Location Watch May 2026: New Arcades To Visit All Over The World

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Welcome to another edition of Location Watch, Arcade Heroes’ regular series of posts that collect the newest arcades that have opened their doors across the world. So far we have only done these every two months this year, with our last being from the end of March, but that means there is always plenty of places to choose from. Thanks as always to all of our readers who have sent in their tips(extra H/T to Pacsonic for diligently resending a couple we had overlooked), as well as the rolling updates from RePlay Magazine and InterGame Online (who recently rebranded their arcade-related coverage to Amusement & Attractions).

North America

Before covering all of these, I would just note that quite a few on the list this time are not open seven days a week. I’m not sure if that’s due to operational costs in their area, or some other factor, but it is curious.

Extraordinaire Arcade (San Bernadino, CA)

We’ll start with this free play arcade that opened in San Bernadino, that has around 100 arcade machines and a console play area. The arcade has a lot of classics, but also some games that have been released within the past decade or so. Guitar Hero Arcade is likely a popular one (I often hear requests for it, but they are difficult to find at a good price). They also have party rooms and serve some light food/beverage options, although it appears that they are not open on Mondays or Tuesdays. Visit their main site here.

Launchpad Arcade (Pocomoke City, MD)

Over on the opposite side of the country is a retro arcade that’s a bit smaller, while also operating only on Fridays & Saturdays. Launchpad Arcade has a space theme going for it, along with a mix of classic video titles, newer pinball machines, and a few redemption machines. They have an Atari Night Driver, which is fairly rare in general, and certainly the rarest of the video pieces in their selection. They use quarters, maintaining that real classic arcade feel to the experience. Visit their website here and find them on Facebook.

Troy Rewind (Troy, NY)

Winding north to New York, there’s another retro focused venue to mention, with this one being an arcade bar. They have a console area(which appears to be focused on fighters), then the arcade games are focused on titles from the ’80s & ’90s over newer stuff. Source.

RWND Restaurant & Arcade (Wareham, MA)

If retro’s you’re game over in MA, then this venue has got you covered, sporting a TRON aesthetic on the walls, and two bars with forty games on the floor. If you visit their site then you’ll see that they have a strong focus on the restaurant portion of the experience, and like many others on our list today, they are not open all days of the week. The arcade is also a free play style room

The Pinball Capital (Stone Park, IL)

Illinois is no stranger to pinball parlors, and this new location in Stone Park is playing up Chicago being “the pinball captial of the world” in their namesake. Their Instagram page also states that they are “Illinois’ Largest Pinball-Centric Arcade.” There are some video pieces to be found, mingling in with the pins, but obviously anyone headed here will be on the prowl for the silverball. Their selection hits everything from an LE Pokémon to classic Gottlieb wedgeheads, although I couldn’t say what their rarest piece in the collection might be – I’m sure they have several games that are rather hard to find.

Life Bar Arcade (Schaumburg, IL)

Also in IL, but focusing back on the bar gaming experience is Life Bar Arcade (clever name!). Billing themselves as “The Best Arcade Bar & Live Music Venue in Schaumburg,” they have a big focus on the music side of things, but also where its IL, there’s a hearty selection of pinball to enjoy(most are newer Stern’s, but they have a few others, including a Baby Pac-Man). They are open most of the week, but Mon/Tues only for private events. On video, they also cover a swathe of years from the ’80s to more recent times, one of their rarer pieces being a Theatrhythm Final Fantasy All-Star Carnival by Square Enix. Their website is here.

Summit Arcade PNW @ The Capitol (Bend, OR)

In the city where the last operating Blockbuster Video is located, an arcade has returned to this restaurant/bar/music venue, with games supplied by Summit Arcade. They have a modern mix of titles, including Retro Raccoons, although from the video posted to their Facebook page, they have a strong focus on pinball with plenty of new titles from both Stern and Jersey Jack. There’s also this coverage about the new arcade room from The Bend Bulletin.

FEC Openings & Updates

Dave & Buster’s Opens New King Of Prussia Location – Friend of the site S1ckH4ndsRBN was there filming. Cool to see them get Maimai DX and Phantom Vanguard, but it sounds like some would much prefer those to be rolled out across other locations too

S1ckH4nds Also Tours New Main Event For Deer Park, NY

Jester FEC Launches New Maui’s Indoor Theme Park Owensboro, KY

Cahoots Rockford, IL Comes To Former Coca Cola Bottling Plant

Fun Factory Opens In Pearl City, HI

The Rush Funplex Opens In Both Hurricane + Logan, UT

MGM Grand Debuts Arcade Bar, Bonus Round, In Vegas

Thrillz Atlanta Opening In June – This is more of an “adventure park” than an FEC with an arcade room though

Europe

Boneyard Arcade (Exeter, England)

We don’t always give reopenings this much prominence, but this spotlight is well deserved for a location that has continually put in a lot of effort over the years, and are finally on the UK arcade scene again after a little while away. Early last month, Boneyard Arcade completed their move to a new venue in the same town of Exeter, after shutting down their original place in 2024. This is bigger than the previous one, and does feature numerous new additions, including these iconic Sega racers all in a row, and several more imported cabinets than before (they previously just had a Maimai Finale). From the sounds of things, their first couple months back in business have been a major success, and hopefully things will stay the same way. Check them out on Facebook here.

LuxPlay (Boscombe, England)

This second UK opening looks like a bit of a strange one, as it purports to combine an indoor kids play center with a 40+ game arcade (including the likes of Sega Rally 2 and Ford Racing Full Blown, for a couple of Sega racers that Boneyard don’t have)… but apparently that indoor play center part hasn’t actually opened yet, leaving some customers displeased. Whatever the case, kids are getting an arcade fix here.

Pathé Games (Namur, Belgium)

Courtesy of our friends at Arcade Belgium, the newest opening for that country is this one, inside one of Pathé’s (a notable cinema chain and film producer/distributor in Europe) locations. Though seemingly light on video games in favor of prize redemption, AB have said that they do have four racers in the form of MotoGP VR, Spin City, Monster Kart and Monster Jet Riders, so they clearly like their UNIS titles there.

Arcade Nation (Namur, Belgium)

Another location coming to us from Arcade Belgium, this one opened up back in April, bringing arcade action to a place that AB say has been missing out on it. Like Pathé, Arcade Nation do have a lot of redemption, but in their mix of 30 games they have got more variety, with Storm Racer G, Minecraft Dungeons Arcade, and StepManiaX, as well as pinball like Pokémon (with the trading card mod some operators have been adding).

FEC Openings & Updates

Hart’s Amusements, Bispham (Near Blackpool) Reopens

New Tenpin Location For Wakefield, England

15th FEC For Games Factory In Reims, France

First German Location For Twister Arcade

Gamestate De Kuip, Rotterdam Receives An Upgrade

Asia/Middle East/Oceania

Silk Hat (Kamata, Japan)

Late last year, Japan’s Silk Hat chain made a show of force by moving into one of the famous former Sega/GiGO locations in Akihabara, and now six months on they have just opened an all-new major Tokyo center. It can be found in the Kamata district, which for a bit of history is in fact very near where Sega’s Japanese headquarters used to be (they moved to Shinagawa in the late 2010s). This has five floors, with several being taken up by cranes and medal games, but owing to them being part of the Bemani Pro League, there is also plenty of rhythm game fun to be had, with numerous Beatmania IIDX and Sound Voltex cabinets, a DDR, and Sega’s range in the genre too.