CATEGORY · RAINY DAY APPROVED

Arcades, VR & Gaming in Belfast

Belfast has a proper spread of these, mostly within a couple of kilometres of the centre. Battle Inc Gaming CIC has over 600 board and card games plus a craft room with 3D printers for £6 a session. The Retro Room does unlimited freeplay on genuine 80s and 90s cabinets for £7 an hour, or £25 if you're settling in for the day. Banana Block is free to walk into and you just pay per game, which suits a family who wants to test the water before committing to a machine. For toddlers, Base Arcade Belfast's Saturday 11am to 3pm session is the one to book, and Airtastic in Bangor covers bowling, laser tag and soft play from age 0 with tickets from £1.95. Older kids and teens have more to get stuck into: Timescape's 60-minute escape rooms start from £56, and out at Hillsborough, Retro NI has sim racing rigs, light-up air hockey and a jump scare ride. For a full wet-day session with pizza thrown in, it's a drive out to Lisburn for Airtastic's laser tag, bowling and assault course combination.

✓ 9 places✦ 1 free to visit