Best Arcade Cabinet and Games to Liven Up Your Game Room

Last Updated on April 30, 2020 by Jake

An arcade cabinet machine is a must-have for every rec room and man cave.  While it’s great to have modern consoles in your rec room, arcade cabinets classes up the place and adds to the appeal of the place. Not only can you show off to your friends, but also arcade cabinet machines bring back great memories. What can we say? Nostalgia is an amazing drug.

 

Nowadays, you can find arcade cabinet machines filled with countless classic arcade games. They add a retro touch to your man cave and are good for hours of gripping entertainment. Their appeal doesn’t just end at aesthetics. All the machines reviewed here are well made and are functional. Many of them actually feature coin slots for quarters. You can toggle between free mode and quarter mode. Here are some of the very best arcade cabinets for your rec rooms and man caves.

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Best Arcade Cabinet Reviews For Your Game Room

One quick note – for this article, we’ve tried to lean towards the best upright style arcade cabinets, although a few cocktail style cabinets appear on this list!  If your heart is set on a cocktail arcade machine, you can check out our post on the best cocktail arcade tables right here!

 

Arcade cabinets are now featured in restaurants, bars, and most recently, homes. Thanks to this resurgence in retro gaming nostalgia, manufacturers started including more and more games into machines given the advancement in storage space and graphics.

 

At home arcade cabinets are the perfect way to amp up your arcade room. Not only do they add a cool retro touch but they allow you to play hundreds of modern and classic games in one console.

 

Looking to expand your at-home arcade room? Do you want only classics or machines that feature new games? What machine should you invest in? Keep reading for more information on top-rated arcade cabinet games.

 

Prime Arcades 4-Player Upright Machine

 

Style: Upright (Standup)

Monitor: 32-inch LED

Controls: Joystick, Trackball

Players: Up to 4

Games: 3,016

Dimensions: 70″ H x 34″ L x 37″ W, 300 Lbs

 

The Prime Arcades 4-Player Upright Machine is one of the best arcade machines you can find. This upright arcade cabinet has a huge 32-inch LED screen and contains all the classic 80s and 90s games including Marvel Vs. Capcom series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Gauntlet, X-men, Sunset Riders, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Metal Slug Series, Golden Tee, the Simpsons, and so much more. Every single classic is here. As such it offers excellent value.

 

The graphics on the machine are gorgeous and vibrant. It screams 90’s nostalgia. The artwork features several of the Marvel vs. Capcom roster. Of course, you can have the artwork customized to your preference. The large screen ensures that every detail is clear as day. The Prime Arcades 4-Player Upright Machine features 4 controls (joystick and buttons) as well as a trackball for games that require them. Once you get your hand on the Prime Arcades 4-Player Upright Machine, all you need to do is plug and play. The machine is heavy and big, so make sure you have the room for it.

 

Prime Arcades offers a 5-year warranty on the machine as well as lifetime tech support. Most customers feel their customer service is top-notch.

 

Pros

• The Prime Arcades 4-Player Upright Machine is a beautifully designed arcade cabinet. It is built to last and fits right in any rec room.
• The artwork is vibrant and retro.
• There are controls for up to 4 players. The arcade machine also features a trackball. This allows you to play any game you want to.
• The Prime Arcades 4-Player Upright Machine comes preinstalled with over 3000 games including all the classics.

 

Cons

• The arcade cabinet is one of the more expensive arcade cabinets on the market.

 

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4-Player Stand Up Slim (Woodgrain Edition)

 

Style: Upright

Monitor: 32″ HD LCD

Controls: Joysticks (4), trackball

Players: Up to 2

Games: 412

Dimensions: 39.5″W x 31.5″D x 68.75″H

 

The 4-Player Stand Up Slim (Woodgrain Edition)  from Creative Arcades is one of the most exquisite arcade cabinets on the market. With this machine, you can game with class. The 4-Player Stand Up machine is a top of the line arcade cabinet as such it has SANWA joysticks, a giant HD LCD screen, 4 separate controls, a trackball, and of course 3500 games. Every classic game is on here. Iy also has a 3-year parts warranty.

 

The woodgrain is one of the more popular stand-up machines and for good reason. It has a giant screen and over 3000 games. The 4-Player Stand Up is designed to remind you of that retro pizza parlor. The screen is protected by thick tempered glass and the joysticks are of the top quality. As we have already mentioned, the 4-Player Stand Up is a commercial-grade machine and as such is designed to last. It has both a free-play mode and a coin-play mode. In addition to all this, the 4-Player Stand Up comes with two free stools.

 

It has a 3-year warranty on parts. With a cost of about $3000, the arcade cabinet is everything you need in your man cave. And there is no complicated setup, just plug the machine, choose the game you want and play.

 

Pros

• The has a massive library of games all the classics such as Street Fighter II, Metal slug, The Simpsons, Centipede, and Dig Dug, literally every game you can imagine
• The 4-Player Stand Up from Creative Arcades is constructed with high-quality parts.
• The retro pizza parlor brings back precious memories.
• It has 4 joysticks and a trackball.
• It has a huge 32-inch HD screen.

 

Cons

• It’s a bit on the expensive side.

 

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Creative Arcades Full-Size Cabinet Arcade Machine

This is the perfect option given that it’s loaded up with up to 3,500 games including Mortal Combat, Moonwalker, and Robotron. It also includes experimental games such as Space Age, and Dragon’s Lair alongside classics like Pacman, and Galaga.

It looks exactly like an arcade machine from the ’80s or ’90s with much better graphics and gaming options.

This arcade machine has a 32-inch screen as well as 4 joysticks. It also ships with two barstools. Buying this arcade cabinet will be the closet thing you can have to a full arcade at the home or in your business. Another bonus is that this arcade cabinet is delivered fully assembled, all you need to do is plug it in and play!

 

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Creative Arcades Cocktail Arcade Machine

 

Style: Cocktail

Monitor: 26-inch LCD

Controls: SANWA joystick, trackball

Players: Up to 4

Games: 1162 – 3500

Dimensions: 39″L x 22.5″W x 29″H

 

This is one of the best arcade cabinet on the market. It is beautifully designed and a full-sized cocktail arcade gaming machine. The arcade cabinet features several of the classics such as Street Fighter II, Metal slug, The Simpsons, Centipede, and Dig Dug. There are several models of the same machine. The first features 1162 games, the second model features a 26-inch screen, 3500 games, and a 26-inch screen, and the last features 3500 games and a 32-inch screen. This is a JAMMA-based system.

 

The arcade cabinet is equipped with an LCD monitor, SANWA joysticks and controls (the joysticks made by Sanwa Denshi Co are renowned for their excellent game controls), a thick tempered glass, and two leather bar stools.  And you do not need to install games or go through any complicated setup before you can start playing. Simply plug the arcade cabinet and start gaming. You can also tilt the screen to 60 degrees. This allows you to vary your gameplay experience. Each control set even features a trackball for games such as Centipede.

 

While not the cheapest arcade cabinet on the market, the Creative Arcades Cocktail Arcade Machine offers excellent value for money.  It is well-built. In fact, it looks and feels much more expensive than it actually is. This is definitely one of the best arcade cabinet for home use. It has a 5-year warranty.

 

Pros

• The Creative Arcades Cocktail arcade machine is of commercial-grade quality.
• It features a tilting screen.
• Authentic retro aesthetics.
• It comes with 1162 or 3500 games.
• Features 8-position joysticks and trackballs.
• The Creative Arcades Cocktail arcade machine comes with 2 chrome stools.

 

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AB Exclusive Cocktail Machine

 

Style: Cocktail

Monitor: 22-inch LCD

Controls: Joystick

Players: Up to 2

Games: 412

Dimensions: 34″L x 26″W x 29″H

 

The is one of the more classic looking cocktail arcade cabinets on the list. It has a similar built as the Creative Arcades Cocktail Arcade Machine. As with any good arcade cabinet. The machine comes pre-installed with most of the classics such as Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong 33, Donkey Kong Jr, Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and countless more.

 

Designed for both right-handed and left-handed players, there is no need to readjust. The arcade cabinet has 412 games and a huge 22-inch hi-res screen. The LED lights and flawless graphical designs around the screen give the classic 80’s/90’s vibe. If you are into retro gaming then this table is a must-have. The arcade cabinet comes with 2 retro-style stools included. As with any good retro arcade cabinet, the AB Exclusive cocktail machine has a quarter mode and a free mode.

 

It has a 3-year warranty on parts. The price is great. At around $1000 to $1500, this sturdy machine may just be what is needed to class up your rec room.

 

Pros

• The AB Exclusive cocktail machine is a well-built cabinet. Solid craftsmanship and genuine parts go into the creation of each machine. Expect the arcade cabinet to last a lifetime.
• The retro graphics and led lights add to this arcade cabinet’s appeal.
• Both right-handed and left-hand players can easily use the controls.

 

Cons

• It has games that require a trackball to play although the controls don’t feature a trackball.

 

 

Arcade1Up Street Fighter

 

Style: Upright

Monitor: 17-inch LCD

Controls: Joystick

Players: Up to 2

Games: 3 (Street Fighter games)

Dimensions: 45.8” H x 22.75” L x 19”W

 

If you are a street fighter fan, then this is the arcade cabinet for you. This upright cabinet is perfect for two players or a single player if you wish to play against the CPU. it comes with three classic Street Fighter games, namely – Street Fighter ll Champion Edition, Street Fighter ll The New Challengers, Street Fighter ll Turbo. This machine is 4 feet in height and as such, you’ll need a chair to play it comfortably

 

Designed for 2 players to go against each other, the Arcade1Up Street Fighter will test your skills and bring back the good old days. Even the kids will enjoy playing on it. The Arcade1Up Street Fighter has a nice 17-inch classic arcade screen. The controls are well-made and the entire system should last for a lifetime. There are several versions of this machine, namely:

 

• Final FIght version which comes with Final Fight, 1944 (the Loop Master), Ghosts ‘N Goblins, and Strider
• Rampage version which contains classic Midway games such as Rampage, Gauntlet, Joust, and Defender
• Pac-Man version which contains two games namely Pac-Man and Pac-Man Plus
• Asteroids version which comes with classic Atari games such Asteroids, Major Havoc, Lunar Lander, and Tempest
• Centipede version which comes with classic Atari games such Centipede, Missile Command, Millipede, and Crystal Castle
• Games version which contains two games namely Galaga, Galaxian

 

With its much lower price range, the Arcade1Up Street Fighter is an excellent bargain.,

 

Pros

• They offer excellent value for the price offered.
• It is an affordable Arcade1Up Street Fighter that is easy to use.

 

Cons

• Unlike other arcade cabinets, the Arcade1Up Street Fighter features just 3 or three games,

 

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Two-Player Multiarcade Tornado

For an authentic gaming retro experience, this arcade cabinet is your best bet.

The games on this arcade cabinet are JAMMA games meaning that it is actually the original gaming system from the original cabinets from the ’80s and ’90s. All the classic games loaded on to this arcade machine look exactly like the originals.

This full-sized arcade cabinet includes 2,000 games that are a mixture of classic and modern. The LED screen can switch between a horizontal and vertical view depending on the game settings.

This machine is for 2 players maximum and can be purchased with a coin slot or a free play button.

 

Buying the Best Arcade Cabinet

There is a lot to consider when getting the best arcade cabinet for your rec room, dorm room, or office break room. This is especially true if you don’t already have a choice in mind. There are countless machines on the market with countless price tags and functionality. Things to consider include the size (form factor) of the arcade machine, the number of games on the device, the controls, number of concurrent players, and the aesthetics.

 

Size/Form Factor

Arcade machines are large and occupy a lot of space. They are also heavy and tough to move. Before you get the arcade cabinet, ensure that you have the necessary space. For most arcade cabinets, expect a machine that is about 70 inches (almost 6 feet) in height. Also, they are quite wide and may not fit into doorways unless parts of the machine are disassembled.

 

Moving the arcade cabinet is not a one-man job. You need to pick a location for the machine and stick to it. But every arcade machine needs to be a cabinet (upright). Some have smaller form factors such as the cocktail arcade machines. these are still huge, mind you, but they are much easier to move.

 

Number of Games

Some machines come with over 3500 games while others are dedicated systems. A dedicated system may have variants of Street Fighter II or Pac-Man and that’s it. These are ideal for hardcore fans. However, most people prefer arcade cabinets with many games. With these, you get all the classic 90s and 80s arcade games. You name it, they got it. It’s all down to preference

 

Controls

Some arcade cabinets have up to 4 sets of controls. This allows up to 4 player co-ops. Classic games such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feature gameplay where 4 players can control all the four turtle bros at the same time. Some cabinets also have a trackball. This allows you to play games that require it.

 

Other Features

Some cocktail machines such as the Creative Arcades Cocktail Arcade Machine feature tilt screens so you don’t have to hunch over the screen the entire game. Also, the graphics on the cabinet is also important. Many machines feature retro artwork. This adds to the appeal. The arcade cabinet should be well-built. High-quality arcade screens are protected by tempered glass.

 

Ready to Add a New Arcade Cabinet to Your Collection?

Whether they are for your personal arcade room or for your business, arcade cabinets are sure-fire ways for guests to revel in fun throwbacks that are fun for all ages.

Adding arcade machines, pinball machines, or skee ball machines add a piece of history to any business establishment or home game room. These simple games offer their own experience that modern gaming consoles can’t live up to.

Like this article? Keep checking out our page for more gaming tips, tricks, and reviews!

 

Final Thoughts

There is a lot to choose from but with the right insights, you should pick the arcade cabinet which is best for you. You need to consider the controls, game list, aesthetics, and durability of the machine. As any true gamer knows, arcade games will never die out. And the best way to enjoy arcade games is on an arcade machine. The arcade machines reviewed here are the best on the market.

Last update on 2022-06-14 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API