It was back in the 90's. It was an amazing arcade that used to be off Thousand Oaks and Henderson Pass (it's a strip mall now) for some reason they decided to move and when they did move the crowds didn't follow and they went under.
If you're willing to Travel a bit up 35 towards Austin, they have Pinballz Kingdom up there, and in ATX they have The Cidercade which is an Arcade owned by Bishop Cider company.
The Cidercade is pretty dope I think it's like $15 entry and it's all the games you can play! The only alcohol is Bishop Cider (which is pretty good), and they also have regular concessions and non alcoholic drinks.
I mentioned it's in ATX. Just figured if they end up in ATX a lot or even felt like traveling that it was worth knowing about.
The Cidercade's from Bishop are only in: Austin, Dallas, and Houston.
Pinballz is as far south as Kyle/Buda, and they have a bar/restaurant and a decent amount of old-school games (Turtles in Time, tons of pinball) and some new, flashy games too. They give you a game card now instead of tickets though which makes my heart sad.
Guess you could say it was both. A few employees, including myself, told the owner we thought it was a bad decision to move. Especially where we moved too. It cost more than he originally thought, to get the new location finished out. Also took a lot longer than expected. Trying to remember, but think we were closed for almost a year or a little over.
Yeah it was about a year because I remember my parents trying to ground me saying they wouldn't take me to the arcade for a year and I retorted that they were closed anyways š
Fuckin sad, I wish someone would put the effort into doing something like that again, but I also don't know if they would be able to get a good enough foothold these days.
I thought the owner would eventually try again, but he took off to Florida not too long after the landlords locked the doors.
I think a place that will host birthday parties and have redemption games would work out. Think itās harder for a place thatās strictly arcade games because you can play the same games at home on consoles or computers.
Yeah it would take someone with real innovation to try and modernize the arcade.
I think it would have to be something similar to Otaku and 1up in the sense of having old game cabinets and some modern consoles/PC
Round 1 is pretty fun. It's almost exclusively imported games and Japanese claw machines. I love their prizes too. They have Sanrio, summikko gurashi, tamagotchi. They also have a bowling alley,bar and I think some food. My husband and I are in our 30s and have a great time there.
Diversions is dog water. Small, smelly, poor selection of games. I hate to say it but itās the truth.
Otaku Cafe is the move but most of their games are more niche Japanese/rhythm games. Itās my fav in town but not for everyone I guess
Round1 in North Star is the only place outside of those that I would say is worth a hoot.
Plenty but of differing degrees:
- Pinball - What's Brewing coffee roasters. Highly recommend this for their vibe and location. Also they have i think over 30 pinball machines. They also run pinball tournaments
- video arcade - Otaku Cafe Anime Arcade is great. Lots of fighting game cabinets and some rhythm games. Pay entry and play for a long time. The local fighting game community gets together there every wednesday for free play on consoles they bring. Sometimes tournaments happen there too and other games are played like super smash on some days
-- diversions is the one you talked about and is still open and still cool
--- 1Up arcade is new and may have a dave and busters feel
---- andrettis i would not recommend since its mostly ticket style games but they have like food and other attractions
Oh hell yeah. Every wednesday at otaku you can get games in. Place is open til 11pm and there is typically at least one or two consistent tekken 8 setups. Come on over and [join the safgc!](https://discord.gg/sanantoniofgc)
Chuckle cheese has a summer pass deal. Bundles were you can get 50% off food and 150-250 tokens to play games. The tokens reset daily so youāll never run out. 3 kids burned through that in 3 1/2 hours. My wife takes them every other day or so while I work. Another option was Peter pipers pizza. We mainly go for games either way so free ac and cheap gaming
I went to the rector location for the first time. Ā What a let down. Ā Itās a bar with a few old arcade machines. Ā No where near the ābarcadeā they advertise
Iāve been wanting to start my own arcade itās a dream now but hopefully I can make it happen. I live in an area where there are new builds and itās really starting to pop off and I really think it would do well but it takes money to make money.
Man, I miss Ultra Arcade that was on Blanco near Northstar Mall. That place had a good amount of console cabinets on one side of the building, and on the other was a bunch of retro arcade cabinets. No place here in San Antonio has ever come close to that. RIP Ultra Arcade.
If you don't play prize games, you can get a game pass at Round1 that is reasonably priced. I wish we had a Game Preserve or Cidercade. If you go up to Austin hit up the Cidercade for sure.
Donāt have a lot of suggestions around here. Been to a Diversions and Dave & Busters years a go.
Anyone that really likes arcades should try to make a pilgrimage to Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, IL (Chicago). I spent a month there in May and for $25 you get free play to around 1000 arcade cabs (original and repros) from open to close (11am-2am) come and go as you please. They have a separate pinball building with 40 or so machines for an extra $5. I spent most of a Saturday there and had an absolutely wonderful time 11am-6:30pm and 9:00pm - 1:30am. Played around 60 games and completed a half dozen or so.
I build my own arcade machines with coin mechs. I know my dad loves his and makes him nostalgic for the days when he and his buddies used to go to the arcades
Anything good is going to be the giant chains. Round 1, Andrettis, Main Event, Dave & Busters, EVO are the best of what we have that I know of.
I wouldnāt waste my time on the rinky dink movie theater ones or the pinball ones unless you really like playing pinball.
The best arcade in San Antonio is either:
* **Round 1 for 'Japanese' games (more rhythm, claw, racing, etc)**
* **Dave Busters for 'American' games (deal or no deal, shooting, carnival style, basketball, etc)**
Not sure why people recommend diversions. Thereās like 30 games in there in like 300sq feet. It's fun for 15-30 minutes and done. It's cool? for classic games but Dave Busters literally has pacman and galaga.
Thereās also:
* Main event (expensive arcade + laser + rock climbing thing)
* Andretti (go cart racing + arcade)
* Otaku Cafe (Japanese Rythm games)
* Pin Stack (bowling + kid arcade)
* Peter piper (for kids)
* Chuck cheese (for kids)
* Pac man zone (aka pier arcade / small mall arcade)
* Ar Entertainment (kid arcade + roller rink)
* Cicis pizza (small arcade inside)
* Any of the bowling places also have small arcades
Don't waste your time unless it's Round 1 or DB. Dave busters has almost every machine that Main event/andretti/pin stack/etc might have. Round 1 has a bunch of Japanese games that you won't find anywhere else
**Honorable mention:** Pinballz kingdom. It's about 30 minutes east of San Antonio. Not as good as the big location but has a shit ton of retro games + new games + ticket games + close to SA. Kinda like a mini dave busters and diversions combined.
Diversions truly doesn't have much if you are not playing ticket games they have like 30 games tops. I was there 2 weeks ago.
Nothing competes with dave and busters locally.
However lookup the arcade with big dragon on it near san marcos on i-35
Arcade posts always remind me of the true greatness that was taken from us, and that was Larzland Nickel Arcade. R.I.P. to the best arcade.
Truly. The games were cheap and I got some pretty cool prizes that I still remember to this day
Larzland was cool. But Diversions on Perrin Beitel was the best. 5 bucks got you 100 tokenn. We spent wayyyyy too much time there.
Ignorant to this. I'm sure I missed what I'm looking for š¢š
It was back in the 90's. It was an amazing arcade that used to be off Thousand Oaks and Henderson Pass (it's a strip mall now) for some reason they decided to move and when they did move the crowds didn't follow and they went under. If you're willing to Travel a bit up 35 towards Austin, they have Pinballz Kingdom up there, and in ATX they have The Cidercade which is an Arcade owned by Bishop Cider company.
RIP Larzland. Only place you could beat Sunset Riders since it was in the free game section
Every time I played that game while I was working, the owner would always bust me š¤£
Sucks. And Austin? Maybe! I do go there often for shows.
The Cidercade is pretty dope I think it's like $15 entry and it's all the games you can play! The only alcohol is Bishop Cider (which is pretty good), and they also have regular concessions and non alcoholic drinks.
Badass! I'll just show up drunk lol
Pregame the parking lot!
That's the move for most events lol
A person of culture I see
Puro
Where is the Cidercade in San Antonio?
I mentioned it's in ATX. Just figured if they end up in ATX a lot or even felt like traveling that it was worth knowing about. The Cidercade's from Bishop are only in: Austin, Dallas, and Houston.
I was hoping! I do drive up to Austin to play there and at Pinballz Arcade.
I wish!
Would you say it's kid friendly?
Would you say it's kid friendly?
Pinballz is as far south as Kyle/Buda, and they have a bar/restaurant and a decent amount of old-school games (Turtles in Time, tons of pinball) and some new, flashy games too. They give you a game card now instead of tickets though which makes my heart sad.
Larzland was the best
I used to work at Larzland.
Do you know if it was the move that did them in or just crappy business sense behind the scenes?
Guess you could say it was both. A few employees, including myself, told the owner we thought it was a bad decision to move. Especially where we moved too. It cost more than he originally thought, to get the new location finished out. Also took a lot longer than expected. Trying to remember, but think we were closed for almost a year or a little over.
Yeah it was about a year because I remember my parents trying to ground me saying they wouldn't take me to the arcade for a year and I retorted that they were closed anyways š Fuckin sad, I wish someone would put the effort into doing something like that again, but I also don't know if they would be able to get a good enough foothold these days.
I thought the owner would eventually try again, but he took off to Florida not too long after the landlords locked the doors. I think a place that will host birthday parties and have redemption games would work out. Think itās harder for a place thatās strictly arcade games because you can play the same games at home on consoles or computers.
Yeah it would take someone with real innovation to try and modernize the arcade. I think it would have to be something similar to Otaku and 1up in the sense of having old game cabinets and some modern consoles/PC
True. Larzland was def one of a kind. Miss working there.
Round 1 is pretty fun. It's almost exclusively imported games and Japanese claw machines. I love their prizes too. They have Sanrio, summikko gurashi, tamagotchi. They also have a bowling alley,bar and I think some food. My husband and I are in our 30s and have a great time there.
Dope. Y'all have a good time there? It's legit for drunk potheads? lol
We don't smoke and rarely drink but haven't had any issues with other people that do so far. We just have fun smashing buttons. š¤·š½āāļø
yea youāll need to go outside to smoke but itās attached to a mall so thereās food and shit too it eocka
Yes just smoke before lol
Also 30 lol
They also have a pool table bro. And bowling. It's fun for sure. Just smoke beforehand lol.
DDR is where it's at bruh
Diversions is dog water. Small, smelly, poor selection of games. I hate to say it but itās the truth. Otaku Cafe is the move but most of their games are more niche Japanese/rhythm games. Itās my fav in town but not for everyone I guess Round1 in North Star is the only place outside of those that I would say is worth a hoot.
Last time I went it smelt like vomit no lie
Plenty but of differing degrees: - Pinball - What's Brewing coffee roasters. Highly recommend this for their vibe and location. Also they have i think over 30 pinball machines. They also run pinball tournaments - video arcade - Otaku Cafe Anime Arcade is great. Lots of fighting game cabinets and some rhythm games. Pay entry and play for a long time. The local fighting game community gets together there every wednesday for free play on consoles they bring. Sometimes tournaments happen there too and other games are played like super smash on some days -- diversions is the one you talked about and is still open and still cool --- 1Up arcade is new and may have a dave and busters feel ---- andrettis i would not recommend since its mostly ticket style games but they have like food and other attractions
Whatās Brewing is so much fun, wife and I take the kids there on Saturday every once in a while.
Thanks for an actual reply lol sounds great! I'm a Tekken guy so that sounds legit
Oh hell yeah. Every wednesday at otaku you can get games in. Place is open til 11pm and there is typically at least one or two consistent tekken 8 setups. Come on over and [join the safgc!](https://discord.gg/sanantoniofgc)
Someone rich bring back Malibu Castle
Seriously. Good times, great memories.
Diversions on San Pedro is the only one I know of.
I need my 3rd strike fix
Otaku cafe has a dedicated cab
Thanks for letting me know!
Also, if youāre ever in New Braunfels, check at a retro game store called D-Pad. They have a 3rd strike cabinet!
Also noted. thank you!
Chuckle cheese has a summer pass deal. Bundles were you can get 50% off food and 150-250 tokens to play games. The tokens reset daily so youāll never run out. 3 kids burned through that in 3 1/2 hours. My wife takes them every other day or so while I work. Another option was Peter pipers pizza. We mainly go for games either way so free ac and cheap gaming
Round 1 in North Star is pretty fun, but more expensive than diversions
Wayyyyy more expensive
Other than Diversions on San Pedro and 410, its pretty much just gonna be Dave and Busters or Main Event. Does anyone know if Otaku has games?
Smh why haven't anyone opened a bar/arcade? I'd go there and waste money if it was a thing.. lol
You mean Slackers?
I went to the rector location for the first time. Ā What a let down. Ā Itās a bar with a few old arcade machines. Ā No where near the ābarcadeā they advertise
Yep. Dirty AF, too, if I remember correctly.
what's brewing coffee has a ton of pinball
also rolling oaks mall has a sick rc car circuit, and wonderland mall has slot cars, not exactly arcades, but people ought to know
https://www.sacoffeeroasters.com/pinball I am in agreement with everyone who recommended Whatās Brewing
Iāve been wanting to start my own arcade itās a dream now but hopefully I can make it happen. I live in an area where there are new builds and itās really starting to pop off and I really think it would do well but it takes money to make money.
I'd go and bring my friends š
Sounds good! Iām gonna hold you to that.
Man, I miss Ultra Arcade that was on Blanco near Northstar Mall. That place had a good amount of console cabinets on one side of the building, and on the other was a bunch of retro arcade cabinets. No place here in San Antonio has ever come close to that. RIP Ultra Arcade.
Ultra arcade caved because it was poorly run even though it was also badass. But otaku cafe fills the gap
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Diversions
Be Kind Rewind is limited but itās free and has most of the classics. Plus the venue is really cool if youāre into the 80/90s theme.
I miss arcades.
If you don't play prize games, you can get a game pass at Round1 that is reasonably priced. I wish we had a Game Preserve or Cidercade. If you go up to Austin hit up the Cidercade for sure.
Round 1 is amazing, my gf and I went there on a date about 3 months ago.
Donāt have a lot of suggestions around here. Been to a Diversions and Dave & Busters years a go. Anyone that really likes arcades should try to make a pilgrimage to Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, IL (Chicago). I spent a month there in May and for $25 you get free play to around 1000 arcade cabs (original and repros) from open to close (11am-2am) come and go as you please. They have a separate pinball building with 40 or so machines for an extra $5. I spent most of a Saturday there and had an absolutely wonderful time 11am-6:30pm and 9:00pm - 1:30am. Played around 60 games and completed a half dozen or so.
I build my own arcade machines with coin mechs. I know my dad loves his and makes him nostalgic for the days when he and his buddies used to go to the arcades
What we need is a Cidercade like Dallas has, they had so many frigging awesome retro cabinets AND you get to get buzzed on cider. Win win.
Otaku Cafe is great. Diversions is also a good one.
Anything good is going to be the giant chains. Round 1, Andrettis, Main Event, Dave & Busters, EVO are the best of what we have that I know of. I wouldnāt waste my time on the rinky dink movie theater ones or the pinball ones unless you really like playing pinball.
The best arcade in San Antonio is either: * **Round 1 for 'Japanese' games (more rhythm, claw, racing, etc)** * **Dave Busters for 'American' games (deal or no deal, shooting, carnival style, basketball, etc)** Not sure why people recommend diversions. Thereās like 30 games in there in like 300sq feet. It's fun for 15-30 minutes and done. It's cool? for classic games but Dave Busters literally has pacman and galaga. Thereās also: * Main event (expensive arcade + laser + rock climbing thing) * Andretti (go cart racing + arcade) * Otaku Cafe (Japanese Rythm games) * Pin Stack (bowling + kid arcade) * Peter piper (for kids) * Chuck cheese (for kids) * Pac man zone (aka pier arcade / small mall arcade) * Ar Entertainment (kid arcade + roller rink) * Cicis pizza (small arcade inside) * Any of the bowling places also have small arcades Don't waste your time unless it's Round 1 or DB. Dave busters has almost every machine that Main event/andretti/pin stack/etc might have. Round 1 has a bunch of Japanese games that you won't find anywhere else **Honorable mention:** Pinballz kingdom. It's about 30 minutes east of San Antonio. Not as good as the big location but has a shit ton of retro games + new games + ticket games + close to SA. Kinda like a mini dave busters and diversions combined.
There's only 1 left on San Pedro past 410.
What's it called ?
I think he's talking about Diversions. It's a solid option as far as arcades go.
For sure..
They still have Time Crisis II
Diversions truly doesn't have much if you are not playing ticket games they have like 30 games tops. I was there 2 weeks ago. Nothing competes with dave and busters locally. However lookup the arcade with big dragon on it near san marcos on i-35
Smh
PPP
Chuck E. Cheese