Arcade Bars & Gaming in Minneapolis: Pinball, Bowling, VR, Barcades
Looking for an arcade, barcade, or competitive fun in Minneapolis? Whether you're into retro pinball, console games, or bowling, this guide features top places to game across the city. Ideal for families, friend groups, and solo adventurers, here’s where to find the most fun gaming experiences in Minneapolis.
It's time to play while you eat! Take a leap back in time at Up Down or peer into the future at REM5 with their virtual reality or sip a cocktail while playing bocce ball. No need to worry about food, we’ve compiled a list of the best gaming and dining spots so you have everything you need under one roof!
Barcades & Gaming Bars
Pat's Tap
Head to Pat’s Tap for some good, old-fashioned fun. They are known for skee-ball but they also have great happy hour deals and a full menu (including brunch!). They’re committed to supporting local and organic agriculture and offer a variety of quality dishes. If you’re not already convinced, meet Pat.
Up-Down Minneapolis
Revisit your childhood at this amazing retro arcade bar! With all games being just 25 cents, you don’t have to choose between your favorites. They have a full bar with over 60 beers on tap and delicious house-made pizza so you can replenish after hitting the games hard. Let Up-Down fulfill all your gaming wishes and dreams.
Punch Bowl Social
Punch Bowl Social is where all your favorite games and activities come together. They have table games, bowling, vintage arcade AND karaoke. With a full bar and a scratch kitchen plus some pretty awesome happy hour deals, you really can’t go wrong. Punch Bowl is your next excuse for date night, girl’s night or just an evening for some fun with friends! If you need a place to stay check out these great hotels nearby.
Game Time Sports Bar & Arcade
Ditch the remote and get in the game at this new sports bar inside the Midtown Global Market. A BIPOC-owned addition to the revitalizing Lake Street, Game Time is the place to settle old scores with arcade classics like Donkey Kong or see who reigns supreme at pop-a-shot. The calendar is always packed with events like Friday night karaoke, comedy shows, and console game tournaments. Don't leave without trying the jerk chicken egg rolls—perfect with a boozy (or virgin) slushy from the bar.
Chatterbox
The Chatterbox Pub feels like stepping into a friend's well-loved basement from 1995, where board games and a classic Nintendo are the main event. One of the oldest bars in Minneapolis, Chatterbox was founded as a speakeasy in 1923 and is now a not-so-secret, charmingly divey spot to challenge your friends to a round of Battleship, NES Duck Hunt, or a karaoke showdown. Soak up the 8-bit nostalgia with a rotating craft beer in one hand and a custom-built pizza in the other.
Bowling
Bryant Lake Bowl and Theater
It's date night and it’s your turn to make the plans. Should you opt for a nice dinner or something a little more interactive? What if you didn’t have to choose? Enter Bryant Lake Bowl! Their food is locally sourced, sustainable, fresh and they have plenty of healthy and vegan options (this isn’t just bar food!). Grab a bottle of wine, a couple beers or just a refreshing glass of water and enjoy bowling in their retro-style lanes. It’s everything you could want, all in one place. Take advantage of their Cheap Date Night every Monday. Get two entrees, a bottle of wine or a few beers and one round of bowling for only $28 per couple.
Town Hall Lanes
What happens when a local brewery that's won dozens of medals decides to reimagine a neighborhood bowling alley? You get Town Hall Lanes. Enjoy the twenty beers on tap, the raucous sounds of ten lanes of bowling, and a menu to fuel your game—from scratch-made sourdough pizzas to half-pound burgers that require two hands. Kids can get wild with bumper bowling while the grown-ups geek out over the beer list (try the bestselling Masala Mama IPA) and the bar's industrial-meets-cozy atmosphere.
Memory Lanes
With 30 lanes, Memory Lanes is a Seward neighborhood institution that's much more than a bowling alley. You might stumble upon live music on a stage built over the lanes, bar bingo on a Sunday, or sand volleyball in the summer. It has that classic bowling alley vibe (yes, you'll be bowling next to kids' birthday parties) but the spontaneous energy is the real draw. You never know what could happen–national pop-punk band The All-American Rejects recently chose Memory Lanes for a surprise, last-minute pop-up show. Who might be next?
Pinstripes Edina
Pinstripes offers a more sophisticated take on dining and gaming. They offer seasonal, Italian-American dishes with locally sourced ingredients and offer a full bar with a number of hand crafted cocktails. Sit down for dinner or take advantage of the game-side food and beverage service while you bowl or play bocce ball. Bring your kids and take advantage of #3 kids bowling Monday through Friday. On Sundays, kids eat for half price! Eat and play with the whole family.
Pinball
LITT
Calling all pinball addicts! Tilt has over 40 classic and current pinball machines (check out the lineup), an artisan hot dog menu and beer/cocktails to go around.
Mini Golf
Can Can Wonderland
Part artist-made mini-golf, part throw-back arcade, part live entertainment venue, Can Can Wonderland is a 40,000+ square-foot artistic adventure in St. Paul. Putt your way through a quirky course crafted by local artists, with thematic tributes to the Minnesota State Fair and a "grandma's living room" so real you'll hesitate before putting your drink on the coffee table. After your 18 holes, get lost in the flashing lights and frantic flipper sounds of more than 150 vintage pinball machines and arcade cabinets. Don't leave without a visit to the self-serve Tap Wall featuring a rotating selection of beers, ciders, and seltzers. (What’s in a name? The space was once home to the American Can factory, the country's largest tin can manufacturer!)
The Puttery
For an upscale, adults-only spin on indoor mini-golf, head to Puttery in the North Loop neighborhood. Golfers can choose from three immersive and Instagrammable 9-hole mini courses—the nature-themed Conservatory, the painting and statue-filled Art Museum, or the bookish Library—and keep score on provided iPads. With cocktails and local beers available across three bars, a menu of sharable pub food, and a music-fueled club vibe, it’s a polished destination for low-stakes competitive fun.
Walker Skyline Mini Golf
There's mini-golf, and then there's mini-golf on the rooftop of an internationally renowned art museum. A quintessential Minneapolis summer experience (May-October), Walker Skyline Mini Golf combines putt-putt with an unbeatable view of the downtown skyline and the neighboring Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Here, each artist-designed hole is an interactive sculpture, turning a simple game into a work of art. Add a gallery admission pass to your ticket to get the full Walker experience.
VR Experiences
TopGolf at the Marquette Hotel
This immersive experience allows you to play a selection of one-of-a-kind simulations in a comfy lounge where you can also enjoy food and beverages. Games are fun for golfers and non-golfers alike, including signature Topgolf target games, Zombie Dodgeball, Hockey, Baseball and more. Up to 10 people can play, eat, drink, and hang out in each of the two bays. The Topgolf Swing Suite is located on the third floor of the hotel, inside Jolliet House. The Marquette also has a deal running if you book the TopGolf Swing Suite 3 times and get your next visit free!
REM5 VR Lab
Time to explore the world of virtual reality. Become an eleven assassin, fight your way through a zombie apocalypse or go 80 stories high and test your balance on a thin plank. REM5 has plenty of state-of-the-art virtual reality experience for all ages, experience levels, and interests. Paired with amazing food made in-house and a fantastic selection of local craft brews, the REM5 experience makes VR accessible, comfortable and social.
Escape Rooms
The Escape Game
Go on a mission in The Escape Games' highly immersive, multi-room experience where you’ll crack codes, uncover clues, and solve puzzles. Choose from multiple room options and go on adventure with friends and family while testing your smarts.
Trapped Puzzle Room
What sets Trapped Puzzle Rooms apart is its homegrown heart. This award-winning, mother-son-owned spot in the North Loop designs every clever, story-driven puzzle in-house. Best of all, Trapped guarantees a private room, so you don't have to share the glory (or the frantic confusion) with strangers. It's just you and your hand-picked team against the clock as you take on one of four adventures: Witchcraft Alley, Dragon's Keep, Eternity Battle, or the toy shop-themed mystery of It's All Fun and Games.
The Great Escape Room
The Great Escape Room in the Northeast Arts District is all about theatricality. The meticulously designed, family-friendly rooms feature movie-quality sets and thrilling narratives—and if you get stuck, a friendly game host might just send a little nudge from the beyond to get you back on track. Choose your quest: help Houdini's wife Bess contact her late husband in The Haunted Hotel or work to prevent a nuclear launch in Poker Night at The President's Bunker.
Escape the Room Minneapolis
Need a brain-bending challenge in the heart of downtown? Head to Escape the Room on Nicollet. As the local outpost of a national chain, its polish and prime location make it a super convenient option for a pre-dinner activity or a team-building event where you can discover which of your coworkers is a secret puzzle genius. Choose your 60-minute mission: go undercover in The Agency, unearth an ancient mystery in The Dig, or discover the secrets hidden within The Apartment.
