London
The Electric Shuffle sits at the intersection of arcade bar and group entertainment venue. The main draw is the shuffleboard tables, but the gaming machines and the drinks programme are both strong enough to hold their own. The cocktail list covers 30 serves and the wine selection is unusually considered for this format. The London Bridge location makes it the easiest arcade bar in the city to get to from most parts of South London.
$$ · Table bookings available
What to Expect at a London Arcade Bar
Most London arcade bars operate on a free-to-play model where the games are included with entry or drink purchase. A few still use tokens, though this is becoming less common. Entry fees are rare but do exist on weekend evenings at the more popular venues, typically between £5 and £10.
Drinks prices sit slightly above the local average, reflecting the cost of the additional entertainment. Expect to pay £10 to £14 for a cocktail and £6 to £8 for a craft beer. The trade-off is that you are getting several hours of gaming along with the drink, which changes the value calculation compared to a standard bar visit.
For more of what London's bar scene offers across every style and neighbourhood, our full London bar guide covers 200 venues organised by occasion. And if you are specifically interested in the cocktail side of things, the best cocktail bars in London page goes deep on the city's leading drinks programmes.
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Sofia Reeves
Senior Editor, Europe
Sofia covers London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin, Edinburgh, and Copenhagen for barsforKings. She has been writing about bars and hospitality for 11 years and holds a WSET Level 3 Award in Wines. She is also the author of our complete guide to London's best bars.
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