CATEGORY · RAINY DAY APPROVED
Arcades, VR & Gaming in Manchester
Manchester city centre is where most of this happens. Printworks has an IMAX, mini golf and bowling under that huge digital ceiling screen, Machu Picchu: Journey to the Lost City puts a free-roam VR headset on ages 10 and up with no seats or snacks involved, and Gameface runs ten fast-paced social games for teams of mates aged 8 and over. Out at Bolton, Game Vault is free to walk into, then it's tokens for the VR pods, pinball and pool. For younger ones, meetspaceVR takes kids from age 8 for free roam VR shootouts from £10, while Archie's Atomic welcomes six-year-olds upwards for roller skating with a free shake bar. Escape rooms and puzzle nights suit older children and teens better, and Roxy Ball Room on Deansgate is strictly over-18s, all duck pin bowling, ice-free curling and shuffleboard. If budget matters, Tenpin Harpurhey starts from £8 with pizza delivered to your lane, while The Crystal Maze at £32 is the one to save for a proper group outing.
12 places 2 free to visit
from £8.50Archie's Atomic
Manchester · ages 6+
A neon-lit roller rink with an arcade and free-to-enter shake bar, built for six-year-olds upwards who fancy a wobble on skates.
Birthday partiesGroup bookingsFood on siteParty rooms+1 more
Breakout Manchester Newton Street
Manchester
An hour locked in a themed room in central Manchester, working as a team to crack puzzles before the clock runs out.
Booking required
from £21Escape Hunt Manchester
Manchester · ages 8+
Lock yourselves in a themed room and puzzle your way out in an hour, or take the games outside with a City Hunt.
Birthday partiesBooking requiredCard onlyGroup bookings+2 more
Fan Boy Three
Manchester
A boardgame and card game hangout with hundreds of titles to try, plus demo nights for Magic, Yugioh and Pokemon.
Group bookingsIndoor playFood on site
FreeGame Vault
Bolton
Free to walk into, then it's tokens for the VR pods, pinball and pool tables.
Indoor seatingFood on site
from £12.95Gameface
Manchester · ages 8+
Ten fast-paced social games mixing physical challenges and quick thinking, built for teams of mates rather than little kids.
Birthday partiesBooking requiredCard onlyGroup bookings+3 more
Machu Picchu: Journey to the Lost City - Manchester
Manchester · ages 10+
A free-roam VR trek through Machu Picchu where you walk the citadel itself, headset on, no seats and no snacks.
Birthday partiesBooking requiredCard onlyGroup bookings+5 more
from £10meetspaceVR (ft Zero Latency)
Manchester · ages 8+
Free roam VR shootouts, escape rooms and a Quest Arena for kids eight and up, starting at £10 a head.
Birthday partiesBooking requiredFree parkingGroup bookings
FreePrintworks
Manchester
A city-centre complex of IMAX cinema, mini golf, bowling and karaoke under a huge digital ceiling screen.
First aidToiletsWi-Fi
from £8Roxy Ball Room Manchester Deansgate
Manchester
A strictly over-18s games bar with duck pin bowling, ice-free curling and shuffleboard.
Accessible toiletCard onlyFood on siteToilets+1 more
from £8Tenpin Manchester Harpurhey
Manchester
Twenty lanes of bowling plus laser tag, escape rooms and karaoke under one roof, with pizza delivered straight to your lane.
Birthday partiesGroup bookingsIndoor seatingFood on site+1 more
from £32The Crystal Maze
Manchester · ages 9+
Live-action team challenges across themed zones, ending in the Crystal Dome chasing golden tokens, for groups of nine-year-olds and up.
Accessible toiletBirthday partiesGroup bookingsFood on site
Good to know: arcades, vr & gaming in Manchester
Are any of them free?
Yes, Game Vault and Printworks are free to visit.
What does a paid visit cost?
Paid entry starts from £8 at Roxy Ball Room Manchester Deansgate. Prices, ages and facilities are listed on every place page, taken from each venue's own published price list.
Whereabouts are they?
You'll find arcades, vr & gaming in Manchester and Bolton. Every place we list is in or around Manchester, and each listing has the full address and directions.
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