Editorial
London has taken to the arcade bar with more enthusiasm than almost any European city. The formula is simple: put good drinks in one hand and a joystick in the other, and let a night stretch longer than a normal round would. The best rooms are not amusement arcades that happen to sell beer. They are proper bars that added games as a reason to stay.
We use the term broadly here, because London does. At one end sit pure retro-arcade rooms full of 1980s cabinets. At the other are competitive-socialising bars built around shuffleboard or ping-pong, and an esports bar that treats a live tournament like a match on a big screen. We have grouped all of them below and been clear about which is which, so you can pick the right one for your group. Where a venue on our working list could not be verified, we left it out, which is why this reads as six rather than a padded ten.
Our editors weigh four things: the quality and range of the games, whether the drinks are made with care rather than treated as an afterthought, the price of a night once tokens and rounds are counted, and how well the room suits a group. We favor venues that do one thing distinctly, whether that is a wall of vintage cabinets or a room wired for esports, over generalists that do everything at half strength.
London's original arcade bar has been open on Peckham's Rye Lane since 2014, with sibling sites now at London Bridge and beyond. Time Out and Secret London both credit it with setting the template: more than 15 vintage cabinets and a rack of retro consoles beside a proper cocktail list. Order the melon-loaded Yoshi Sour, run at two for £15, and claim a machine early on a weekend, when it stays open until 3am.
The Soho outpost of the neon dive-bar chain has been tucked under 53-54 Berwick Street since 2022. It packs in 31 arcade machines, two pinball tables, and eight consoles on a token system, with video-game cocktails like the Power Star Martini and the Aku Aku Fruit Punch. It is strictly 18-plus and leans dark and loud. Best on a weeknight, before the weekend crush takes over.
A gaming-first bar in Dalston that has run since 2010, now on Stoke Newington High Street. The draw is console play rather than cabinets: Xbox, PS4, Switch, and an SNES Mini alongside more than 60 board games, all free to play so you only pay for drinks. The cocktail list leans fully into the theme, from the Donkey Konga to a Resident Evil G and T Virus. Best for a low-key group night.
The St Mary Axe branch of the competitive-socialising chain is the closest thing in the City to a full games complex, pairing arcade machines with pool, ping-pong, beer pong, and shuffleboard. Drinks are fairly priced for the location and the beer list covers the major craft styles. Book a private booth for a party of eight or more.
More shuffleboard bar than arcade, but it earns a place for groups. The Canary Wharf and London Bridge sites reinvent the old deck game with instant electronic scoring and a retro-futuristic fit-out, plus a cocktail list built for sharing. Weekend bottomless brunch adds pizza and an hour of play. Choose it for a team social rather than a solo retro-gaming session.
London's first dedicated esports bar has held down Caledonian Road in Kings Cross since 2014. Screens carry live League of Legends, Counter-Strike, and Dota, with stations for Mario Kart, Street Fighter, and Overwatch between broadcasts, plus cocktails and board games. This is the pick when you want to watch a match as much as play one.
Most of these venues are 18-plus after early evening and get loud once the weekend arrives, so a weeknight visit rewards anyone who actually wants to play. Games run on tokens at some sites and free-to-play at others, where you simply keep the drinks coming. If cocktails matter more than cabinets, the wider London cocktail bar scene and our best cocktail bars in London guide are the better starting point, and the London hidden gems list covers rooms most visitors miss.
For the purest hit of retro gaming, Four Quarters and NQ64 are the two to beat. For a group that wants variety, Roxy Ball Room and Electric Shuffle spread the night across several games, while Meltdown is the clear pick for anyone who wants to watch esports as much as play. Whichever you choose, treat the games as the reason to stay and the drinks as the reason it is still a proper night out. For more of the city, start with the London bar guide.