Nothing beats heading out to The Local 987 right across the street for some happy hour eats and a couple of drinks to prime yourself for a night at 8 Bit. They have an incredible collection of pinball machines, and enough arcade cabinets to take a break from chuckin' steel at ramps (I still wish they had a Third Strike cabinet, but I won't hold it against them). There's also a back patio if you need a break from the din of the machines or want to have a conversation with your friends to discuss which Ninja Turtle is the best. It's Raphael. It's always Raphael. They have a fridge full of a variety of canned adult beverages and soft drinks, along with a non-alcoholic slushie and an alcoholic slushie to sip on while gaming. The majority of their machines have cup holders to help you out with your beverages. I usually need a couple of Rainier tall cans to get me loosened up enough to be at peak pinball performance. There's also a varied selection of small pizzas if you need something to snack on. It's a family friendly spot until about 9-10pm? I can't remember exactly, but after that time, everyone under 21 must leave the premises and it's adult swim time. The atmosphere has always been very even-keel though, I rarely notice when kids are or aren't present. The bartenders are sweethearts and love talking nerdery when they're not busy (What's up Randal 'n' Forrest!). read more

This was a fun place to escape from reality and a true blast from the past. It truly felt like we were back in an original arcade many years ago. I originally thought this was a place meant to look like an old arcade based on reviews and pictures but this is truly an old arcade. Everything from the smells, carpet, machines, and vibe brings you back to the peak arcade days. There are a couple newer machines like Minecraft and 4 person PacMan but the majority of the machines are classics. They have multiple coin machines to exchange cash for coins and it seemed like games were between 25-75 cents each credit. We didn't try any of the food or drinks so I can't comment on that but there were other people enjoying that. They had signs on the front door that kids are allowed until a specific time as well. read more

8 Bit Arcade Bar - Bars Near Me - Renton, Washington

Brought the kids here, they enjoyed the retro classics, the pinball and the more modern games.

My friend and I had a lot of fun. We used a lot of the two person shooting games. Some of them kept eating up our coins ... like not registering them. But whatever we kept playing. The bar service was fast and cool. Overall had a good time playing for a couple of hours. read more

8 Bit Arcade Bar - Bars Near Me - Renton, Washington

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Lots of cool pinball games and arcade games. Felt like a kid again going to the arcade and pumping quarters into the machines and having fun. read more

Such a fun little hangout!! Really cool collection of both vintage and new games, and the bartender gave amazing service. Love that they offer CBD drinks! read more

8-BIT ARCADE Food and Fun!! If you have quarters in your pocket and have an itch to play some pinball or that nostalgic video game, come to 8-Bit Arcade on 3rd Avenue in Downtown Renton. Making its mark in Renton after 10 years or more, 8-Bit Arcade is part nostaglia, and all family fun. As an adult, 25 cents goes a long way when engaging with classic game manufacturers like CAPCOM and ATARI. Many games are also newer, using those interactive screens and improving on the 'first-person shooter' concept and teamwork with 4 players or more. As for food... yes, they have it. Be advised that the menu is optimized for hardcore gamer fun. So, don't expect too many plant based options. But, if you would like to have a nice personal pizza, it's there. Adult beverages are also available to include sodas, slushies, and some choice brews. Most importantly, the staff is friendly staff and attentive. Can the whole family have fun? Absolutely. Can you have a roll of quarters and get lost in your favorite game? You can definitely do that, too! So, get your pocket change ready and come on down to Renton's most well-known neighborhood arcade! #8bitarcade read more

What a great place. It brings a smile to me every time I visit. Food is just reheated/microwave items. Beer is good. There are nice restaurants nearby. The best thing is most of the games are still only a quarter. And if you are a a pinball fan they have a lot of the new machines and seem to rotate tables. It is nice to visit and see a new pinball machine. Any time I have some time to kill and I'm in the area, I try to make a stop. Inexpensive fun. How can you not like that? read more

It's rare to see local arcades in this day and age, but I'm glad this one exists. It's a nice and small bar-cade that serves a few drafts and various canned beers. The arcades had a mixture of old school and new school games. You'll see cocktail table arcades of Frogger and Burger Time. Shooters like Area 51 and Terminator Salvation. Classic Simpsons beat'em up and Street fighter. As well as the new school 2012 Ninja Turtles arcade and a Minecraft beat'em up. There's a good selection of pinball games as well that fills up the whole side of one of their walls. They have a patio area in the back if you just prefer to drink with some friends or you can just sit on a stool at the bar. There aren't too many tables around the arcades, so I found it difficult to find a place for my beer as I'm playing some games. Some of the cabinets have glass holders above them, but it's a bit hard to reach for a short guy like me. So not very convenient to drink and play which is unfortunate since that's what customers wants to do. Also a lot of the arcades have slanted control panels, so you can't safely rest your beer on their either. I don't think I'm comfortable with placing my drink on the floor since it looks worn out and obviously it'll be dirty with people walking around. The some of the controls on the arcades aren't very usable. Mostly the joysticks. Noticed this for a lot of the fighting games so those should go through some maintenance. After fixing these issues, I think the place could see a lot more customers. read more

8 Bit Arcade Bar - Arcade Cabinets - Bars Near Me - Renton, Washington

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The guy with the big beard was really cool, enjoyed chatting about movies and Pokemon. Had fun movies on the TV, drinks were good and had a great atmosphere. read more

An awesome game bar with a wide selection of fantastic pinball machines! I tried a lot of them and they all played great! The space is large (even some outdoor space as well) and the service is perfect. The bartender was very attentive and did not have to wait for anything. Also, the BBQ chicken pizza was fantastic and was ready pretty quickly. Can't wait to come back again and play/drink/eat some more. read more

8 Bit Arcade Bar - Bbq chicken pizza - Bars Near Me - Renton, Washington

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Oh where to begin. This is where gamers not so young and old come together to battle it out with their favorite old school arcade games and pinball machines. For the millennials reading this, back in my day we didn't have the luxury of playing video games in the comfort of our own home. We had to actually go somewhere and to play and we had to pay a quarter per game. But I digress, 8-bit is strategically located at the heart of downtown Renton. This hidden gem is authentic to its core. You will find the old school Pac-Man table top version arcade game, Galaga, and old school pinball machines galore. Stepping through the threshold is like walking back into a time machine to the golden age of gamers. This place instantly stole my heart when I saw they had Q-Bert. This place is dimly lit with neon lights giving everyone that iridescent purple hue. The hum of electricity and the sound of men and women frantically pressing down plastic round buttons to attack a myriad of villains take on a life of its own. Your eyes acclimate to the RGB color graphics everywhere and you soon forget about high definition. The only other constant sound you hear is the sound of laughter as the young groups filter in from the street and the clink of beer bottles as another group raises their drinks in celebration of something. This is the place where you lose yourself for an hour and have fun with no judgement. I love that this is exclusive to the 21 and up club after 9pm. Youngsters need not bother because they will check ID. My favorite item on the menu was the alcoholic tropical peach slushy. Yes, you heard me right. And it was delish. And strong. As I finished my adult slushy of course I got hungry and had to order a whole cheese pizza for myself which I gladly demolished. The man behind the bar has service down to a science. Place was busy and he held it down. Didn't have to wait too long for our order. What you will not find here: bad vibes, kiosks that allow you to load money on a card to swipe to play games, dance dance revolution, bro-y douchebags wearing affliction shirts. What you will find is epic old school games, inexpensive drinks, art drawn on pizza boxes hung up on the walls and most prevalently you will find what makes Renton: Renton. At the center of this establishment you will find its patrons, young and old, of all ethnic backgrounds, some with robust 401k's and others just starting on their career path. This mural of people , this intangible positive vibe is what you will never get at a Dave and Buster's. Corporate copycats trying to placate every demographic lose when it comes to authenticity. 8-Bit reigns supreme in that category. P.S. - when you do end up going, try to find the Simpsons game. It's located in the front. Look for the high score list. WOK and JOE highest scores respectively. If you can beat our score, I'll buy you a beer. read more

8 Bit Arcade Bar - My epic cheese pizza that I demolished. YUM! I'm 4'11" but I eat like I'm 6'4". - Bars Near Me - Renton, Washington

Very fun arcade, lots of options and even when it's busy you can still find a spot! As is pretty standard with arcades there is definitely a layer of grime on top of everything but c'est la vie. Staff are lovely, I've never experienced any issues with any of the games and they have a solid beer / cider / seltzer selection. Will definitely try out their pizza soon. read more

Had a great family party here in April. Rented the place out for a few hours and had a lovely time celebrating an adult birthday playing video games and talking. Kids and grownups alike enjoyed their time and we especially liked the 4 player pacman game in the front. read more

The most exclusive arcade machines I have ever seen! Very rare machines, machines dating back to the 70s, and even new gen machines. Every game is 25-50 cents which is crazy! Food is pretty good, their pizza is ready to bake, not frozen though, and it is 5 stars! Bring your kids, bring some buddies, because it's time to be sent back to a time when fun couldn't be more simpler! read more

Loud raucous noise with multiple children running about on a sugar high usually accompanied by a grinning adult. This place is a fantastic hang out. The drink options are vast and the games are reasonably priced for a good amount of play for your buck. We were there on a Saturday and the man behind the drink counter did seem to be the only one working but he was kind, quick, and attentive. read more

This is a great location and place to play! I would go more often with the grandkids if they offered a better menu. I love the idea of this though! read more

Always happy to visit a good arcade. Loved the vibes here and the variety of machines. Staff was nice. We had a good experience and would recommend anyone looking for a little nostalgia or just need to get some gaming in. Love the cost to play a game, plenty of options under a dollar which is so rare these days! Honestly, I'd have given it 5 stars but we ran into a few issues with machines. The one machine (Medieval Madness) I went there specifically to play had multiple issues (table not level, broken troll door, broken draw bridge). This machine really should be down for service asap. I'd have been less disappointed to have a sign on it than to play a couple bucks to find it was having multiple issues. Overall we had a blast... but just a small nudge to prioritize some machine maintenance would go a long way. We were really happy to see such a great space for gamers and would still recommend! read more

Awesome staff and location, tons of old retro games and drinks for the older adults. It is an amazing local spot to bring your family and friends and I throughly enjoy the amount of play time you can get for the money you spend! You have fun without breaking the budget which is awesome! places like this simply dont exist anymore ill definitely be back with my nephew! read more

Love this place, cheap and tons of machines. A little grimy but it kind of adds to the vibe we come here a lot and prefer it over addaball because it's cheaper, way less crowded and has way more machines! read more

Really fun spot that you can take the kids to before 9pm. Wide variety of really good games and good beers. read more

8 Bit Arcade Bar - a little girl playing a video game - Bars Near Me - Renton, Washington

A small but welcoming slice of nostalgia. The arcade is stocked with a ton of classic games and a few newer cabs. The pinball selection is solid and the staff are friendly and helpful. My go to place for some arcade fun. read more

Visited Kent, WA for work. Was bored and yelp'd arcades. 8-bit was less than 20 minutes away. Great coin op arcade (took quarters which I enjoyed). Was able to play a few of the games from my past I enjoyed. For less than $5 had fun for about an hour which was great. No cover charge. Definitely would recommend for the retro folks. read more

It's a neat little place to go in and get a pop and just watch people especially the kids play the games it is good to have them here in downtown Renton read more

A great collection of classic and modern video games and pinball tables. You kick it old school by getting quarters out of the change machine, and you can enjoy a nice beer and a pizza while you play. Can't wait to get back here! read more

I've been coming to this bar every once in a while since I discovered it about five years ago. The bartender that was working 6/29 was a rude and selfish guy. My friend and I were having a decent time until we tried to play the injustice game. The injustice game on the left didn't have the "special attacks" button working at all, still got a card for playing tho. This game is more pricey and costs $1 because of the card. The second player was just eating the quarters, and when you pressed the button it would return a few and not all. We asked the bartender for the 50 cents the machine ate, not only did he have a bad attitude, because how dare we ask him, but rudely states the game costs $1... we said we know, it's eating the quarters. Then he goes to the machine and says there's already .75 cents in there, puts in a quarter and snatches the card out of the machine. Okay... clearly he is missing any memo on customer service. We would have liked that card if that was already our 75 cents in the machine.... He gave us back .50 cents, but basically stole the .25 in there already and kept the card. It definitely ruined the vibe of our night and we left a bit after. It would've been nice if we could've both got one card for playing but we only had .75 left at that point, not enough for another game. I've met plenty of the bartenders that worked here before and they were not like that. Bad vibe. read more

Sweet spot down the street from me. Safe environment and great games. Got the new venom pinball. read more

8 Bit Arcade Bar - New venom pinball - Bars Near Me - Renton, Washington

My wife & I are in our 50s and thought it would be fun to have a few beers and play video games with our mid 20s son. We are obviously over 21, the person carded my wife and she didn't have her purse/ID so the person would not serve her. I completely understand and agree with checking ID when you have a question about someone being over the age of 21 but carding people who are 30+ years north of that mark.. Keep in mind the law doesn't require you to check everyone's ID, it states you can not serve anyone under the age of 21. That interaction set the tone for our first visit to this establishment, we will not be back. read more

Plenty of old school arcade games for everyone. Street Fighter, Tekken, Ninja Turtles, Neo Geo, Pac Man, NBA Jam. Many pinball machines too. Didn't get to try any of the pizza/food but the bar was cool. read more

Perfect for exactly what is it. A fun place for all ages and a vibrant part of downtown Renton. Everyone who works there has always been fantastic and helpful. The games are in working order and the vibe super chill. Grab a beer and play some pinball ! read more

This place is awesome, like in a totally radical way! $5-10 bought us about 2 hours of play time & I loved seeing all the games from my youth. My boys are big pinball fans & this place had tons of them! If we weren't moving this would be a regular stop for us. Check out the tabletop Pac-Man game.. that is a blast! read more

Had family in town from Wichita, KS. They don't get to come here as often as I'd like so we made the rounds kinda tourist style. We headed to the 8 Bit and I love this Arcade Bar, time travel at its best (for a guy like me of a certain age) who remembers when Pong then PacMan first came to taverns! :O) I love the fact that kids can be here until 9 pm, in fact it was fun to see a lot of dads here with kids in tow for some 'old school' games. We had a blast! Great vibe, service, and atmosphere. Plenty of games to play even when they're really busy. I'm fond of the pinball games because that's what I grew up playing. I really enjoyed the fact there's a local place you can have a beer, pizza, enjoy the kids, and everyone in the place is just chilling and having a good time. read more

8 Bit Arcade Bar - Stopped by Sunday, June 10, 2018 and had a blast with some of the family. Love that they have so many old school games! - Bars Near Me - Renton, Washington

Wanted to get here for a long time and today, that day came. Me and my brother collected all the quarters that we had lying around the house and made our way to 8 Bit Arcade. Got ourselves a local brew, pizza and hopped to the machines. They have a big selection from classic arcades. If your a fan then this is a must place to stop by and enjoy the games and machines. My favorite is going to be the X-men fighter game and Street Fighter. Blast from the past I like that everyone there is just chillin. Go go go! read more

8 Bit Arcade Bar - Bars Near Me - Renton, Washington

I have only had good times at the 8 Bit Arcade Bar! If you like classic games and the feeling of nostalgia, then this place is for you. They've got a wide selection of classic arcade games, and the atmosphere is fun with a slight "gamer dungeon", which I like. I went with my brother the first time, and we had a legendary time. We ended up playing Street Fighter with a sizeable crowd watching and cheering behind us. In my experience here, the 8 Bit Arcade Bar hasn't always been the cleanest establishment of them all, but what do you expect from an arcade I guess? Whenever I am in that area again, I am definitely going check out the 8 Bit Arcade Bar again. I have had so many good times here when I lived in Renton, and I'm positive that this place can keep the good times coming! read more

Super cool people. Nice blend of old and new games. A bar. And some neat stickers and candy as well. Made me feel like a kid again

I'm a sucker for Barcades, and 8-Bit is another great one in area! My partner and I made a special trip over from Seattle to check it out for the evening. It's All Ages until 9pm or so when it switches over to 18+ which is nice for the grownups that don't want to punch a kid for hogging House of the Dead 2 for too long. But they serve food and beer at all hours of the day as to not effect your beer drinking schedule. Great assortment of games with a good focus on more of the classics! There's a room dedicated to table-top machines of old school games like Frogger, Q*Bert, Pac-Mac, etc. Lots of 90's era Beat 'em Up games (The Simpsons, TMNT: Turtles in Time) some good rail shooters (HOTD2, Jurassic Park, Aliens), plenty of new and classic Pinball, a even a couple newer-generation arcade machines (Injustice, Need for Speed: Carbon). I think I only saw one out-of-order machine while I was there, so they must keep everything relatively well maintained. All machines are quarter-fed. I don't remember anything costing more than 50 cents/play, but I'm sure some of the newer pinball machines would cost more. My partner and I stuck to the older games and spent $20 at the coin machine which lasted us both nearly 2 hours. I'm not sure what the usual soundtrack for this place is, but while we were there it was playing 90's/2000's era Punk - (NOFX, Bouncing Souls, Vandals, Bad Religion, Pennywise) and I could not have been happier with this being the soundtrack to my evening of beer drinking and arcade playing. Renton isn't exactly down the street from my apartment, but I will gladly make the trip again to burn a few hours at 8-Bit. read more

Great bar service. Tons of old school games and pinball machines. Was there New Years Eve and it wasn't too crowded

We had a blast here!! I sent me back to my childhood and even my 9yrs old daughter was engaged with the pinballs!

This place was the family favorite from 2015-2019. Some how they've managed to be inconsistent with the covid guidelines. We are being asked for vaccine cards to still have to wear our masks in the building...everyone in the building has been carded. Why card us if we still have to wear masks? And we can be maskless as long as we are eating and drinking . One employee was on me the whole night about my mask but i was drinking and eating every time. The pizza isn't all that but the drinks are reasonably priced read more

Dive bar atmosphere with obnoxious sounds coming from the arcade games...but that is part of the nostalgia. Fantastic selection of games that all worked flawlessly. I will be back for some of my favorites and to try more of their 20+ pinball machines. read more