The largest gaming arcade in Europe is in the UK – with more than 1,000 machines that are free to play
GAMERS who fancy spending 12 hours on their favourite consoles can head to the biggest gaming arcade in Europe.
Found just outside Manchester, Arcade Club has a whopping four floors of consoles, machines and gaming rigs.
Arcade Club in Bury has more than 1,000 machines to choose from, with 400 types of games from the 70s, 80s and 90s.
The arcade venture was started by owner Andy Palmer who had a collection of 30 arcade machines.
He then opened his first Arcade Club in a huge warehouse in Haslingden, with 100 machines.
This then moved to the Arcade Club in Bury in 2015, followed by Floor 2 in 2017 – now the biggest in Europe.
The website states: “Four floors of arcade machines, pinball, games consoles and other exciting gaming attractions.
“More than 400 classic and modern games with something for everyone.”
This includes modern arcade games and PC rigs as well as older, retro options across platforms such as N64s, Playstations, Segas and Xbox.
Dance mats include Dancing Stage Euromix and Dance, Dance Revolution, as well as retro games like Pac-Man and Pinball.
Classics such as Donkey Kong and Mario Kart are also found at the arcade, as well as fighting games such as Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter and Tekken.
Interactive games include skeetball, pool tables and air hockey, as well as VR machines, and the lower floor even has a DJ set.
There are even popular imported games from places like Japan.
And you don’t have to pay to use the machines – simply pay your entry fee and play.
If you fancy staying all day, you don’t have to leave when you get hungry.
Stall onsite serves snacks including pizzas, burgers, hot dogs and nachos.
There are also soft drinks as well as booze including beer, cider, wine and spirits, with Budweiser and Corona just £2.95
With it being so big, you don’t even need to book in advance, although they suggest to if you don’t want to risk missing out during the weekend.
Tickets cost £9 for kids and £17 for adults, although these are for the entire day, in case you decide to leave and come back.
The arcade is open Thurs-Sunday, with 6pm-12am adult-only sessions on Fridays.
It is open all day during the weekend.
If you can’t get to Manchester, there is also Arcade Club Leeds and Arcade Club Blackpool.
It’s ranked 5* on TripAdvisor and is the number one nightlife destination in Bury.
One person wrote: “There was so much to do and so many ways to get hooked on a single machines and accidentally only come up for air after 2 hours have gone by.”
Another said: “Truly is a hidden gem in the northwest.”
A third agreed: “This is literally the coolest place in the world!”
The UK is home to a number of amazing gaming attractions.
In London, Gravity Max is home to arcade machines as well as e-karting, virtual reality games, and bowling.
Later this month, the F1 Arcade in Birmingham will open, with 53 racing simulators.
And next time you’re flying into Paris, make sure to find the terminals that have free PS5 gaming areas and retro arcades.
The biggest McDonald’s in the world even has its own arcade area too.