Came here for a date after passing it numerous times bumping around downtown. I've always pegged this place as sort of a more local Dave & Busters and it sort of is on a smaller scale. Food, drinks and of course a bunch of games to play. Difference here is they seem to host ESports and other games beyond arcade games which is cool. This particular visit was kind of like a Classic play some games and laugh along the way rather than expect to find gem games of days gone by or even present. There is a good assortment of light gun, classic fighters and of course DDR which they were real generous with - 6 credits on a swipe which is like 9 song/sets! There is a bar but it's kind of basic compared to the afformentioned Dave & Busters, which makes that part of their identity. Also the person selling me the game card was fast on talk, and slow on the explanation of how things work which could've been better. It was nearing close so I wasn't going go through the whole rundown. Fun time here if you're looking for something to do in the area, but a Barcade or Dave & Busters will do the job all the same. read more

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I hadn't been to GameWorks for a couple of decades when I went last week for a relative's birthday. He is really into video games and enjoyed Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) along with the driving games where you can race against your friends/family members. So, I am glad he had a good time. But I don't think I will go back to GameWorks in the future, even for special events. First, the loud noise and flashing lights made me feel like I was in a casino for kids. Something creepy about the vibe there. Second, there was no real air conditioning on a hot summer day, just these mobile a/c fans that blew cold air and were quite loud, adding to an already noisy place. Third, the games were very expensive. You have to buy a card for game credits and swipe that card whenever you play a game. We calculated later that it was cost us $1.60-2.30 PER GAME. That is including vintage games like Frogger and Ms. Pacman and other games like Operation, Skeeball, and driving games that only give you one life. Growing up in the 70s and 80s, I went to A LOT of arcades as a kid and teen. I don't expect places to be like the arcades I went to back then, but I do expect a fair and decent exchange for my money for the experience of playing a video game. Three lives/tries per fee is a fair exchange. GameWorks is nothing like that, and for that reason, along with others I've given here, I won't be back. read more

GameWorks - My relatives playing one of the driving games where you can race against each other & other players. - Arcades Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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We came here for a family members birthday. They really like Dance Dance Revolution (DDR). DDR was one of the few games where for one swipe of your card you actually get more than one life on the game. It's been years since we've been to Gameworks so we decided to buy the lowest level of credits $25 for 140 credits which you get on a card that you swipe at each machine. The majority of games we played ranged from 9 to 13 credits and most of those games only give you one life. That's like $1.60-$2.30 for 1 play. It felt like such a rip off. Plus all of us have played video games over decades and the normal way you expect games to work is you get 3 lives per play. It just seems wrong to pay over $2 for one life of the new Space Invaders no matter how fun it might be. If you're sensitive to sounds it is pretty loud in here. We didn't try any food or drinks. read more

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Whether you're a casual gamer or a hardcore arcade fan, this place has something for everyone. From classic pinball and air hockey to the latest racing, Japanese rhythm game, and VR games. My fav was dance dance revolution. The atmosphere is lively, with bright lights, great music, and plenty of space to move around. I booked my session using GetOutPass, where I get access to multiple local venues similar to GoCity. Use coupon code: sale1 for an extra $5 discount on top of existing promotions, if you end up getting the pass to explore more of Seattle. The Woodland Zoo and Underground tour is also included in the pass and not far from here read more

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We went during an event for esports the first time so it was very crowded and slow to get drinks but I don't think anybody minded too much. If they did they just didn't get a drink. The second time we went it was slow and no real wait for service. There were plenty of games to play and it was cool exploring the different areas including computer game space. The couches and colored blocks/tables were obviously worn but it's an arcade. I wouldn't expect it to be pristine. read more

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Great location across the street from the Seattle convention center arch. Can be a little intimidating with two stories of games. Can easily spend hours here and find just about any arcade game you can think over. All machines were clean and great working order. The staff was very friendly and service was excellent. Even during peak hours, there is ample seating and can accommodate large parties. We enjoyed the appetizers of chicken strips and an order of poutine. Both were good and hit the spot for an establishment known more for the games than the food. I would've preferred thicker gravy on the poutine, however my son enjoyed the thinner style gravy. read more

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Amazing event location! If you are an event planner, corporate community-builder, or just have a party coming up -- Gameworks is an underrated event location that we should definitely be considering! I am a professional event planner for work, and I'm a volunteer event host for a large, local Meetup group in my free time. I recently hosted two large events at Gameworks in 2025: a casual 60+ person mixer and a complex 150+ person holiday party. Gameworks was fantastic to work with and went above and beyond to make our events a great experience. We had two unexpected emergencies during our events and Gameworks really saved the day. Below are some notes about our experience and why we are happy to sing Gameworks' praises: * Support a locally owned and operated downtown Seattle staple: Gameworks was an international chain dreamed up by Sega, DreamWorks SKG, and Universal Studios. Seattle was the first location to open nearly 30 years ago, but the chain shut down in 2021. However, local ownership stepped in to keep the original Seattle branch alive. They've painstakingly worked to not just help Gameworks Seattle survive through the pandemic and ups-and-downs of downtown, but also updated, clean, and safe. Gameworks wants to be a community hub and "third place" for Seattle's community, and it shows in how much care they've put into maintaining their venue and training their staff. * Fantastic event space: Gameworks can fit 1000+ guests and has multiple event spaces available to reserve, including the whole building. Upstairs, they have a bar, dining room, kitchen, and private party room. The bar overlooks the arcade floor so it's more fun, the dining room has ample seating, and Gameworks had signs and stanchions to block off our event space and make it feel private. We appreciated that the private room had sound-dampening and dimmable lights (we used it as our sensory/"introvert room"). Downstairs is another large bar in a side room separate from the game floor that is suitable for events where you have a more formal agenda or announcements. The downstairs side bar has a large projector screen and Gameworks has a small mobile wireless mic system that we used upstairs. Bathrooms are clean, with many stalls, and require a code for safety. They have tons of well-maintained games, multiple DDR & Stepmania machines, VR, billiards, and an e-sports lounge. Love that you can buy normal point-based game cards or "time cards" for unlimited play. * Flexibility and partnership: Gameworks' owner, Darren, is great to work with. He is willing to come up with creative solutions and has the ability to work with whatever budget or event idea you have. Gameworks is eager to get more visibility and foot traffic and they are open to all sort of events, from family to community to corporate. My colleague is considering hosting one of their MBA cohort year-end events there as well. * Food and drink: Gameworks recently updated their kitchen menu with made-to-order pizza, wings, burgers, milkshakes and more. For one event, guests ordered food ala carte and we had a catered appetizer buffet bar for the other. Gameworks did a great job keeping the buffet well-stocked and they had appropriate hot-holding equipment for food safety. Our guests said the food was "not bad," which is honestly pretty good for any bar/arcade. I was actually really impressed by Gameworks' drink options. Besides the usual fare, they had a lot of local PNW beers and ciders. They had a lot of delicious cocktails and they even put together special holiday cocktails/mocktails. You can carry your drink around the arcade floor (they'll give you a wristband) and there are lots of cocktail tables next to the game machines for you to put your drinks or bags down. Despite the availability of alcohol, the venue also felt very family-friendly. (Kids and folks under 21 are welcome until 9 pm.) * Wonderful staff and exemplary customer service: We already liked the staff at Gameworks because they were friendly, funny, diverse, and all of them seemed both eager and on-board for our events. They met up with us at the beginning of each event to talk through our plans, helped us get situated, and checked in frequently throughout the night. However, what we didn't expect was the KINDNESS, PATIENCE, and SUPPORT we received from them when we had some unexpected emergencies. At one event, one of our guests fainted. Gameworks staff were immediately there helping us to give him water, free food, even a dry t-shirt to change into. They were so patient and didn't make us feel bad about causing a disturbance or making a mess. At another event, we needed help with an unruly attendee, and Gameworks immediately backed us up to ensure that we felt safe. During and after those situations, our leadership team reflected on how really, truly, grateful and lucky we were that we chose Gameworks as our venue. We love Gameworks! Highly recommended; go show them your support. read more

Came here for the Seattle Duck Rose Bowl watch party. The game was disappointing, but I enjoyed my salmon lettuce cup and Greek Salad. No dedicated fryer, so the fries are not gluten-free. They do have NA beer and cider. Helpful servers. read more

Was there for a group party organized by others and got a free unlimited card for the night, so I cannot comment on prices. This kind of place seems to be anachronistic, games are waaaaaay better at home with a console or pc. Very noisy with outdated arcade games from a distant past. The nostalgia effect lasted like 10 minutes, after that it was kinda boring and obnoxiously loud. Not sure what kids might think about it, didn't see too many, mostly adults. Not for me. read more

GameWorks - Arcades Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Lacking games especially for Seattle but their esport section is worse they want you to pay for the games like I can just go home for that lol where I already have the games installed read more

My boyfriend and I live in Los Angeles and were recently in Seattle for 4th of July weekend staying downtown. We went to Game works on that Saturday night planning to have a bite to eat, drinks and play some games. We met Travis and Zander, the amazing bartenders. They were engaging, friendly and made great Lemon Drop shots!! We didn't end up eating there but stayed until closing! We had so much fun that we went back the following night! We had tried our luck at one of the Claw games and the prize we got was stained. Javier, the manager on duty replaced the toy with not just one but two! Thank you to the GameWorks staff- Travis, Zander and Javier for a great experience and we will definitely return next time! read more

If you're a fan of arcade games, this is the place to be -- Gameworks is nestled right into the heart of Downtown Seattle, and features many levels of all the classic games. It was a great way to spend a Friday night and my only qualm is that it's closed by 10PM on Fridays and Saturdays. The game tokens are fairly affordable and you get a decent amount of gameplay for ~$30 per person. Most of the games were functional, but there were a couple either out of order or acting up! I particularly loved the Street Fighter, Skee Ball, carnival-esque games, Pac-Man, Jurassic Park, among others! There are tons to choose from and I would totally come back with a larger group since there's something for everyone! read more

GameWorks - Skee Ball - Arcades Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Lots of fun games to play, awesome drinks in the bar too! Took my godson after the Sounders match and spent the rest of our night, just having fun! Awesome service from both bartenders and game rewards people. Very welcome and clean interior, very well kept up. Can't wait to come back and rack up more rewards points! read more

GameWorks - Racing game! - Arcades Near Me - Seattle, Washington

GameWorks is back! Not much has changed and they are still ramping up but I had a blast. The areas are clean and there are a variety of games. The bar areas downstairs and upstairs have seating and is 21+. They have a variety of drinks and the beer is cold. There is also a limited food menu downstairs as well. For the arcade, the machines worked mostly great. However, some of the games are pricy and it would be great if the credits were lower. For credit options, there are a few. I understand the staff are still getting up to speed but I asked if the options by the register were the only ones available only to find out there was a special as well (which I would have purchased as I spent more for less). I will be back to check it out again soon and see changes. Overall, it's worth going to as they work out the kinks. read more

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Brought my son here tonight, not even knowing if it was still open (don't hang out downtown much anymore)...it's not cheap, but we had a blast...really fun new games as well as a few oldies we used to have fun at...cashed out our points for some penny candies and was just a great time...thank you for still being around and hope this plays stays open...still a great time to be had (fast and furious game was our fav tonight) read more

Heads up: due to counterfeit bills, this place will not accept anything higher than $20 bills. I also did notice that there's a small fee when paying with a card for the restaurant. Other than that, the food and drinks were great, me and my fam had an awesome time playing the games. The prizes seemed to get cooler too hehe. read more

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For pinball this place is GARBAGE. It's $2.50 for 1 credit and 2/3 games I played had something wrong with them. If you're gonna bop, at least have your pins in good working order. Can't believe this place is still in business. read more

Ha! So fun! Sure we spent $200 between 6 people.... But we got 3 unicorns! Blah blah blah read more

GameWorks - Three unicorns for our favorite unicorn! - Arcades Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Some of the machines were down but an employee was quick to help us when a broken machine took our credits. Lots of games and good service. A little pricey but a good experience overall. read more

GameWorks is an underrated masterpiece in Seattle, its vibrant design and huge selection of games gives it an easy 5 stars

Gameworks has been here since longer than I've been a kid (20+ years) and it has changed a lot. They used to have so many games and even some ride video games that would be so fun to play. These days, they've cut down on the games a good amount and it seems pretty limited. However, this is pretty much the only option for an arcade in the actual Seattle area, so beggars can't be choosers. I would say this is a great place to go in Seattle if you don't have a car to go out to other arcades or don't want to take the time to travel. You can definitely spend a good hour or two here entertaining yourself with the video games, but I'd say you probably couldn't really go any longer since it's just so limited. There's a pretty big bar/restaurant in the area which takes a good amount of space, and it used to be full of more video games, but I guess it wasn't as lucrative. It's pretty beneficial for parents though who just want to sit while their kids play. Overall, I'd recommend Gameworks if you're close in proximity and want some fun at an arcade. If you are willing to drive, I'd suggest going out of Seattle if you want a larger arcade experience. That being said, I do still head out to here once and a while to get my gaming fix. read more

A huge arcade spanning across two floors with lots of different games! There's even dedicated areas for various genres such as board games and PC. A couple of areas are blocked off still, but for the most part is open including the restaurants. I am only interested in rhythm games, particularly the dance machines. For DDR, this place has DDR Supernova 2, DDR Supernova 2, and DDR Revolution X for 10 credits each round. I tried two of the machines but the pads were too insensitive. There is a PIU XX though! It's a new machine that costs 12 credits to play. Note that it is popular and can have waits to take turns with other players. As for other rhythm machines, Pop'n Music was functional. The right side of left drum for the Taiko game is not however. A game card has an upfront $2 activation fee that deposits 14 credits worth $3.50. After purchasing, I filled mine with the supercharge value of 120 credits for $22. The Wi-Fi is slow and not reliable. read more

GameWorks - Inside. - Arcades Near Me - Seattle, Washington

We've been here a few times in the past year and there is a certain amount of neglect from ownership and management. Staff are clearly checked out, some days you have to show ID when coming in and sometimes you don't, lots of broken games, half the pinball machines are barely functional and from the 90's, the bathrooms are dirty, and there is nothing more irritating than being asked for your id and refused a drink when you don't have it on you. The hilarious part is that I'm 50 and clearly show it! read more

There's a chart where you can choose how much you want to spend to get a certain amount of credits. Of course the more you buy the better the credit to price ratio is but on average it's about 7 credits per dollar. Swipe your card to play the games and refill more credits on the first floor. There are your classic arcade games like shooting games, racing games, DDR, air hockey, skeeball, basketball, etc. All these games require a range of credits so depending on what game you want to play your mileage for how many credits to buy might vary. Some other games include a VR one as well as an entire second floor with computers where you pay by the hour and play PC games like League of Legends. They also have a Gamecube and really anything you could think of when it comes to gaming. My personal favorite arcade game is and always will be the basketball game (which is on the second floor). You can compete with your friends to see who has the highest score which is always fun. There's a bar attached where you can hang out as well. It's a chill place to play some games while sipping on a drink. read more

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This is one of our favorite places to go when in Seattle. The ambiance is amazing and fun for the whole family. The drinks are good and the food is delicious. Fresh to order. Kids always have a great time here as husband and myself. read more

Great place for group team buildings, with a great variety of games and activities. I went with a large group and it seems guys were more into playing while girls were chatting by the bar and the couches upstairs. The various levels makes this place very interesting to navigate. Colorful, fun and entertaining. read more

Good game selection and everything in working. Sat at the lower level bar and ordered drinks and few minutes later asked for bathroom code and he flat out refused to give it to the 3rd person in our party because that person didn't order an alcoholic drink. Mind you we already spent $100 on games. Asked for manager who was very polite stating bartender should have given code but attitude from bartender horrible so we left. Spend your money elsewhere. read more

Went in to watch the NASCAR race. What a great place. Great bartender named Travis. Very nice. Got the hot wings that were really good. read more

GameWorks - NASCAR at GameWorks - Arcades Near Me - Seattle, Washington

It's not as fun at all, I've been to better places that are smaller and not so expensive. It's 35$ for 200 points to play, but mostly everything is 13-8 points to play any kind of game. All the prizes are extremely expensive and overpriced. You can go somewhere else that's 10 times better than here. The games were alright, but half of the games were either packed with people or they didn't work. They don't have any AC to cool people down and after walking a while it was super hot. read more

It's pretty rare to find an arcade that captures the spirit of the 90's and early 2000's, and GameWorks Seattle gets five stars just for having two Marvel vs Capcom 2 candy cabs in decent shape. Forget all the flashy ticket redemption and modern shoot em ups. There's a lot of good stuff to be found here. Take an immediate left when you enter, and you'll find a room with aging but functional classics like Street Fighter: Third Strike, Tekken Tag Tournament and even Tatsunoko vs Capcom. I am floored that these are still in working order. There are also some gems scattered around the main play area, tied back to GameWorks' original ownership by Sega. That includes House of the Dead 2-4, Initial D Cycraft and After Burner Climax. Some of these are unplayable, but it's a really cool sight to see them around. You can also try your luck with the Sega UFO Catchers you'd find overseas in Japan. Nice to see this place alive and kicking. Keep it up! read more

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Totally fun to play all the games, new and old! Next time we plan on trying the food. read more

GameWorks - Arcades Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I was so happy to learn the Gameworks is back in town! It's a great place to spend an afternoon with friends (or for a large group event) and there's not really anything like it in the downtown area. Food and drinks are probably more expensive than they're worth, but it's to be expected at a place like this. Only docking a star because some of my favorite games are always out of order or slightly broken. I.e., please fix the left drum on the drumming game -- it doesn't register some beats! read more

GameWorks has the same concept as Dave and Busters, tons of arcade games, but this location also has a PC/Console gaming area which looked pretty cool. Definitely keep an eye out for deals during the week.. there is also a groupon out there I believe. Definitely try to snag a deal to make your time worth it, otherwise it can be quite pricey and not necessarily justifiably so. We had a fun time. We didn't get any food or beverages so strictly game related, they have a pretty decent selection. There is an upstairs and a downstairs, so be sure to scope everything out that you may want to play. We were just having fun but some games so award tickets that you can redeem at the little store up front. We spent about an hour playing stuff like ski ball, basketball, air hockey, pinball, Pac-Man, and a few driving and shooter games. I felt like an hour was as long as we would have stayed entertained by the various games, but to each their own. read more

My favorite one stop entertainment, GameWorks Seattle Is back!!! It is a good place to spend time with my kids. We had a lot of fun on our re-visited, after reopening, on Nov 2022. It looks like they renovated it. The carpet is new!! Some new games are installed. read more

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Had a total blast there with my family. So many cool games. We loved the Minecraft Dungeons game that spit out trading cards that can be scanned and give you different weapons, skins, pets, etc. Food and drink was tasty. bathrooms were really clean. Would highly recommend. read more

"Meh" sums up how I feel about Gameworks. I came here for a friends birthday. We had dinner here which I wouldn't really recommend. I had the margarita pizza flat bread. It was ok. The crust was pretty hard and the cheese reminded me of Chuck E. Cheese pizza. I tried some appetizers from a sampler platter, nothing really stood out, everything seemed like it was microwaved. The drinks here are expensive and lacking selection. I had a warm "craft" beer in a bottle then just figured I should go with a Rainier. The cocktails are pricey and were overly sweet. Our waitress was able to accommodate our large group just fine. I thought the games were pricey, I spent $25 on a game card and ended up with a bunch of candy I could have bought at the dollar store. read more

GameWorks - Flatbread pizza - Arcades Near Me - Seattle, Washington

They have initial d stage 3 simulator for single player only (Automatic Transmission only*), also has Initial D Stage 4 arcade with 2 players, but one seat rail is broken, not short people friendly, and turning physics seem a little extreme but that's how the game is. Overall GameWorks is cheaper than Round1 BUT NO WANGAN MAXIMUM TUNE :/ read more

GameWorks - Initial D Stage 3 Arcade Simulator (Automatic Transmission Only*) - Arcades Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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This is for the e sports area only. Me and my friend went there got a hour each it took over 15 min to download counter strike 2. I honestly thought the stupid games would be pre loaded and updated. We played for like 20 min and it disconnected 3 times. My internet was faster at home. I thought it was just the servers on a new ish game so we decided to switch to cod. It was another 15 min update wtf. Waste of a drive and a waste of 20 bucks plus parking read more

Jelly and Sean were amazing bartenders and gave us SUCH great service. We had some wings with recommendations from them that were delicious. We also had some great conversation and excellent service. We'll be back!! read more

Service 1/5 Food 2/5 The food is expensive, comes in small portions, and is mediocre at best. Service was basically non-existent. The guy at the bar who is supposed to be taking our order ignored our group of 8 as we stood there waiting for him to get to us. When he eventually got to us, he'd take 2 orders, then go do something else and take up to 10 minutes to take another one from our group (sometimes it looked like he was just chatting with other co-workers). I don't even know what he was doing because it didn't look like he was actually busy with anything because we were the *only* people there. When our orders have all been taken food took forever to arrive and was... lukewarm... not hot. Disgusting. It was a frustrating And disappointing experience. In regards to the arcade section, the selection of arcade games is spectacular, but as is typical of most arcades, a lot of them have worn down and broken controls that disrupt the quality of gameplay. STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE FOR FOOD!! Given how terrible the experience was for all of us there to get food, I think our whole group would agree on a 1/5 rating. If you're looking for an arcade for a hang-out spot, it seems decent and I may be inclined to come back to check out that portion of it more (we didn't stay to play much because food took forever and was such a terrible experience we just wanted to leave), but I'm not a local so I'm not familiar with what other options are in the area for entertainment. read more