The 10 best arcades and arcade bars in Charlotte

Arcades around Charlotte run from a Belmont game bar with 36 pinball machines and Japanese rhythm cabinets to a Gastonia pinball museum where one wristband covers a full day of free play, a downtown Concord bar with $5 admission Tuesday through Thursday and a remodeled Dave & Buster’s with a human claw machine. There is even a rhythm-game arcade inside the Pineville Super G Mart. This list covers 10 arcades and arcade bars in Charlotte, Concord, Pineville, Gastonia, Rock Hill and Fort Mill, from free-play cabinets and $1 pinball to $14.99 all-day wristbands. Seven are local businesses. Most arcade bars go 21+ at night, so most entries say when kids are welcome. The list is for pinball league regulars, parents planning a rainy Saturday and anyone who misses high scores. Entries are listed alphabetically, not ranked.

How we chose

Every arcade here showed 2026 activity: a 2026 county or state food inspection, pinball tournaments on the International Flipper Pinball Association calendar for November and December 2026, a fall 2026 event or menu on the venue’s own site, or 2026 coverage in Axios Charlotte or the Fort Mill Sun. Picks favor places where games are the main draw, and are based on game lists, prices and age rules from venue websites and coverage from Axios Charlotte, Queen City News, Cardinal & Pine, WCNC, WSOC, WBTV, iNTERGAME, RePlay, the Fort Mill Sun and the Charlotte Observer. Bowling alleys, go-kart tracks and indoor play parks, where arcades are a side attraction, were left out, along with arcades that could not show 2026 activity. No business paid to be included. Prices and hours were last checked on November 6, 2026.

16-Bit Bar+Arcade

Named for the 16-bit architecture that several of the games were built on, this South End bar has more than 35 vintage arcade games, according to the bar’s website. Charlotte Agenda reported in December 2019 that the bar was opening in a building shared with a sister duckpin bowling bar. The Charlotte bar belongs to a chain managed from Columbus, Ohio. Food is limited to snacks, and guests may bring food from nearby restaurants.

Why we chose them

• Every arcade game and console is free to play, and pinball is $1.
• All ages are welcome with an adult until 8 p.m., then the bar is 21+.
• The Game Over is a 25-ounce, eight-liquor drink for $19, and you keep the glass.
• All 36 drafts come in 100-ounce beer towers.
• Happy hour pricing runs all day on Thursdays in Charlotte.

Address: Charlotte (South End) — 307 W. Tremont Ave.

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Akihabari

Super Abari owner Zachary Pulliam built this mini arcade inside the food hall at the Pineville Super G Mart after Super G Mart business development manager Peter Hahn approached him about adding entertainment, the Fort Mill Sun reported in August 2026. The name plays on Akihabara, Tokyo’s anime, manga and gaming district, and the lineup is devoted to rhythm games, a genre common in Japanese arcades and rare in the U.S. One side is styled as an alleyway, and the other mimics an arcade interior.

Why we chose them

• A large Dance Dance Revolution cabinet sits front and center.
• Cabinets come from a Spartanburg business that imports them from Japan.
• Charlotte artist Eulizerd painted the murals on the alleyway side.
• An earlier plan to open in Eastway Crossing fell through, Pulliam told the Sun.
• Call Super G Mart before you go to confirm the arcade’s hours.

Address: Pineville — Inside Super G Mart, 10500 Centrum Pkwy.

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The Basement Arcade Bar

Troy Taylor owned this downtown Concord bar when Queen City News profiled the bar, and every game is on free play once you pay admission. The lineup lists 44 games, including 21 pinball machines such as Foo Fighters, King Kong and Pokemon premium editions, plus arcade titles from Mortal Kombat II and NBA Jam to Galaga and a Super Chexx dome hockey table. The bar pours craft beer from North Carolina breweries and signature cocktails, and food is limited to vending-machine snacks.

Why we chose them

• Admission is $10 for adults 21 and up and $5 for anyone younger.
• Everyone pays $5 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
• Under-21s are welcome with an adult until 8 p.m.
• Monthly pinball tournaments cost $10 to enter, and the next is November 19.
• Cardinal & Pine ranked the bar No. 2 among Charlotte-area adult arcades in March 2025.

Address: Concord — 14 Union St. S.

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Classic Arcade and Pinball Museum

Owner Jim Connolly opened this Gastonia arcade in early 2024, and iNTERGAME reported that April that the museum had nearly 80 games; the website now counts more than 100 games, all on free play. Connolly told WCNC in 2024 that he favors pinball and driving games: “I try to do games that you can’t do on a PlayStation.” Pinball runs from the mid-1960s to new Stern titles such as Godzilla and Foo Fighters, along with Black Hole and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Why we chose them

• All-day admission is $14.99, with a wristband that allows re-entry.
• Admission drops to $10 in the last hour, and non-players get in free.
• Guests of any age are welcome from open to close.
• A 10-inch cheese pizza is $9.99, and beer and seltzers are sold.
• Gaston County inspectors gave the kitchen a 100 in June 2026.

Address: Gastonia — 3210 Union Rd.

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Dave & Buster’s Concord

The Concord Mills store reopened on July 18, 2025, after a full remodel, with more than 120 games, including Top Gun Maverick and Hot Wheels Victory Lap, plus VR experiences, according to the company’s grand reopening announcement. The remodel added the Human Crane, where a harnessed player becomes the claw and grabs prizes, and private Game Suites with high-tech darts or social shuffleboard. The bar has a 40-foot screen, and WBTV reported a revamped bowling area.

Why we chose them

• Games are half price every Wednesday and Sunday, except VR, Game Suites and the Human Crane.
• Eat & Play combos start at $19.99, with a $10 Power Card included.
• Guests under 18 or 21, depending on the store, need a guardian at least 25.
• Cabarrus County inspectors gave the kitchen a 94.5 in October 2026.

Address: Concord — 8361 Concord Mills Blvd.

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Dave & Buster’s Pineville

This Dave & Buster’s at Carolina Place mall pairs the arcade floor with a sports bar full of HD screens, a full restaurant menu and trivia nights, according to the location’s page. The chain dates to December 1982, when Dave and Buster opened the first store in Dallas. Games run on Power Cards, and the Charlotte Observer’s 2023 arcade roundup listed Skee-Ball, Pac-Man, Wicked Tuna and Top Gun Maverick among the games at the area’s Dave & Buster’s stores.

Why we chose them

• Games are half price every Wednesday and Sunday.
• Buying a Power Card of $25 or more unlocks a $4.99 dine-in entree.
• Mecklenburg County inspectors gave the kitchen a 96.5 in June 2026.
• Call ahead about the minor policy, since the cutoff age varies by store.

Address: Pineville — 11049 Carolina Place Pkwy., Suite LS-05

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Foo Bar

Axios Charlotte profiled this arcade bar in the AvidXchange Music Factory, just north of Uptown, in January 2026, after WSOC reported in March 2025 that the bar was set to open that April. Owners Ted and Denise, as the website names them, call Foo Bar their shared vision, and the bar sits next door to a comedy club. The site lists 12 pinball machines, from Deadpool and Foo Fighters to John Wick, Jaws and Stranger Things.

Why we chose them

• Arcade picks include Pac-Man Battle Royale, House of the Dead, NFL Blitz and Skee-Ball.
• The Dr. Mario cocktail mixes bourbon, Dr Pepper syrup and cherry bitters.
• All ages are welcome only Saturday and Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m., with under-18s accompanied by a parent.
• The bar is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Address: Charlotte (AvidXchange Music Factory) — 900 NC Music Factory Blvd., Suite B4

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Player 1UP

Established in 2019 in Old Town Rock Hill, this arcade bar held a grand opening on August 6, 2019, RePlay reported. Play now runs on game cards, with one credit worth 25 cents and games costing two to six credits, and the website says games rotate constantly, and guests can report a broken game to the technicians by scanning a QR code on each machine. A full kitchen serves appetizers and entrees alongside a full bar.

Why we chose them

• Weekend Freeplay is $20 for four hours of unlimited play, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
• Families are welcome until 9 p.m., and the bar is strictly 21+ after that.
• The monthly Four Strike pinball tournament is next on December 6.
• A March 2025 Cardinal & Pine ranking put the bar No. 3 among Charlotte-area adult arcades.

Address: Rock Hill, S.C. — 140 E. Main St., Suite 140

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Replay Brewing

Beer comes first at this Kingsley brewery, where head brewer Dickey makes staff favorites such as the Cheat Codes NEIPA, Light Brite Lager and Cabby’s Cream Ale, and the retro arcade side has pinball, Golden Tee, board games and Nintendo Switch and PS5 consoles. The kitchen serves flatbreads, including a hot honey pepperoni, plus paninis and baskets of fries, tenders and boneless wings. Belles & Chimes, a women’s pinball tournament, runs every second Tuesday.

Why we chose them

• Mondays bring free pinball and $8 house margaritas.
• A ladies’ pinball social meets every fourth Tuesday.
• The Mug Club is $99 a year and includes $2 in tokens each visit.
• South Carolina inspectors gave the kitchen an A grade in May 2026.

Address: Fort Mill, S.C. — 1317 Broadcloth St.

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Super Abari Game Bar

Owner Zachary Pulliam opened this game bar in Charlotte’s Belmont neighborhood in May 2022, about a mile from his original Abari, which closed in August 2020, Axios Charlotte reported. The current game list counts 105 games: 36 pinball machines, 64 arcade cabinets and five rhythm games. Pinball runs from Godzilla, Jaws and Pokemon premium editions to Twilight Zone and Medieval Madness, and Japanese rhythm cabinets include Chunithm, Taiko no Tatsujin and jubeat.

Why we chose them

• The bar is 21+ except Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.
• A pinball league plays every Tuesday from 7 to 10 p.m.
• Sanctioned Sunday tournaments are set for November 15 and 29 and December 13 and 27.
• Cardinal & Pine ranked the bar No. 1 among Charlotte-area adult arcades in March 2025.
• A Godzilla Day mural fundraiser runs November 13 from 5 to 10 p.m.

Address: Charlotte (Belmont) — 1015 Seigle Ave.

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Prices, hours and opening status last checked November 6, 2026. Call ahead where an entry says to.