From classic arcade halls to gaming rooms for hardcore players, it’s all here in our guide to London’s gaming bars and cafes.
Born in Asia, and slowly making its way to the fore in the rest of the world, gaming cafes have been making a silent rise in London.
Not long ago you’d have been hard-pressed to find space to sit down, log on and get gaming. Now you can do all of the above with the addition of unique gaming-themed cocktails, you can smash arcade games in retro-themed bars and even (this is London after all) chow down on gaming bar brunch.
Here’s where the fun is going down…
Best Gaming Bars in London
Loading Bar
Stoke Newington, Peckham
Loading Bar may be the most popular gaming bar London can boast. They’ve got two locations in this fair city, one in the deep south and one in the far north. The vibe is modelled off the gaming bars of Tokyo but with a touch of London class.
The Stoke Newington location is our favourite: it offers the widest range of consoles. You can stick to your guns on the Playstation-Xbox rivalry as they have both. There’s also a host of arcade games with classic titles like Donkey Kong and Judge Dredd.
Or, if you’d prefer to do your gaming offline, there are more than 80 board games and even table football to keep you entertained.
Four Quarters
Multiple locations
If arcade gaming is your thing, you’ll want to head down to Four Quarters. The bar is loaded with everything you need for a wildly good time. They’ve got a bunch of gaming-themed cocktails to quaff and a range of arcade games that’ll shoot you right back down memory lane.
The games vary depending on which of their three London locations you’re at but you can guarantee a bit of Tekken and Street Fighter. Time Crisis makes regular appearances and so do titles like Pac-Man and Mortal Combat.
What’s more, the games have been restored, so the quality of image is extra good.
Meltdown
Islington
Meltdown is another London gaming bar that we love. The best thing about this spot is the community. It all comes from the fact that, on many levels, this place functions more like a bar than it does a gaming space.
They serve up a wicked array of cocktails, beers and shots and guests are encouraged to knock ‘em back and hang out with the other gamers. Things get really ramped up around competition time when TVs stream live e-sports, or the the bar throws competitions of their own.
There are plenty of consoles and computers to get stuck into your own gaming and you can even take part in competitions yourself should you think you’ve got the skills.
NQ64
Shoreditch
If you like your gaming with a healthy (or perhaps unhealthy) amount of boozing on the side, NQ64 is the place for you. They’ve got a fully stocked bar with cocktails and the works, plus a kitchen that turns out some decent food.
The other side to this place is a solid selection of arcade games to raz once you’re fed and watered. There’s every classic title you could want, and expect, from a good game bar.
The two elements coordinate in regular gaming brunches they hold with great guest kitchens coming in to dish out a bit of what they do best.
SideQuest
Chinatown
Hailing from Asia and making themselves right at home in Chinatown, we have SideQuest. This place might just be the most serious video game bar London has to offer. They’ve got multiple rooms with all sorts of options for gaming and super-fast internet connections so you can smash online multiplayer sessions with no lag whatsoever.
Should you want to make your gaming sesh a personal one they’ve got six private gaming rooms with Playstations, Xboxes and 55-inch 4K UHDV screens.
E-sports tournaments are also just the tip of an iceberg that runs deep. They’ve also got communities to help you train up for those tournaments and hold regular workshop events with more focusses than you could shake an analogue stick at.
The Heart of Gaming
Croydon
The Heart of Gaming have a mission to keep arcade gaming alive. They do a solid job of that but don’t restrict themselves to just that segment of the gaming world. You’ll also find plenty of retro consoles like N64s and Sega Megadrives, plus contemporary numbers from Playstaton 4s to Nintendo Switches.
Naturally, a good gaming session requires sustenance. Heart of Gaming have a spread of drinks and snacks available from their lounge that will keep you fuelled all the way through that mega Daytona competition you’re having with your pals.
New Meta Gaming Arena
Angel
The New Meta Gaming Arena is a hotspot for PC gamers in London. They don’t, however, go further than that. It’s purely computer gaming here.
If that is your thing, you’re in the right place. They’ve got more than 30 PCs in place, each with over 90 classic titles to choose from. Should you want to battle it out there’s a 5v5 ‘Battle Arena’ for intense gaming showdowns.
Two private rooms are also available with two computers each and should you just want to hangout theres a nice lounge with a TV that streams live e-sports tournaments.
Practical Tips for Exploring the Best Gaming Bars in London
- Decide what you’re after. A few of these places, like Four Quarters or Meltdown, have a strong focus on the bar element whereas that’s not as present at places like SideQuest or New Meta Gaming Arena. Both have their merits, it’s just down to you to decide what your vibe is.
- Some of these places will offer gamer’s cards where you can buy screen time in bulk and save a few quid. Ask at the front desk of the venue for more information.
- Fancy getting offline with your gaming? How about hitting a board game cafe instead?
