Joystix is a pinball and arcade dealer with an incredible showroom full of both classic and modern machines. A lot of people think it's a public arcade. There are numerous signs clearly displayed letting people know it is not in fact an arcade. Even the company's voicemail message makes it clear. Joystix Classic Games & Pinballs is actually a working showroom that opens once a month for Pac-Man Fever Night, when every game is set to free play. It's one of the most fun and unique experiences in Houston. We hosted my wife's birthday party here, and it was fantastic. Renting the space was simple, the staff was awesome, and having the 1820 Lounge next door made it the perfect setup for a group celebration. Everyone had an amazing time. I highly recommend booking the showroom for events, you will not be disappointed. The owner is Charlie, he is outstanding. He is friendly, passionate, and deeply knowledgeable about pinball and arcade history. You can tell he truly cares about preserving the hobby and sharing it with others. He takes care of his customers and is very courteous to those who are considering a purchase. If you love pinball, classic arcades, or just want to do something different, Joystix is a must-visit Houston gem. read more

Joystix Classic Games & Pinballs - One of the rows of classic pinball machines - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Houston, Texas

GAMES. I was supposed to interact with a party but instead I played Mario Kart for 2 hours. Lovely place and nice bar. Tonsssss of pinball and arcades. read more

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Great selection of games for $15pp unlimited play. There's free parking directly across the street and a cash bar connected to it! Our favorite games were the silly raccoon game (sort of like warioware), TMNT (perfect for a family with kids who just want to slam buttons), and the Godfather pinball game (heads up it will take your pic if you get a high score lol). read more

Joystix Classic Games & Pinballs - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Not an Arcade. Was looking for a place to play pinball downtown and walked all the way over just to find out the games are only for sale. That needs to be very obvious to anyone searching for it. read more

Joystix Classic Games & Pinballs - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Houston, Texas

Very cool venue just east of Minute Maid. Located in a rather sketchy part of town, I was glad there was streetside and also a free lot across the street. The arcade options inside are very intense, probably the best I've seen. There's a variety of single and multiplayer games (pinball, shooter games, racing games, basketball, etc etc) inside. Staff is friendly and there's also a bar next door while you play the games. Fun date option! read more

Joystix Classic Games & Pinballs - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Houston, Texas

I visited Joystix on the first Friday of the month with a friend. Although I've seen this place many times, this was my first time visiting. We entered through Bar 1820, where we bought a wristband for $15. At 9 PM, we were allowed to walk through to Joystix, where the inner kid appeared shortly upon entering. There were two skee ball machines, air hockey, a basketball hoop, and several other arcade games. This was just the small room immediately after entering -- the larger room had so many pinball machines and more arcade games; it was like returning to your childhood! The wristband gave unlimited access to play all the games! It was so much fun! It is an excellent place to go with a group of friends or on a date! There is a cash bar located inside Joystix; however, it is also connected to Bar 1820. Parking was free in the lot right across, and it had a sign. After we got our fill of games, we are outside as there was a food truck outside the establishment. read more

Joystix Classic Games & Pinballs - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Houston, Texas

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This place is the coolest place on earth. I recommend coming here on pac man fever nights the last day of the month for $15. Saw Charles at arcade expo in Houston and he is the nicest guy on earth. Look forward to my next trip. read more

Touch base for cooperate event with late lunch service believe it at the wall. Going for wow ask for a reasonable entertainment for your office read more

Purchased a Jaws pinball machine and the entire experience was top notch. We met with Charlie and were primarily interested in a couple of different pinballs. Charlie was incredibly engaged and was committed to making sure we viewed his premium inventory. His guidance was amazing. The delivery and set up were flawless. We could not be happier with the entire experience. read more

Very friendly and inviting staff. Owner was so cool to us and our kids. Highly recommend to anyone wanting to have a great gaming experience! read more

Really not much to add what the other 65 reviewers have covered except if you are following me then here are some cliff notes. 1) Every last Friday and first Monday of every month this place is opened to the public for $15 all you can play. Doors open at 9pm and you have to go to the bar to get your arm tag, cash only, there is an ATM machine inside though. 2)This is a business at any other opening hours so you can purchase the machines (the prices are steep) and a few actually have the prices on them. Do you have $9k laying around for a limited edition Kiss pinball machine? Yea I though so, $15 is the cheaper option. 3) It closes at 2 a.m and they are not very nice about shooing you out of there so don't take it personall y. I guess they want to go home or something right? 4) There must be about 40 pinball machines and another 50 arcade machines inside. I didn't actually count, it's just a memory guestimate. 5) Alcohol is sold here as well as next door, I believe you are allowed to bring your drinks inside here but have not tested the waters because I've always purchased from the back where you can get shots as well. 6) The restrooms are located in the bar, they're very nasty, it's supposed to be I guess, been that way the last 5 times I've been here. 7) It's very cold in here, the A/C works very well, especially in the winter. It is supposed to be this way since the machines preserve better in a cooler climate just like computers. 8)You were looking for tip #8 weren't you? read more

Joystix Classic Games & Pinballs - Yaaaaaaaay - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I felt like a kid in a candy store - all these games. No need to ask mother for quarters. No bed time, no dinner waiting back at the table, no homework, no baseball practice, no after school chores helping the priest clean out the dank, dark basement by bending over and picking up things from the bottom shelf of a bookcase. These were the problems that plagued a child of the 80s, a kid from the suburbs, who merely wanted to play video games at the arcade until his eyes bled, like Phillip J. Fry in all of his flavored soda drinking and Rush-listening to glory, yet had other time constraints and other obligations to prevent the full-time videogamery sought. The experience starts by walking into the bar 1820. Its sort of dark, sort of olde-timey kind of a dark bar, something you would find in a stunning noir film, if only noir films had obscenely drunk and obnoxious 20 to 40 year olds who seem put there only to irritate me and teach me new ways to use profanity to make a muddled, obnoxious, and insensitive point to plenty of people in the room who have no vested interest in overhearing the subject matter of the conversation. Step up to the bar to get your wristband. For PacManFever Friday nights, the first and last Friday of every month, it is $15 CASH ONLY!!!! No credit cards!!! And you get unlimited plays on machines that are not broken .... or monopolized by drunkards who spend over one hour on the Blitz machine not moving once and having their beer wench of the group get them fresh refreshments all the while -.- This place gets really crowded. There is not enough room to play the Terminator game since if you are too close to the screen the gun malfunctions and alerts you that you need to back up. Which is impossible to do between people rushing to get to the bar to get a new drink or a gaggle of people just standing there yelling back and forth over the music. Overall this was fun and a unique experience - but some things could be worked on to improve the experience. Remove the dead games so they don't take up valuable space, start there. read more

I have been here twice and had good time each time. It tends to get pretty busy during first and last fridays but it might have gotten better recently due to covid. There are lots of different options to pick from. But I just wish they had more air hockey tables. It is one of the best games there especially for dating since you can play together. So there is usually lots of people waiting in the line. I am looking forward to taking my date here again once covid is officially under control read more

As an avid collector, Joystix was an amazing find. Great inventory, with a great selection of quality machines. Charles knows the history of every machine, and tracks the ownership to preserve its lineage. I was impressed by his knowledge of each machine (versions/years manufactured, etc) and could tell he loves collecting as much as the rest of us do. A special thanks for helping a wayward pinball collector print out his online Astros ticket! Do yourself a favor and go see this place yourself. You won't be disappointed! read more

Charlie and Dean so knowledgeable about pinball machines and can teach you so much! We spent the last two weekends learning before we bought. So glad we made the trip to visit! Highly recommend! ! read more

Fun place with lots of great games. The joysticks on the games actually work. I highly recommend this place.

Always have a great time here. Great games, price to get in and staff is friendly. Old school games bring me back to my childhood, this place has a special place in my heart. read more

Wow! This place is AWESOME!!! We were just here for the first Friday of the month. It's $15 for all you can play. Please note that they only do this 2 a month.. other than that you can't just show up and play. It was pretty packed because an Astros game had just let out. We arrived around 10pm and stayed for about 2 hours. All of the games were in good working order. One game wasn't working but it was fixed pretty quickly. It's a fun idea for a date night or a night out with friends. There are two bars as well. And there was a food truck parked outside. We will definitely be back! read more

Joystix Classic Games & Pinballs - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Houston, Texas

On the first and last Friday of every month, Joystix offers some old-school arcade good times. As covered by the other reviewers, it's $15 for a wristband which you pay for at 1820 Bar next door. You get unlimited plays on pinball and arcade games from 9pm-2am. I was finally able to experience the joy that is Joystix and like most of the other reviewers, I reveled in the nostalgia of pinball, Centipede, air hockey, Galaga, Food Fight, and Rampage among many other games I was thrilled to encounter that evening. I noticed some people even brought their kids out to enjoy the games. It's really an all around good time to be had by all! read more

Joystix Classic Games & Pinballs - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Houston, Texas

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One of the most fun places in the city. Great idea for a date night, or just a night out in general. Only knock on it is... It gets super packed as the night goes on, and it can get hard to move in there, let alone the lines for games. I just want to play Dig Dug... Why do I need to wait so long?! But yeah, the attached bar makes the waiting much more tolerable... read more

So we went on the last Friday of the month and entered through the bar. As soon as you walk in you form a line to the right and make sure you have cash only for the unlimited play wristband, the bar accepts cards but the wristband itself is sold by a guy named Charlie and he only takes cash (nice guy btw) once you get your wristband you can go into the game room. It does get pretty packed but I can tell you people really do know the etiquette of play a game and let the next person go, I had no issues playing every game I wanted. Had a blast! read more

Joystix Classic Games & Pinballs - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Houston, Texas

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During the first and last Friday night of every month, Joystix opens as an arcade/barcade with an all-you-can-play deal for $15 (cash only). Parking across the street is free. They have all sorts of new and old retro style games such as four player pacman, mario go-kart, nascar racing, classic simpsons, atari games, and dozens of pin ball machines. The popular arcade machines are kind of difficult get to because of the crowd. Back in the old day, you would just place your quartar leaning on a glass panel to let other people know you are next. This is not the case here since all the games are free (assuming you paid for the $15 wrist band). If the person playing before you isn't considerate, you may end up waiting for a while or just better off playing something else and coming back. I didn't run into this issue that much though and was able to try just about everything I was interested in. Just be considerate after you play a round. For once I was able to beat the Simpsons game. I used to play this game when I was a little kid but never got past the first level because I would have to use all my tokens. Since I didn't need any tokens, I was able to defeat Mr. Burns on the last level! That would have cost me about $15 in quarters already haha. I find it a great place to team build, hang out with friends, and meet new people (because of the bar/lounge next door and multiplayer games). It's a fun experience for everyone and I think it's something really cool that Houston has to offer. I highly recommend trying this place out at least once. read more

A blast from the past / return to a portion of your childhood with some of the best classic games. This place is packed with games and people but they pump in the AC on full blast to keep it comfortable. It is a very eclectic group of people but all were there to have a fun time. The bar area that you come into to get to the arcade is also a little vintage but if that is not your scene just get your $15 unlimited play wristband and head over. First Fridays of the month have a new standing potential read more

I came here for a private party where endless game play was happening all night! I was there when the hostess signed the final check and it was a pretty penny -- $1500. Forget video games. I discovered my love for PINBALL MACHINES. Especially the X-Men series. There were rows and rows of all sorts of pinball machines. Elvis. Star Wars. And your various comic book characters. The adjacent bar served affordable bottled beer and wells. Thankful that there's street parking! read more

Joystix Classic Games & Pinballs - Endless arcade games! - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Houston, Texas

Love this place... all the games I can play for .. umm... umm... well I've never actually paid to play here so perhaps it's not as awesome as I give it credit for. But for free, I love this place! Seems that other people who rate it say it's $15. At that price I would probably never bother to go. Just don't see myself dropping that much money to play arcade games. But there are over 100 games, and I would say that the last time I went I played about a dozen or so of them and used at least that much worth in quarters. The question is... how often would you want to play video games? Hitting this place up every couple months is cool... if I went regularly I'd probably get bored of it. read more

So many games! I'm still looking for that elusive X-Men arcade game that I used to play as a kid though. Get here early so you can hog the machine you want to play, because otherwise you might never get another chance! Definitely worth the $15 and the carpal tunnel as long as you're able to play the games you want. There's a parking lot and it's free as far as I've seen. There's a bar attached (sometimes they have food on the outside patio) so you don't necessarily have to leave if you get thirsty or hungry. I do wish that they had more places to set your drink down on, though. Spilling your drink on a machine or on another person is no bueno. read more

Joystix Classic Games & Pinballs - Zoltar machine - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Houston, Texas

This place is so much fun! My boyfriend and I were looking for a different place to go other than our usual bar for date night. We always drive by this place and we just so happened to come by on the right night! $15 for unlimited games on the first and last Friday of the month. Our night was perfect! Games, beer and food trucks! read more

Joystix Classic Games & Pinballs - Videos & Video Game Rental Near Me - Houston, Texas

This place is cool. Real cool. I rented it out for a private event and everyone had an amazing time and said it was one of the most fun (work related) events they have ever attended. The staff was so accommodating and helpful. The owner is a badass. It was not a hassle to coordinate and set up and my guests were so impressed and happy. The. Bomb. Dot. Com. read more

So. Much. Fun. As everyone else has probably mentioned, first and last Friday's of the month means ($15 cash) endless free play on all of the arcades! YAS. Here's what you do. Walk inside and head straight for the bar to the far right and trade $15 for a wristband. Take a few steps over closer to the bartenders and get yourself your favorite drink (or my favorite drink, a Malibu pineapple, TIA). Stop by the arm punch game, I think it's $1 for a couple punches and show them how it's done! I got 403 for zero upper body strength so yaknow #boss. You should be done with your first drink now, grab a second one then have fun!! After your arms get really tired from button smashing, take a shot with all your friends then try to pile up in the photo booth. It's not gonna work because it's super small, but it's a hilarious time with your friends because you all look crazy yet adorable. In conclusion, I'm looking forward to the next time I return with my favorite people! read more

The only reason that I went to Joystix is because the reviews stated that they have a DDR machine. That is false. They removed the DDR machine in favor of a Star Wars pod. It's fun, but it's not DDR. I feel like they removed a quintessential part of arcade history. In terms of atmosphere, the arcade was incredibly full and the bar was as well on Friday evening. Beers cost $4-$7. No water fountains that I saw and water cost money in the arcade, so I would bring a water bottle if possible. There's a nice food truck outside that was a bit too pricey for someone on a budget. They have an ATM inside and the all-you-can-play bracelet is cash only. read more

Workers were sweet. Manager was so rude to us especially Bau the bartender he was yelling at us even though we tipped the bar plenty

It was pretty crowded. Some people will sit and play one game for literally forty minutes, so unless you want to wait, you have to move on. I think it's a little expensive noting that they let so many people in. It either needs to be cheaper, or the same price with less people allowed in. It was a fun experience, but I probably won't be back. read more

Was so excited when I heard about this place. Walked in and walked out within 5 minutes, staff was extremely rude and unhelpful. Like I said it was my first time there and my friends and I were trying to figure out where to go to pay and hang out and instead of being helpful the man at the door was very rude and aggressive. Definitely have lost my business . After looking the reviews it seems they have lots of cases of staff/door guy being rude to customers. I've been in the restaurant/bar and retail industry before and am in shock that they think that's the way to treat customers. The staff at the bar next door is no better so don't bother going there either. read more

Not so long ago while nursing a hangover, I flipped through a friend's DVD collection and stumbled across his Speed Racer set. Awesome! I popped in a disc and to my utter dismay, watched as Speed drove through winding canyon roads in the rain. For five minutes. Turn left! Turn right! No dialogue. Somehow, my beloved, tricked-out Mach 5 had turned into a glorified touring sedan. Upon re-watching Voltron and Battle of the Planets... ditto. I felt a little betrayed by my memories. I was a child of the 80's. I remember planting myself in front of the TV for daily showings of CHiPs, Welcome Back Kotter, and Reading Rainbow. I played with GI Joe and He-Man and collected Garbage Pail Kids cards. I still have plenty of faded scars from getting pulled down the street on a skateboard, my hands gripping a jump rope tied to my cousin's bike. And I remember video games in, as Dave Nelson put it, "the glory days, before the 16-bit processors." Arcades were a different animal back then. The Gold Mine in Sharpstown (or was it Westwood?) Mall, where I tried to squeeze into one of the four spots for Gauntlet. Playing Spy Hunter at Circus Circus for hours while my parents took in the Vegas shows. Good times... Vintage video games had been dancing around in my head ever since I saw The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, the fantastic documentary about two radically different men chasing the Guiness Book of World Records high score for Donkey Kong. After reading Julie P.'s Joystix review and calling the owner, I decided to drag a few cronies along and attempt to recapture those proverbial halcyon days of yore. Joystix is primarily a classic arcade showroom, but on the first and last Friday of every month, it's open to the public from 9pm to 2am, all-you-can-play for $15. Connected to a really cool bar (Eighty Twenty?), all dark wood and leather, you can grab a beer while you get your game on... brilliant! For the first hour, I was under a time-warp spell. Frogger, Star Wars, Defender, Joust, Centipede, Q*bert... seeing these games transported me back to a more innocent era, back when I championed Revenge of the Nerds as the bestest movie in all the land. And then I started playing... and playing... and playing. Gauntlet, The Simpsons, Gyruss and many others was continuous button-mashing with no skill whatsoever. Dragon's Lair confused the hell out of me. Robotron bored me to tears. Thinking of Speed Racer, I groaned, "Not again." But all was not lost. I relished shaking pepper on evil Mr. Hot Dog and Mr. Pickle in Burgertime. It was exciting taking control of the Light Cycles and battle tanks in Tron. NBA Jam reminded of an early brush with fame, when I beat Scarface (of the Geto Boys) at Celebration Station. Racing games are always a blast when competing against your buddies. Street Fighter II still had some of that old magic left (Hadouken!). And surprisingly, the true classics like Donkey Kong and Ms. Pac-Man retained a certain purity that couldn't be tarnished by time. Also, Joystix is, without a doubt, a pinball lover's dream. This just might be one of those once-in-a-lifetime things for me. My fond, brightly-pixelated childhood memories were neither vindicated nor shattered, but ended up somewhere in-between. I suppose in this instance, there's some shred of truth to "you can never go home again." read more

A few of the reviews here have balked at the cover charge for a $15 wristband on Pac Man Fever fridays (1st and last Fri of each month). Keep in mind that in addition to the usual assortment of games here like Donkey Kong and Galaga, Joystix has a revolving selection of extremely rare machines you are not likely to run into short of an arcade convention. I've played Journey, Baby Pac-Man, Space Ace, Wacko, Kickman, Gyruss, even a Doctor Who pinball machine. Consider you are paying for the opportunity to play with a lot of machines first-hand in running condition that you are normally well out of reach rather than "would I really drop 60 quarters tonight"? $15 is a exceptional value for a true 80s-90s arcade connoisseur. read more

Right near Minute Maid park and parking is always easy to find when there isn't a game going on. Plus you got the bacardi promo lady that gives free bacardi and coke if your there early. Best pinball games anywhere! This is where almost all the Houston bars buy theirs from. It's every 1st and last Friday of the month and the crowd varies from so-so to crowded. I always have the best time here. Strongly recommend you check it out. Good place to bring ppl visiting from out of town. read more

If you like old timey arcade games, then this is the place for you to come on the first and last Friday of the month for their arcade night. I rented Joystx out for my 30th birthday and had an amazing experience. Warning: It's pricey to have a party at Joystx Pro tip: Show up earlier rather than later in the evening. Joystix becomes incredibly crowded around 9pm, so show up early if you want to play your games. read more

What Would PacMan Do? Sweet pink Jesus, he'd hit up Joystix, that's what! Behold your childhood has been transformed by cocktails and the sheer joy of infinite 1-Ups await in a land where you are not scrambling for tokens or quarters and you can pilot an X-wing, find yourself with the fabled "Elf needs more food.... BADLY" warning, or shoot invaders from space all under one roof. And that roof is over Joystix. Owned by fellow FIGHTIN' TEXAS AGGIES, this one-stop amusement shop boasts a full service bar, some pool tables, and an arcade collection that is at once wet dream as it is a testament to the glory days of easy-to-play video games, from an era before Nunchuks and controllers and the complex stupidity of A-B-A-B-1-2-L-R-X-Z-Y-C-Down. This is pure simple fun of the up, down, left, FIRE variety. Leave it to Charles and company to come up with a bar whose very nature brings together two of life's favorite pasttimes - video games from your youth plus cocktails from your adult life and rolls them into one. Don't be a whiny baby about service - you came to play, the drinks are an added bonus. This is one of the top, best, most awesome bars in Houston. Away from the see-and-be-seen-on-the-scene nonsense of some of Midtown's garbage (such as Christian's Horrific Tailgate Krapfest and Karaoke), this little gem is nestled quietly and assumingly one block north of Minute Maid and boasts good times and good people, with all the pretense left squarely outside. This place is a musuem you can play in. I love Van Gogh, but Van Gogh is not the same as a deadly game of Robotron - and, for the record, only those who can't play Robotron with any degree of skill or accuracy fall victim to finding it boring. It's far from boring - go help the human families before they become mutant robot thingies! Unwind and let loose your inner child. You WILL go home again, you will fall in love, and you will enjoy it. $15 play all night on the first and last Fridays of the month (though call before during business hours to ensure that no private parties have been booked) and unwind, and do what you wish you could have done in your youth - imbibe! This will make it easier to deal with the passing of Ms. Pac Man at the hands of that bastard ghost Blinky. read more

I came here for the last elite event and we got a taste of what this place is all about. Imagine you were 10 years old all over again and dropped off at the arcade on a friday night. Your parents hand you $15 bucks and tell you to have fun, yeah...$15 bucks gave you a decent amount of fun but what would it be if you could play ALL THE GAMES as much as you wanted for that $15 bucks well that my friend is JOYSTIX!!! This place is awesome. It had all of the classics along with some newer games. What got me was the rows and rows of pinball machines. I definately will have to check out one of the Pacman Fever nights in the future. read more

I think that everyone who has previously written about this place pretty much has it covered. I am writing only to give a different perspective on the cover price. I am surprised people think that $15 is "steep" or "pricey." My theory is that people are doing the math as they go along in the night. As in, if the games all say 50 cents on them, then in order for me to get my $15's worth, then I have to play 30 games for this to be worth it. First off, if you get there early and stay until 1 or 2, you will easily cover that spread. Second, I think this is the wrong formula to be using. The 25-cent and 50-cent prices on those machines were from when the machines were built 20 to 30 years ago. A fairer comparison is to Dave & Busters or Jillians. There is no way that $15 will buy you 4 hours of entertainment at those type of establishments where lots of games are all closer to two dollars each. Versus those type of new establishments, Joystix seems like a value. My only complaint, and the only reason I didn't go five stars, is the number of machines that are there but either not working or not plugged in. read more