I visited on Father's Day, and dads got in free, which made for a great bonus. If you enjoy classic arcade games, this place is well worth a visit. For about $13, you get unlimited free play all day, making it an excellent value. The arcade is a little smaller than some of the other Free Play locations, but it's packed with classic games from the '80s, '90s, and early 2000s, along with a nice selection of pinball machines. There's a full-service bar and food menu. I didn't try the food, but the drinks were reasonably priced. My only complaint is that there aren't many places to set down a drink while playing, so it can feel a bit cramped when it's busy. The arcade is tucked away in an older shopping center, so it's easy to miss if you aren't looking for it. Even with the Father's Day crowd, the staff stayed busy while remaining friendly and the restrooms were clean. Overall, it's a fun and affordable place to spend a few hours, whether you're reliving your childhood or introducing someone else to classic arcade games. read more

Free Play - Pinball - Bars Near Me - Richardson, Texas

Free Play is fun and a great bargain in my opinion at 13 dollars a person per entry. You can stay as long as you'd like and continue playing games, all in free play mode! There are a variety of games- PacMan, a foosball like hockey game, racing games, pinball, frogger, shooting games, old classics like Fix-it-Felix, DDR, shooting hoops, skee ball and more! It's relatively clean and employees come help is something is glitchy or a ball is stuck in the basketball game, for example. They play music at an appropriate volume (this place is way less deafening than cidercade, and less crowded too!). I've never had food/ alcohol here so can't speak to that. It's definitely a great place to go, especially with a buddy, to get competitive and just unwind a little! My only complaint- the arrows in DDR are not very sensitive and tend to stick a little on their machines. It's very hard to adjust the initial difficulty level because the DOWN arrow on both sides of their machine is so not-receptive to touch you have to jump on it with intense force to move it from basic to more difficult. I'm actually pretty good at DDR and kept getting BOOS from arrows I was hitting. So just don't come here specifically for a DDR marathon and you won't be disappointed. Everything else was in good working order! read more

STILL REMEMBERING THE DAY I STOPPED BEING LOYAL TO FREE PLAY ARCADE WHEN THEY WOULD NOT ACCEPT MY PUNCH CARDS FOR ENTRY AFTER ALL THAT MONEY I HAVE SPENT IN THEIR FACILITY. I will never return to free play ever again. Switch to the electronic loyalty system all you want, but to deny access to extremely loyal customers by saying the loyalty cards are now worthless, how insulting?!!!!! You could have accepted all loyalty cards until they stopped coming. Way to kill customers loyalty! If that was your intention, win for you, But you lost me. read more

Bar arcade with games that actually work! And they are all set on free play you pay one price at the door. Love this model. Wide range of beers and drinks available. Food available but did not try it. Wide selection of games and a decent pinball corner with a variety of new and vintage pinballs. The worst thing at a retro bar arcade is broken games. This is not a problem here. I played a lot of gamed and maybe found 2 out of order. read more

Took my kid to Free Play Arcade and it was an absolute blast from the past. I loved this place. Any time we travel to the Dallas area, this is a must-stop for us. The game selection is unreal--classic arcade cabinets, pinball, modern stuff, all unlimited play--and the food lineup is surprisingly solid too. It's fun for kids, but honestly it hits just as hard for adults who grew up in arcades. Pure joy, zero stress, nonstop fun. Hands down, the best arcade in the world. read more

I've been coming here with my dad since I was a kid, we used to go every Father's Day before moving. The staff has always been super friendly, they got a big selection of drinks (alcoholic and nonalcoholic) and some great snacky stuff! My favorite thing about free play is that they have a solid selection of classic game that are there year round (tapper, Pac-Man etc.) but every time I go there's a few new consoles. Would highly recommend! read more

Mi experiencia en Free Arcade Dallas fue increíble Es un excelente sitio para visitar con tus amigos. Este fin de semana la pasé genial: tienen DJ en vivo, muchísima variedad de maquinitas para jugar, y un ambiente súper divertido. Los drinks de especialidad los recomiendo muchísimo, y la pizza de s'mores... ¡qué delicia! Definitivamente es mi lugar favorito para una escapada de fin de semana. ¡100% recomendado! read more

A nice throwback arcade. It's a bit small and although you get a lot of bang for your buck with $13 of free play (pay at entry), I can't imagine being there all night. I'm also not a gamer, though. It still is a great outing for an hour or two that is affordable. They have a full bar and food menu. I didn't eat, but the drinks were affordable. There aren't many places to sit or put drinks down around the games, which makes it a lil tight but they do have a main seating area. It's located in a small.shoppimg center, if you aren't looking for it, you'd probably miss it. The staff stayed very busy with the constant foot traffic but were very friendly. read more

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Very fun place with retro games and plenty of pinball machines. I had fun they offered veterans discount too for under $10 you can have a whole day of fun. They also have tons of beer. read more

Free Play - Arcade games - Bars Near Me - Richardson, Texas

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There are 4 Free Play Arcades around the Dallas,TX Metro area, each are a bit different in size & setting, but roomy enough to say "large arcade". These all have full service bars, but will admit kids with their parents until 9PM. Standard all-day wristband pass paid admission. All the classic cabinet games from the 1980's are here, then newer types of games that were popular in 90's to Y2K. Internet games also available. Plenty of tables & seats with room for strollers or wheelchairs. Pinball alley has 10 decent machines, not too old, nor the newest. Staff is welcoming & helpful. Restrooms kept clean. Parking is right in front in this older mall building. My highest Q-bert score has been 143K, this night I booked 102K. My quest for 200K is my Nirvana... The Asteroids Deluxe game functions very well, but I like original Asteroids game better. Try this easy going Free Play, the local crowd is courteous & chill. Bonus round: a giant old school KFC is nearby, with a massive indoor lobby, and a history storyboard wall exhibit. Not many of these left. read more

Free Play - Top score! Nice arcade, plenty of room, and machines in great working order. - Bars Near Me - Richardson, Texas

went here for my best friend's birthday. it's about $13 for a day pass and there's a decent amount of games to play for the size of the place. if you have a larger group, definitely play the game on the wall near the dining area with the blue and yellow teams it's SO FUN. also thank you to the worker with the long hair and glasses who helped me hide and my surprise my friend with the birthday cake. so nice and chill. i'd 100% come back here. read more

Fun environment. The games are old but they have kept them in good working shape. The price is not bad at all either. The food wasn't the best I've ever had and the pizza was a lot smaller than I would have expected. But at $10 it's not terrible. Fanta, retro games, good company? What more could ya ask for? I have been to this location and the one in Fort Worth. I personally think the Fort Worth Location is better though. Seemed a tad bigger with a better selection of games. read more

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Super cool atmosphere. This I a great deal of you want o go on a date or bring the family.

pulled up with friends from across town only to find out you need identification to play arcade games??? lamest rule i've ever heard of in my life and they wouldn't even take a photo of my ID talking about "i could photoshop it". YEAH RIGHT. good luck free play read more

Such a fun place to go!! It was so nice to have a trip along memory lane! Service is fantastic! The bartender Bri was so wonderful! Will be telling everyone about this place... if they don't already know! read more

Haunting arcade, quite nice place with all the old school games and fairly good bar food and occasional tournaments for all your favorite classic games read more

Visiting family in Dallas and I suggested we go to this place to kill a few hours with five adults and a 10y/o kid. It was 6:30 p.m. on a Saturday and it was very busy. It's $12/person, no child rate. The first thing we all noticed was that the space is small. It's in a strip center and you're packed in like sardines. Right up front is the bar and behind the bar there are a few tables for people who have parties, etc. The smell of cheesy pizza with a hint of BO and 80s nostalgia envelops you. The bartenders were nice and they have a decent craft beer selection. The games are mainly older games and heavy on the anime-ish games. If it's crowded, you might not be able to play the games you want for awhile. They did have Off Road, the group pac man and other OG faves. But because of the size of the space, they can't really fit in any other games even if they wanted to. My fave game was probably the group game Bishi Bashi (if that's the name?) near the front - it was fun competing with others. Overall, it's no Pinballz in Austin but it's OK if you're looking to kill a few hours. read more

Great drinks wonderful, friendly service and a super fun variety of games definitely a nice place to bring friends for a night out.

We only went to check it out, it's very trendy with music , young crowds. We stay at the bar and had a few drinks. But we are planning to try their food next time. The bartender was friendly and very outgoing and he was busy but attentive. read more

Pretty good free play arcade for $13 with a bar. Their game selection is deep enough that even going on a Saturday night you can likely find an interesting machine to hunker down and play through that will hold your interest though navigating the crowds might be an issue if you are at all claustrophobic. Wish there was slightly better traffic flow as a couple rows that dead-end with machines going all the way to the wall instead of allowing a cut through but it is mostly an non-issue. They have a nice collection of retro arcade games ranging from beat-em-ups, fighting games, on rails shooters, racing games, etc. In addition they stock more modern multiplayer releases like PacMan Battle Royal and Killer Queen. They also have a handful of pinball games up front if that is more your thing as well. The machines I played seemed to be in pretty good repair for the most part too which is always a toss up for 20+ year old game cabinets. They have multiple locations around the metroplex so if this one is a bit further out, maybe check to see if there is one closer if you think it might be your thing. Sadly I live in a weird dead zone equidistant to many of them but it's worth the trip to check try it out even you aren't lucky enough to have one in your backyard. Would recommend as even your bar tab in addition to entry is unlikely to break the bank. Pretty decent value for an evening out all things considered. read more

waited in line for at least 20 minutes before I was acknowledged and when I finally got their attention I was told I can't enter with Out a form of identification (ID) And have to be over 21 years old to play at and arcade ?? And the lady up there didn't even want to work with me by taking a picture of my id or any other form. Definitely never going again. read more

This is a novel idea to take a walk down memory lane. Such a cool idea, but not greatly executed. First off not all the games are in working order, the bartenders aren't trained & don't know how to make drinks, you also need to offer some decent wine, not everyone cares for fruity drinks & beer. And well, the food quality is lacking, taste like it comes out of a venting machine. So many missed opportunities. read more

This place is fun and cheap! How can you beat that! The only reason I gave them a 4 star is because I feel like it has more potential to be better. If it had some louder music or even a DJ... it's big enough. The amount of games they had was great, the types of games were great, and facility was clean. Full bar and friendly employees. Nothing to complain about here. It is a great place to take a date on especially if it is after 9 because no kids are allowed after 9. $10 entry and all games are free. Can't wait to go back. read more

Free Play - Bars Near Me - Richardson, Texas

Pay $10/person for unlimited video-play, and go back to your youth! The website says 'beer & wine only' but they actually have liquor for BASIC mixed drinks. Don't be the bonehead who asks for a Mojito or sumpin, because they have no mixed drink menu or complex ingredients. Points for Ms Pac-Man, Tron, etc. - but points deducted for the missing Asteroids. Come on; Asteroids was the first 2-D flying game, you gotta have it!! read more

I have become a regular here over the past months, I absolutely adore the setup, the employees, the food, the drinks, honestly everything. This location is well maintained, has a killer music playlist, and great game variety. I primarily come here for Dragon's Lair, Killer Queen, Tapper, Pinball, and the Japanese Rhythm games (specifically Museca and Bishi Bashi Channel) but they have many, many more. The employees are friendly, attentive, and do a great job keeping things clean and people served even when it's busy. I constantly rave about this place to anyone and everyone. If you come enough, definitely invest in the monthly membership and prepare for an amazing time! (Check out their other locations too!) read more

We were looking for a rainy-day activity on vacation and found this on Google Maps. We were fine with the $12/person charge, even with six people in our family, but apparently it was half price for arriving in the first hour! Score! There was a decent selection of games, and all the games were in great shape. They were constantly walking around cleaning and looking for things needing fixed. We didn't try any of the food, but it smelled amazing. We love going to retro gaming conventions, so this was right up our alley. If we lived here, we'd be regulars! read more

This place is so much fun, my husband and I took our 3 yo and my 6 yo nephew and they had so much fun. They loved all the games, and choices for pinball. The car racing games were their favorite. I didn't really get to play much since I was chasing them around but this place would be so fun for date night. The atmosphere is laid back and all about the games. They have so many that you can choose from and easily spend a few hours there. I really like that you pay one price and then can play anything you want, especially with little kids that have short attention spans and run from game to game. They are also doing a really good job during covid and we felt completely safe. There is sanitizer everywhere, masks are required and they wipe down the machines. If you want to get out of the house and have some fun this is your spot. read more

Free Play - Playing video games - Bars Near Me - Richardson, Texas

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Fun place and adjacent to some of the best ramen in town ! I was trying to do my speaker on my phone. I want to pick up the TV but it didn't. read more

Exactly as advertised, and that's a good thing. There's a bar and then a ton of arcade games, you play and you drink and have a good time. There's a few tables for you to sit at if you want a break but it's loud, understandably. The selection of games was great, basically everything from dig dug, joust, Simpson's, Pac-Man, Time Crisis 3, and many more. Lots of games I haven't played before. I read that they rotate games out too so if you come back you may find some new ones. The popular games can be hard to get to but if you're patient and quick it's no problem. My only gripe isn't against Free Play but more so on my own expectations. I came with a group and since arcade games usually are only for 2, with max 4, players, combine that with a pretty packed place your group has to split up and do their own thing. I would say this is a great place to come with 2-4 people but any more and you won't really feel like you're there as a group since you'll all be off playing your own game. But if that's what everyone wants then it's great haha read more

Had a fantastic time at free play Richardson! They are doing their absolute best to keep everyone safe while facilitating tons of fun. Machines were regularly cleaned and people kept their masks on for the most part. $11 for unlimited game play is basically free, if you ask me. Drinks are cheap! Food is good! Employees are kind and fun. Would totally go back - if only to beat the stranger things pinball game hahaha! read more

Free Play - Bars Near Me - Richardson, Texas

Wonderful atmosphere and wonderful old school arcade games with several modern ones mixed in. Plenty of beer and cider options! Also, an enforced Adults only time! read more

My first time here was so fun! The games were great, the waiters were awesome. At some point they traded at least half their classic games for weird emulators. Me and 2 kids under 5 years old cost $39 to get in now and they don't have any of the games I remember playing. Here's my most recent experience. Go in and pay a crazy amount for me and two little children. Ask for the top IPA on the list and the waiter doesn't know what it is. She pours it and then says it's supposed to go in a smaller glass so she just charged me double. I go back around and ask a different employee for an IPA that will fill a regular glass and get a stout. My two beers totaled $22. I've done this a few times this last year and every time it's worse than the last. I won't go back. read more

This place is great! They are following all CDC guidelines and provide sanitation stations to wipe off games/hands. Drinks and food are priced well and you can play every game for $11 a person- you can't beat that!! Will definitely come back. read more

Free Play - Pinball machine - Bars Near Me - Richardson, Texas

As the name implies, Free Play is an arcade, specifically a video game arcade. Free Play appeals to many, but mainly to the men of my generation who grew up in the 80s video arcades. This Free Play arcade not located in the trendiest shopping center but it's sandwiched between a Baskin Robin's ice cream and a Saigon thai restaurant. The interior is simple and doesn't really have anything decorative on their walls. The bulk of the establishment is filled with 3 long rows of stand up coin operated video games. The remaining third of the room is made up of a small bar and tables with chairs. They do serve food from a simple menu but I did not get anything to eat or drink. I was too preoccupied with playing games. Walking into Free Play took me back to my teenage years when I walked into my neighborhood video arcade. Except this time it was like one of my fantasies come true... all the games were FREE! Well, not really. It costs $10 per person. You get a wrist band and you can play until they close! They usually close at 11 but midnight on Fridays and 1am on Saturdays. Anyone under 18 must vacate the arcade by 9p Sunday through Thursday and if you're under 21 by 9p on Friday and Saturday. I did not count, but they boast over 95 video games and pinball machines. They "rotate" games so if you have a favorite game that they do not have, you can make a request for it. I can tell most of the games were showing their age as the decorative exteriors were worn and many of the screen had signs of screen burn-ins and colors distorted such as Galaga and Dragon's Lair. But that didn't stop me from getting the high score on Galaga! Some of my other favorites they had were Dig Dug, Joust, Tron, Frogger, Qbert, Gaunlet, Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr, and Asteroids. Yes you can play some or all of these games on console or even online, but there's nothing like playing them on their original stand up coin op cases and controllers. Two games I wished they had were Spy Hunter and the original Defender. Free Play had a very nice atmosphere with everyone enjoying themselves. But I could envision on a very busy Friday or Saturday night with a lot of people where there may be a line to your favorite game or if there's a passionate player who just doesn't want to leave the game that could leave to some frustration. Don't forget that there are over 95 games to play. Or take a break and get a drink. I easily played more than $10 worth of quarters in the 2 hours I was there. Had a fun time at Free Play. read more

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Fun games and friendly staff! Lots of games to choose from. Food was okay, the menu is not too big, so maybe eat before you go.

Worth the hype and the great reviews don't lie! Lots of really fun american and Japanese games. My boyfriend and I had a blast. I prefer this over similar places in Dallas like cider Cade because of the bigger variety of games and more chill crowd. 9pm becomes 21 and over only! read more

What a fantastic place to come and relive your youth. If you are still rocking the first few decades of your life, this place is for you too. Come experience the greatness that was the 80s. If you are under 21, you'll need to check out the action before 9pm because that's when the youngsters must vacate. Free Play Arcade is located in a dark, somewhat deserted strip mall, but hey, there is always an abundance of parking. Enter and pay $10 at the bar for unlimited play at the machines that got their start when MTV played music videos, Cindi Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun was blaring on the radio, and ET was showing in theaters. While there, start a tab and get yourself some beer or hard cider. There are only two beer options on tap. Many of the drinks are served in cans or bottles. Our bartender was apparently new and clueless because he couldn't answer our beer questions about what was on tap, and he had trouble finding the beer we ordered in the cold case. Thankfully in earshot was another bartender who came to our rescue. He got us squared away. You can also order food at the bar. They will give you a number and bring your plate to one of the ten tables near the bar. The food is snack bar quality. We ordered and split a small cheese pizza. Nothing to write home about, but it will tame your hunger pangs. The games are lined up in rows and wedged side by side. There is usually a small wood platform between each where you can place your beer and free up your hands to go for the high score. The throwback machines include favorites like space invaders, Donkey Kong, Frogger, all four forms of PacMan (original, mrs, baby with the pinball, and table), Tron, Centipede, Mario Bros, Adams Family pinball, etc. I only saw two machines out of order during the night, but they were quickly brought back online. Be sure to tell the staff if there is an issue so they can get things running again. The place was crowded on a Friday night after 9pm, but you could still find a few machines open at any one time. People were generally courteous about freeing up a machine after a few rounds at it. The 80s hits blaring in the background put a smile on our faces. You could see people bopping around to the music as they waited their turn at a machine. We had a great time here and look forward to returning with friends so we can take that nostalgic trip back to the 80s together. read more

Our family had a blast there. All the games were in working order. There's classic games and some newer. We will be back soon! read more

Free Play - Menu - Bars Near Me - Richardson, Texas

Fun, retro arcade with cocktails. Great for this gen-xer to replay some old classic video games. When we went, barely any kids.. so it was great! read more

Really enjoyed date night here! $10 per person and we played pinball games to our heart's content. I 'bout gave myself a heart attack playing centipede after 25 yrs of not playing it! Brought back great memories and a cramped hand and arm! Lol Almost stroked out playing pac man trying to get high score. Had to high tail it back to my pinball favorites and get my heart rate back down and stop sweatin bullets so I wouldn't flood the place. Had so much fun and loved the variety of games! Five stars and thank you for the cool bumper sticker! Yeehaw read more

Free Play - Bars Near Me - Richardson, Texas