Best birthday party ever!! That's what our 11 y.o. son and all his little friends were saying as we left his party. And they must really have thought so, because two of his friends booked parties here within the next few months. (This review is a little overdue.) They make planning it so easy, all we did was bring cake and arrange for the pizza place down the street to deliver a few pies at the right time. And of course it was fun. Best part? I got to show my son and his friends the games I remember from the arcades and pizza places of my youth. The kids were pretty stoked to play some new games. A lot of the parents lingered to play a few themselves. Kids and parents bonded a little in two player mode. That is way more fun and interesting than if we had just rented one of those game trucks. So thanks guys, for a great birthday party for our son. We'll be back for more regular, open play times too. read more

Can not wait for them to open back up! So much fun for such a great price. Not much of that left in the world. Don't let this place go!

Ok so I LOVE places like this. So it gets an automatic 5 stars. But for some reason I thought it was a bit larger. I know they want to cater to the younger crowd or what not.... but no alcohol!! :-( I was really hoping they would sell alcohol and I would have stayed longer. It's not a very big places but its good enough to spend a couple hours in for the prices. I enjoyed it, I don't think I would ever come back here, unless I had absolutely nothing to do in Alameda or I needed to kill some time, but nonetheless I wanted to check it out. It's very tiny but well worth the prices for what you're doing... and check this out, I actually and FINALLY beat the Simpsons game! I really like the hourly pay and rate, good price and well worth it. read more

We recently just went to High Scores Arcade on a Friday night . A big crowded in the small back area, but the kids loved it. They had stools that kids or adults could sit on, and move around with them if needed. The guy in the front was really nice. The place was not super packed but had a decent crowd. There were games that kids and adults could enjoy. They had old school games, games multiple kids could play together at once - example Simpsons game had all 4 kids playing together. I would definitely bring the kids back. read more

High Scores Arcade - Arcades Near Me - Alameda, California

This place is nice, but the customer service is horrible. I spoke with someone on the phone about birthday parties and they rudely told me to email them. The front desk/cashier lady was also rude and yelled at my daughter for touching the arcade while I was paying for our wrist band. If I'm paying for unlimited service, why be so rude. Although I would like to give them my future business, these experiences makes me not want to come back. read more

What's High Score mean? Is that bad? Did I break it? Let's start with the fact that $10 gets you all you can play from open to close. I love this. The ambiance is on point, black lights, lasery type business, and one of the most kick ass juke boxes I've seen in a hot minute. Dude...Tetris, Pac Man, Tron, Donkey Kong, Street Fighter, Mortal Combat, Super Mario Bros, on and on, and on. Games I'd never seen before. It's like I died and went to Peter Piper Pizza, but instead of a lame ball pit in the corner, there was an awesome juke box, playing allll my favorite tunes, and my parents gave me unlimited quarters. I could spend hours here. I will definitely be back and recommend ANYBODY who has any level of interest in 80's arcade games to stop in. *Bonus tip: no school aged children allowed before 3pm on weekdays - FYI read more

High Scores Arcade - Arcades Near Me - Alameda, California

One of the best of the best in the San Francisco Bay Area. Well worth the drive from just about anywhere local. This arcade has all of your favorite 80s video games, and they're all in mint condition. Free-play for one hour for $5 can't be beat. Staff are ultra-friendly. Want to know how to play a game, just ask. Also love the 80s music playing on the jukebox. read more

High Scores is one of my favorite places in the world. If I'm ever walking down Park street with a friend from out of town, I always poke my head in and show it off. My only complaint is that the minimum amount of time you can pay for here is an hour. I'm constantly looking to kill a few minutes on Park street, but I rarely have time for a full-hour binge. I wish this place would start up a lower tier of their price model. If there was a $2-for-10-minute price tier I would come here literally once a week, as opposed to my current twice-a-year pace. Or if there was some sort of yearly membership fee I would totally be down! I'd happily pay $100 a year for the all-you-can-eat experience --- maybe like one hour a week with a +1? read more

Super awesome nostalgia arcade. Like the others reviews said you pay one price and play any and all games for that allowed time. I was bummed because of some game hogs on popular games like guitar hero but other than that everyone was really into their own thing. It's really dark but not in a creepy way and it was 10pm when we went for a date so no complaints. I would have liked a bit more variety but it was ok. Took one star for the game hoggers we really wanted to get on two different games but couldn't within the hour. read more

As a misfit of the 80's, I spent my formative years in the arcade. Back then, arcades were everywhere, and quarters were precious. Sadly, just like acid washed jeans, new wave, and cigarette smoke, arcades have mostly faded away, but the 80's arcade has been resurrected at High Scores Arcade. Unlike a real arcade back in day, all the machines at High Scores in are perfect condition, and no quarters are needed -- all the machines on set to free play, with just a $5/hour donation. High Scores is the best arcade that I know of, with the exception of Ground Control in Portland, or the yearly California Extreme festival in Santa Clara. Unfortunately, no pinball, but they have a good selection of 80's games. Can't wait to go back for more! read more

Spent my birthday here and it was incredible. All the games are in great condition, the place is clean and looks new, and the price is a steal for what you get. It's kinda like stepping back in time. And I actually believe it when the staff seem like they love working there. I really don't know what else to say. It's just awesome. Galaga ftw. read more

Hosted a *All in one Birthday Party* at this location and it was the best decision. !! Everyone who was invited had super fun time playing old school games that we old schoolers grew up with. The Host we had was soo attentive and on top of it that he made the party so much better. I give him Great props for being Awesome !!! For future events we plan on going back to Rent and also to visit to play the games. Thank you to all the information from the Owners Shawn & Meg !!! read more

Hooraaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!! FINALLY an amazing, fantastic and fun classic arcade close to home! Since I moved to the East Bay three years ago I've been opining that "the only thing missing out here is a classic arcade," and now here it is. This place is great! It's not huge, but it's packed with a spectacular selection of incredible cabinets (all in pristine working order I might add!). When I visited I paid for the $5 one hour wrist band, and spent all my time on Gorf (!!!) and Popeye, two of my favorites. I blinked and the hour was up... next time I'll definitely go for the all day pass so I can explore more of the games. The owner I met (must have been Meg?) was really nice, warm and welcoming, and checked in with me about how my play session was going. I was really excited about the massive high scores chalk board they have hanging at the entrance, with current records for all the games currently featured... a really cool motivator to try to place on the board. This will definitely be a regular destination for me, and many of my friends are excited about visiting as well (you should be, too!). It would be incredible if this arcade and the nearby Pacific Pinball Museum (which you should also check out) were able to do cross promotions of some sort... maybe offer a dual membership for those of us who would be willing to drop a few bucks on a monthly basis to become card carrying geeks? Or a triple promotion between these two and the Forbidden Island tiki bar, ensuring that I never get anything constructive done again. Anyhow... High Scores Arcade, thank you so much for moving to the East Bay!!! read more

High Scores Arcade - Arcades Near Me - Alameda, California

See all

We have been to both locations and had a great time! Feels like a time machine has taken you back to a 1980s arcade. There's even a jukebox. Great price for what you get! read more

Amazing! Love the fact that there are old school games!!! Family friendly, great atmosphere, great music, high energy, and just tons of fun! read more

High Scores Arcade - Arcades Near Me - Alameda, California

See all

I lIke the sliding scale because the place isn't that big. You don't need more than an hour unless you get hooked on the Area 51 game! Great selection of games. I'd go back for an hour the next time I'm in town. read more

Awesome little place. They have a variety of old school arcade games to play, brings you back to your youth if you were born in the 80s. Obviously it's good for all ages, and for $6 you can play all the games you want, no need for quarters or tokens. I definately try and stop here when I'm around to lose myself for little while. They have a joke box too. Definitely worth checking out. Will be back! read more

See all

In the words of 90s kids everywhere, this place was rad! (LOL) As an expert button masher, I've been eyeing this place for quite some while now. However, I could never really justify making the trek all the way out to Alameda so High Scores sat lost in my bookmarks until I recently rediscovered it when looking for things to do in/around Oakland. I'm glad I decided to go! It's a great place to go to bring back some of that childhood nostalgia and to kill time as well! With a rate of $5/hr or $10/whole day you can have unlimited play on all the machines there, no quarters necessary! A real bang for your buck if you're a broke college student...or at least have a budget of a broke college student haha. Although size wise it's not the biggest arcade, there definitely is a good selection of games available. You have your standard arcade cabinets for games like Donkey Kong, Fix-It Felix Jr., Tron, etc. BUT there's also arcade cabinets that have some 20+ (rough estimate, could be more, could be less..didn't count tbh but it was a lot!) games as well. In other words, there's plenty of options for everyone. It was cool playing some of my old favorites and trying a bunch of new games too! I was particularly keen on the beer game where you try leveling the bar to get the ball in the correct hole in a kind of vertical labyrinth fashion. Didn't get the name but it was easily THE most frustrating game there. The Aerosmith shooting game, complete with corny lines from Steven Tyler, is wildly entertaining as well. Not much else to say other than I wish more places like this still existed! read more

All the classics I loved in the early eighties. A great experience replicating the heyday of arcades and had a blast taking my son there. Love the all you can play per hour fee structure. read more

$5 for sixty minutes in an retro arcade is pretty sweet. My wife and I stopped in during a morning in Alameda, well worth the time and definitely worth the money. High Scores is a collection of twenty or thirty 80s-90s arcade games. Joust, Galaga, Donkey Kong + Jr, Ms. Pacman, The Simpsons Arcade Game, Area 51... brought back a lot of good memories of pizza joints and bowling alleys growing up. We came it at opening time (noon) on a Sunday, by the time we left there was a decent crowd, but there were more machines open than people present. I highly recommend if you're planning a day in Alameda (or stop by randomly and have an hour to kill)! read more

Too much fun for my son and mom day. At 14 he totally had an appreciation for my classic faves: joust, frogged, donkey kong... the kid in me is happy. read more

Old school arcades and old school arcade games are hard to come by these days, so just the fact that High Scores Arcade exists is a plus already. Your options here are a) $5 for 1-hour of gameplay or b) $10 for unlimited gameplay the entire day. The selection of games here is pretty good-- all the different kinds of Pacman, Frogger, Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, Fix it Felix, The Simpsons, Joust, Street Fighter, Q'Bert, Paperboy, and many many more. People online have been saying that they have Tetris, and I'm disappointed that I missed that one even though I was looking for it. They have some custom consoles that are loaded with a bunch of different games that you can choose from, so theoretically, you could stay at the same console and play a bajillion different games to your heart's content. Once you enter, there's no need to worry about coins or anything-- you just pay at the front and get your wristband. All of the games inside are pre-rigged so that you don't need to put any coins in to add credits. This made for an amusing time because my friends and I decided we were going to play The Simpsons game with multiplayer, and each time one of us ran out of lives, we'd just hit the re-join button. We definitely got way farther in The Simpsons game than I ever did as a kid who was forced to ask for more quarters from my parents if I wanted more lives. Also, because all the games were unlimited play, my friends and I enjoyed ourselves a lot more than we thought we would have if we had had to pay for each individual game. Because there were no restrictions, we felt free to try games we had never played before and take all the time we wanted. The only downside I would say is that not all the games have multiplayer enabled, which I understand, but is still a bummer. Also, some of the joysticks for some of the games (e.g. The Simpsons game) are a little worn out and don't work as well as intended/get stuck. tl;dr: Definitely a fun way to spend an afternoon or even just an hour. I'm amazed at how fast the time went by. No food or drinks allowed inside-- gotta keep the space clean. This is also not an arcade bar, so temper your expectations! read more

We took our kids here to play on a Saturday afternoon. It wasn't too busy and we had fun playing for an hour. There's probably 35 arcade games there. While I was there, 5 games weren't operable. For $10 per person for an hour was a great deal, especially for my family of 5. It was a little cramp to play certain games. read more

Super fun spot to play old school games . The games brings back the old childhood nostalgia ! Love to go with my friends and also with my children ! Super solid place to have fun! Family approved ! read more

This place is so much fun and the price is right. The owners does a great job at acquiring just the right 80's arcade games. The staff is really nice and they managed to put together a nice arcade atmosphere. What I really liked was the fact that the staff goes through the arcade and wipes down all of the games. It made me feel like they care about the place and understand the needs of the customers. If you are in the Bay Area, ya gotta hit this place! read more

so much fun! $5 for and hour of play or $10 for unlimited in and outs. all the fun of an arcade without the hassle of coins. frogger, tetris, galaga and all of the classics are accounted for. if you can't find a game you want to play then the friendly folk up front will help you find it. they're that amazing. one thing--no food or drink inside, you heathen! (we had leftovers with us but couldn't bring them in. no problem, we just left the bag up front) read more

High Scores Arcade - Arcades Near Me - Alameda, California

Love this place. Very reasonably priced, awesome games that are unique and nostalgic. Definitely will come back. read more

High Scores Arcade - Arcades Near Me - Alameda, California

$6 for an hour of unlimited play was def worth it. We were looking for something different to do and ended up here. The space isn't that big and holds maybe 30-45 games, classic like Galaga or Pac Man to newer like Smash Bros. There was a handful of people there during the hour we spent there so it wasn't crowded and you never had to wait for a game to play unless you were set on a particular one. read more

Blast from the past all the games I grew up with in one place! I got to share the fun with my kids and could actually kick their ass at these games lol. Pummeled my kid at street fighter and mortal combat over and over lol. read more

High Scores Arcade - Great guy at the front desk, very friendly and a fun afternoon playing the games of my youth with my kids. - Arcades Near Me - Alameda, California

See all

We hosted our son's 9th birthday at High Scores and could not have been more pleased with the entire experience! The arcade was spacious enough for the 15 of us, clean, and welcoming. The staff person was wonderful and - most importantly - the kids (and adults) - had a blast! High Scores is definitely a hidden gem in Alameda and a must-visit for video game enthusiasts of all ages! read more

Street Fighter II Turbo, Mortal Kombat, Neo Geo, Contra, Double Dragon, Pac Man, and Tron... If these titles don't stir any kind of emotion in you, keeping moving. These are few of the classic games you'll find at High Scores and for a $5 admission fee, you can play any available game(s) for an entire hour without the hassle of going to a change machine. For $10, you gain admission for the entire day. Seriously, how can you go wrong?? I actually appreciate the fact that there aren't any recent (within the last 20 years) titles present bc that not only keeps the price low, but more importantly, it keeps most of the young, untamed rascals out too (yes, I said 'rascal'). I only wished there was a vending machine or some snack bar. But on the other hand, would you allow food and drink into a cultural history sanctuary? read more

One of our most fun Yelp finds in recent memory. When we told the kids we were driving across the Bay Area to play video games from the 1980s, they looked at us like we were nuts. Even I suspected we would only stay for an hour, since arcades are usually loud, claustrophobic and dirty... and I wasn't sure the vintage games would hold everyone's attention for long. Turns out that the $10 all day pass was money well spent. We all had a blast -- two of us by reliving our middle school days, the others just having fun with games they'd heard about but never played. We even returned after a lunch break (there are lots of eating options nearby) since everyone was eager to keep going. The Arcade has a surprising number of games -- and even has some programmed machines that each have dozens of different games available. My personal favorites included Joust, Spy Hunter and Q-Bert. The place was also pleasantly clean and uncrowded during our visit. Have fun! read more

My wife and I were trying to plan the best 30th birthday party for our son and Shawn and Meg made it happen. I cannot thank them enough for their willingness to work with us and to jump in and help when we made a mistake on the invitations. The party was a memory maker for sure and we all had a blast!!! If you are thinking of having an event at High Scores I can tell you, it's the best deal in town. Run don't walk, you will have the time of your life. read more

I just starting going to place and I love it I love the old-school arcade games my favorite was "Wizard of wor back when I was a kid 1983 "now I can play it again and I like joust also game was awesome I will be going to this place often now read more

If you're into cool arcade games and especially ones from the past... This place has it all. Several machines with ones that have multiple games ranging from pac man to street fighter. The best part is that it's only $5 per hour or $10 for an all day pass. That's a really good value that many people can afford. The crowd here usually consists of younger kids but I did see a couple or two in there trying to get their competitiveness on. Also, I would really recommend this as an affordable itinerary for a date if you're in the area. All machines were functioning and restroom was present as well. The staff were friendly and welcoming and there isn't much negative things I can say about this place for what it is. Perhaps a few more stools at the machines to sit down? 5/5 Value. 5/5 Arcade read more

Stopped in while in town for the Fourth of July. It was a lot of fun. They had a lot of fun games both new and old to play. The all you can play is nice to explore different games. read more

$10 for all you can play retro arcade games! I visited on a weeknight and it was slow (only 6 people playing), which was really nice because it didn't make me feel rushed to play. I logged in so much Tetris playtime that I had dreams about it the next night. I'm not sure why, but there's something fulfilling about using a knobby joystick vs a game controller. Anyway, if you don't think that you'll be there for over an hour, they also offer a $5/hr unlimited play. If I lived in town, this would definitely be one of my unwind-hangout spots! read more

This place is rad! $10 gets you an all day pass. I spent way less on a pass than if I had to pay for each game and I spent about 3 hours in here. + friendly staff + has restrooms + no need for quarters + lots of street parking nearby + all-day pass wristbands for easy in and out read more

This throwback arcade is SOOO much fun. My family and I have been multiple time and we love it. It reminds the adult of our childhood games but let's you connect with those gamer adolescences from today. Super reasonable price too. read more

If you are into retro games and an AWESOME PRICE with time on your hands, this is is the place. You pay per hour! My excitement of playing arcades was reignited that day! DEFINITELY WORTH IT! read more