Arcades and amusement centres to visit across London

London has a wide spread of indoor venues built around play, from coin-op classics and PC gaming to free-roam virtual reality and giant board games. This guide covers eight of them across the city, with what each one has and the rules that matter when you are bringing children. The main things to check are the minimum age for the activity itself, whether an adult has to stay on site, and how the venue handles noise and crowds.

Classic arcade play in Croydon

The Heart of Gaming is a retro arcade with over 60 machines under one roof. It mixes older cabinets such as The Simpsons and Daytona USA with Japanese rhythm games like Maimai and the shooter House of the Dead 4. Entry works as a single payment rather than per game, so the machines, including air hockey and ping pong, are set to free play once you are inside.

It sits on Croydon's high street with shops and restaurants around it, and both East and West Croydon stations are a short walk away. It takes bookings for birthday parties and for educational trips for students.

Mixed activities in Kingston

Urban Fun Kingston is less a pure arcade and more a room full of different things to try. Alongside the arcade machines there is a pixel interactive floor, ice-free curling, mini golf, AR darts, shuffleboard, karaoke and duck pin bowling.

There is a kitchen and bar on site serving loaded hot dogs, stone-baked pizzas, sharer snacks and sweet treats, so a visit can stretch over a meal. Group party packages combine arcade play with AR darts, with a minimum group size of six.

PC and console gaming for older children

New Meta Gaming Arena is a gaming cafe with high-end PC stations, next-gen consoles and racing simulators, and it serves food and drinks. Birthday parties are for children aged 6 to 16, run by trained coaches from the venue's own gaming academy. A party takes up to 12 children on PCs plus up to four more on PS5 or Xbox consoles, runs for three hours, and you are welcome to bring your own cake. Upgraded packages add a coach-led session on either a Minecraft Academy or Fortnite Esports programme.

The academy also runs separately from parties, teaching coding, design and content creation alongside gaming for children aged 8 to 16.

Racing simulators near St Paul's

F1® Arcade London is built around full-motion racing simulators rather than standard cabinets, and it has a cafe and party room. All ages can come in, but a child must be at least 7 to race, and under-18s are only welcome during the daytime. Birthday parties can be held in semi-private areas or by hiring the whole venue, with an events team on hand. The venue also runs Grand Prix watch parties on big screens with commentary and quizzes; under-18s can only attend these with a responsible adult.

Free-roam virtual reality

meetspaceVR (ft Zero Latency) in Wembley Park has a free-roam VR arena where up to eight people play at once, moving physically through the game. Birthday groups are split into teams of up to eight that rotate through the arena every 30 minutes, and there is a Console Zone with Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros for anyone waiting their turn. It also offers VR escape rooms and a Quest Arena with a Digital Play Wall, and keeps a Hall of Fame of high scores to beat. Anyone aged 14 or under must have an adult present on site, though the adult does not need to play. Far Cry VR is 16+ because of strong language.

Omescape VR - Aldgate is one of two Omescape sites in central London. Players wear wireless VR headsets with haptic guns and vests for free-roam play. The games include zombie shooters, VR escape rooms and a PvP laser-tag style game, and the venue welcomes families and friends as well as corporate groups. It takes birthday party bookings.

Immersive games played as a team

Monopoly Lifesized near Goodge Street turns the board game into an escape-room style challenge. You pick one of four themed boards, each with its own tasks but the same core rules, and your group gets a human token: a guide who walks the board with you and leads you through puzzles and mini-games to win properties. The Top Hat, a themed restaurant and bar on site, works for a meal before or after. Birthday packages are for children aged 8 and over, with a minimum of ten children and two adults, and include a Monopoly-themed cake with party bags as an add-on.

Be aware the game uses loud music, flashing lights, timed rounds and intimate spaces. Babes in arms and pushchairs are not permitted. There is no car park; the nearest is a ten-minute walk away at a hotel on Carburton Street.

SENSAS London in Vauxhall is a team challenge played in near-total darkness, testing taste, touch, smell, hearing and sight, with a large ball pit and a laser-dodging room along the way. Completed challenges earn tokens that the venue converts into donations to its partner charity, Disability Snowsport UK. It ends with photos in an anti-gravity themed set. Groups need at least four people, with a briefing 15 minutes before the start. Birthday groups run from four up to 30 participants including supervisors.

Practical points

• Minimum ages vary: 7 to race at F1 Arcade, 8 and over for Monopoly Lifesized parties, 6 to 16 for New Meta parties.
• At meetspaceVR, an adult must stay on site for anyone 14 or under.
• Monopoly Lifesized does not allow babes in arms or pushchairs and involves loud noise and flashing lights.
• SENSAS asks for casual clothes and socks; shoes come off for the experience.
• Most of these venues have a cafe or serve food, so plan around a meal if you want a longer visit.
• The Heart of Gaming and Monopoly Lifesized are both an easy walk from rail or tube stations; Monopoly Lifesized has no parking of its own.