The best arcade bars in NYC for games and recreations

It’s a bar. It’s an arcade. It’s Barcade! Thanks to a rotating selection of 20-plus beers on tap and more than 30 classic arcade consoles from the ’70s and ’80s, there’s plenty at this Williamsburg drinkery to keep you buzzed and busy. Bring friends and tag-team a two-player side-scroller like Contra or Final Fight. Or show up alone, order a Flagship “Nitro” Wolf Hound and set your sights on the Ms. Pac-Man high score (last time we played, it was 950,660). Be prepared—more popular games like Punch-Out!! and Donkey Kong might have lines.

It’s the Sunshine State by way of Gowanus at this pastel-streaked Floridian playground, where shuffleboard revivalists Jonathan Schnapp and Ashley Albert have retooled lido-deck kitsch for beer-fisted millennials. At the 17,000-square-foot game hall, neck-tattooed skaters and girls dressed like Miley Cyrus gather over $60-an-hour rounds of biscuit and tang (shufflespeak for pucks and poles), forming a scene that’s as flamboyantly Boca as it is staunchly Brooklyn.

Here at Time Out, we love a name that throws you off. Whatever you think Swingers is going to be, we promise you that’s not it. This groovy Swingers club is of the golf kind (get it?). You can either show up and see where the night takes you or choose from one of Swingers’ crazy golf packages, from the humble two-person golf-and-drinks for $55 a person to the premium for $116, including crazy golf, drinks, street food, dessert, your own table and your own tee off time. General admission is $20 a person for nine rounds!

Upstairs in this bi-level bar, boozers chomp miniburgers and nip at microbrews like Sixpoint in the gentlemen’s-club–style anteroom (decorated with Soviet-era globes, paintings of fez-capped men, fireplaces)—before battling it out on the clay bocce courts. Downstairs, spectators are treated to a rotating roster of live talent, such as blaring bands, comedians and a monthly science night.

Founded by husband-and-wife team Mark Kleback and Stephanie Gross, Wonderville is Brooklyn's "first all-independent arcade bar," featuring over 30 custom-built free-to-play games by members of the NYC games community. Along with also showcasing indie games, music and art, the Bushwick venue hosts video game tournaments, Dungeons and Dragons nights and board game events. 

The original location of the NYC bowling bar chainlet features 8ight vintage hardwood lanes of classic ten-pin bowling. Special events like trivia nights and comedy shows help draw in crowds not enticed enough by the combination of alcohol—expect a wide selection of American independent craft beers—and hurling bulky objects.

Table tennis is a great game to play while drinking: It’s safer than darts (why do we play darts when we’re drunk?), and you’re likely to be on a level playing field with your friends. Grab a few pals and head to this 17-table Ping-Pong emporium and bar in Gramercy. You can’t beat the service: Staff members bring drinks to your table and refill your bucket of balls, ensuring minimal play stoppage. Tables are $59 per hour on Fridays and Saturdays, but drop in during a weeknight for much cheaper matches ($29/hour on Mondays, $49/hour on Tuesdays through Thursdays). 

It’s game over for your nightlife routine: A pinball bar has come to Woodside, Queens, led by the founder of Pinball New York league Kristopher Medina, Andy Heidel (the Way Station) and bartender Corey Lange (RoseWater, Taco Santo). The bar touts craft beer from Brooklyn and Queens. For stronger boosts to your game, try some of the cocktails named after local neighborhoods like the Woodside Mule and Corona Park. 

This Skee-Ball-themed bar in Williamsburg is a haven for kitschy, nostalgia-driven boozing. The beer offerings skew cheap and cheerful, with 40 varietes spread between standard taps and ice-filled coolers behind the bar. Three-buck Genesee Cream Ale replaces PBR as the cheapo suds of choice. Divey decor reflects the owners' commitment to the game—the bar is constructed from old Skee-Ball machine parts, and a TV up front plays a live feed of the action on the three ramps in the back ($5 for unlimited games).

With two each of pool tables, dartboards, Skee-Ball lanes and pinball machines, Ace Bar is a great place to go with people you already know or would like to know better. You may have to wait it out for a pool table, but there’s ample space to swing a cue—and plenty to do in the meantime. The walls are lined with retro lunchboxes and kitschy horror memorabilia, and draft beers like Anchor Steam and Sixpoint Sweet Action are only $3 or $4 during happy hour (Sunday through Friday until 9pm).