Gaming in Pittsburgh | Your Guide to Barcades, Arcades & Retro Gaming

Find the best barcades, pinball machines, retro gaming and arcades in Pittsburgh

Are you looking to level up your nightlife? Maybe it's one of those rainy Pittsburgh summer days and you need to find a way to get the kids out of the house.

Re-live some of your favorite childhood memories and fire up some pinball, Pac-Man or Mario Kart at some of the coolest barcades, arcades and gaming hangouts around Pittsburgh to play some retro arcade games.

Shorty's Pins x Pints

One of the top new spots in the North Shore, Shorty's Pins x Pints brings retrotainmen" to the Burgh with old school bowling hall vibes combined with a modern Latin street food menu and a curated list of craft brews and cocktails.

Shorty's offers eight lanes of duckpin bowling, 10 pinball machines, foosball, shuffleboard, vintage arcade machines and even a free photo booth! It's the perfect stop before or after a Pirates or Steelers game, but be sure to reserve your lane early to get in a few frames.

Barcadia

Combining two of my favorite words in the English language, Barcadia does retro gaming and tasty beverages right. This retro-themed space is two floors of fun right in Market Square with 80+ arcade games, great cocktails, awesome bites and a huge draft list.

Barcadia has some amazing games you won't find anywhere else in the city, like The Fast and the Furious Arcade Quad, the up-to-10 player Killer Queen, collector's edition pinball cabs, VR and much more. Upstairs, a 2000s-themed popup bar and dance floor accompanies the throwback games and themed drinks.

Pins Mechanical Co. & 16-Bit Bar+Arcade

Beer + old school entertainment + cocktails = Pins Mechanical Co., recently opened in Pittsburgh's Southside neighborhood. It's easy to make Pins a one-stop night as this concept features everything from bocce courts to ping pong, foosball, duckpin bowling and pinball. Their killer cocktail menu adds some retro flair to some adventurous combinations, such as the Hulk Hogan that comes with an original Bomb Pop to the Carrie Fisher that comes with rock candy. Yum!

As far as pinball goes, their full list includes 24 cabinets from classics like Creatures from the Black Lagoon and Addams Family to the newest games.

Velum Fermentation

Bring a stack of quarters and challenge your friends to a skee-ball competition at Velum Fermentation in the South Side! This microbrewery has a macro view of entertainment with a full arcade, including a huge row of pinball, outdoor fire pits, plus fantastic brews in this giant, friendly space.

Helicon Brewing

A plethora of pinball machines ring both Helicon Brewing locations in Oakdale and McDonald. Monday evenings are free play pinball events, where your $20 ticket covers two beers and unlimited play on 40+ machines. Plus, look for monthly tournaments announced on their website and test your skills against the area's top flippers.

The Rezzanine

Whether you're a casual gamer, love retro or are a hardcore eSports competitor, The Rezzanine is for you. With towering screens to play competitive games as well as tons of retro consoles, pinball games and even board games, this inclusive new spot has perfected gaming bliss.

Keep an eye on their events calendar for Esports tournaments and other events throughout the year where you can see some of the region's top competitors play or test your skills to become the champion.

Coop de Ville

A mouth-watering menu is enough to make you visit Coop de Ville in the Strip District, but this dining hotspot can easily become an all-night stop with duck pin bowling, vintage arcade games, billiards and a full bar with TVs to watch the game.

Coop de Ville's arcade cabinet selection reads like a list of the best games of all time, and includes everything from the classic Donkey Kong, Ms. Pac Man and Outrun to multiplayer favorites like a bubble hockey table, Gauntlet Legends and Rampage.

Kickback Pinball Café

Temporarily Closed. Reopening at their new location in the basement of the Lawrenceville Market House July 5, 2024.

Housed right along Butler Street in the chic neighborhood of Lawrenceville, Kickback Pinball Café is the place to go for enthusiasts of this popular, retro game.

Offering exclusively pinball, Kickback hosts around 20 machines onsite at any given time and rotates the machines periodically. Play new, classic and hard to find cabinets you won't find anywhere else such as the new RUSH from Stern, Spooky's Halloween with incredible custom artwork and the vintage 1994 World Cup Soccer cabinet from Bally.

Pinball Perfection

Situated about 15 minutes north of downtown in Westview, you'll find Pittsburgh’s Museum of Pinball since 1991, Pinball Perfection. With more than 300 machines and counting, it carries some games that date all the way back to the 1930s. Plus, check out exciting themed displays like the Star Wars area where you can play an assortment of pinball machiens from the rare Empire Strikes Back to the new Mandalorian cabinet.

If you decide that you want to take a break from pinball and play some other kinds of games, there are also various arcade-style games, air hockey, pool, ski ball and ping pong. Pinball Perfection is open Tuesday-Saturday year-round.

Victory Pointe Arcade

Victory Pointe Arcade has the variety to appeal to all types of gamers, even if you haven't been in an arcade for years. Battle your friends at a fighting game, blast the bad guys with old school light guns, dodge the banana peels in Mario Kart or become the Tetris GrandMaster. Insider Tip: The fast-paced disc throwing game Windjammers is some of the most fun you'll ever have playing someone head-to-head in an arcade.

Found in Pittsburgh's Southside, Victory Pointe Arcade is open Thursday-Sunday and a perfect nightcap after a long day exploring the city. Their entire venue can also be rented out for private events, which makes it a top location for gamers to celebrate birthdays, bachelor parties and more!

And Don't Miss - Pittsburgh Knights

Did you know that Pittsburgh has its own premier esports organization? When they're not crushing the competition in Valorant or other top games, you can find the Pittsburgh Knights setting up gaming zones in the city and inviting the community to their unique events.

Check their events page for exciting competitions that invite you to be part of the action, like the Gaming Knight at PNC Park featuring a Pirates game followed by a Rocket League tournament.

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