This place is crazy nostalgic, and I'm loving it. Playing the games I grew up with, along with the sounds of kids having fun, the games are clean, and the area is fantastic. A nice park around the corner and plenty of restaurants a short walk away. I drove just shy of 100 miles to get there and try their games, and it was worth it. The town is like a cool getaway, especially if you live in an area that gets hot. read more

High Scores Arcade - I think I played this game for four or five hours. - Arcades Near Me - Alameda, California

Some cool nostalgic games. It was smaller than I expected, maybe 25 games. Several games were not functional.

Good, wholesome nostalgic fun at a great price! I've taken my 22 year old nephew there when he was a kid and a teen and now I take his younger brother who is 11 there to keep the tradition going. read more

Visited today. So much nostalgia for an arcade. Had a good variety of games and many cabinets had hundreds of further games to play. Definitely worth the price. Staff was very nice, cold drinks are available, plenty of stools for use. Would recommend to anybody looking for a retro gaming experience. read more

This place was such a blast! Me and my old roommate were fully reliving our 20s for a full hour as we played all the fighting games there. All of the games had well maintained cabinets and controls and a large selection of well thought out other games. Especially appreciated the rare guitar hero set up. Thanks for the stroll down memory lane! read more

fun place for all ages. Your choice of 1 hour or all day with in/out. Great old school games from the 80s, 90s, and good music of the 80s. I hope they wipe down the games - ideally it would be every hour. Bring your hand sanitizer. I'd say the burnout time based on a 9 yr old is 3-4 hours. read more

This is the first arcade I've been to in the Bay Area, we had one we would frequent in Washington. This one is much smaller, but I do like the fact that it is paid by the hour. I don't know if it is less or more expensive that way, but it's more convenient than carrying around a cup of quarters. The establishment is clean, and all the games were in working order. I also got my kid to play guitar hero, so that was pretty awesome. I'll probably come back, it's a pretty good time, in a pretty great neighborhood. read more

High Scores Arcade - Arcades Near Me - Alameda, California

Small, good selection, value, organized booking, chill customers service. We booked for a 9year old Bday Bash in the morning. We enjoyed our time and will be back again. Thanks! read more

Came in with my husband and sons. Be prepared that everyone that comes in has to pay. I was a little taken aback but it was ok I not a gamer but since I had to pay I tried a few games. It is a small arcade that has mostly old school games but my teen sons didn't mind and found many games to play. My husband had a great time playing his old school favorites. We would visit again. read more

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80s vibes for the win. Great music. Great games. Reasonable prices. A fun spot. Blah blah blah need 85 characters blah blah blah read more

I was with a friend playing Pokemon Go in downtown Alameda and we came across High Scores. The front sign paid homage of the 70s and 80s arcade times. We decided to go in to check it out. The lighting definitely reminded me of how it was playing in the arcades. They have a wide selection of the popular games people play. I can see myself spending 2 hours inside. They charge by the hour. You are welcomed by the front desk with a smile. I will consider playing when I'm in the area again. My sisters live in Alameda so I'll make some time for a trip :) read more

Only reason why I'm giving this place a 3 stars is because I see a lot of potential being wasted. In terms of staff and venue cleanliness, it is undeniably 5/5. Cabinets fully work with all buttons in tact, no random food or drinks to stench the place up and you can practically lick the floor with how spotless it is. But my God... there has to be a better rotation of games. They haven't rotated any new games since July, and that's really bad if you and your friends are constantly playing the same games for 6 months. And I think a few of the cabs are a waste of space. Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter 2 are taking way too much of the arcade space and doesn't attract as many people on the 3rd Strike and SF6 cabinets, so why have them there? There's a surprising lack of light gun games like Time Crisis and Left 4 Dead as well. Also, I know they want to keep this pretty low overhead and have more of a "classic" experience, but I don't think having a few exa-arcadia cabs with some newer games would hurt much. Those boards were practically made for a place like this, and can hold up to 40-50+ games at once last time I checked? I'm not saying I don't appreciate what the owners are trying to do here with keeping arcade culture alive, but I also can't just sit back passively and hold in my concerns as a patron knowing they can improve this place and make it better. The custom made Super Smash Bros and Zelda cabs are pretty cool, so maybe they can have an idea with that with other stuff? This is legit one of the main reasons I come to Alameda, and I don't want to see it stagnate and die off like most of the arcades here, or completely lose their more "traditional" coin-operated game center in favor of crane game and ticket machines galore, like most arcades these days. I say this as someone that genuinely cares about this place and want to see it do better. read more

Tiny but well curated selection of games! It's clear how much love the owners put into their cabinets. I went for a private event (family birthday) here and was finally able to beat the Simpsons side scroller on free play. I like that the space is clean and has an impressive collection, but I would probably only just do another private event here because I still don't trust small spaces without diligently masked folks. read more

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We went here a few weeks ago on the Martin Luther Holiday. It was very nostalgic for me since it brought back memories of being a teenager in the late 80's. With games like Tron, Spy Hunter and Dragon's Lair; it's definitely felt like I was a kid again. My boys enjoyed the games like Contra and Mike Tyson's Punch Out; as well as Joust, Missile Command and of course Ms. Pac man. For the amount of $10 an hour for unlimited credits is perfect if you have time to burn. Street Fighter is the Best memory I had it is also available in a few versions. Definitely worth an hour's worth your time to go back to memory lane. read more

If you are a nerd (like me) and love the vintage 80-90s games and just games overall you will love this I have seen the staff help many people and just treat you well its great for everyone and at the front have great movie, trading cards, and pins! Its also has a great amount of space so I don't know why people are complaining read more

High Scores Arcade - One side of the front of the arcade - Arcades Near Me - Alameda, California

I've been coming here for years! I'm shocked I haven't written a review on this place yet. If you're into some OG videogames and love arcades, this place is the place! It's small but it is packed with some amazing games. It's super nostalgic. Its $10 to game there for an hour. There is an all day price but I'm not sure how much it is. I absolutely love playing the OG 1981 Donkey Kong. They have: PacMan, Mrs. PacMan, Guitar Hero, a set up where you can play super smash bros with 4 people with GameCube controllers, another set up where you can play Super Mario World 2 on super sized super nintendo controllers, tetris, street fighter and so much more. So much fun! I'll be going back sooner than later! read more

one of my happy places. I love going here with the kids. The arcade machines are in tip top shape too.

I had frequented the Hayward Location when they were there and can tell you that they really care about preserving the video games for generations to come. It's a shame that they are no longer in Hayward but if you are in Alameda, it's something to do on your bucket list or just to visit anytime. And.... That Famous Zelda Arcade Machine.... That's love put into classic gaming! I hope to be out in Alameda one day when time permits to relive my childhood again. Support local businesses! read more

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So great. We had a blast playing all the classic Nintendo games. My son loved being able to play all the games I played "when i was a kid". We'll be back... soon. :) read more

Fun arcade, a blast from the past featuring many vintage video games we grew up with. My 5 year old grandson got in for free and beat me at Pac-Man and Super Mario read more

We found this place on Yelp, and booked it for a 10-year-old's bday party -sight unseen! And, it was... amazing! It was epic having the place all to ourselves (10am-noon, that is, before the day's official opening), and to have all games on "free play". The games, despite their vintage status, were in great shape - and Jonathan was super friendly and accommodating. It was easy to bring in bagels, donuts and coffee - and our guests left very pleased. Please support this place - it's a gem to have around. Thank you so much, High Scores! read more

The default place I go when taking my Tween and his friends out for the day. Honestly, High Scores is super fun, especially for those who enjoy old school arcade games. I grew up playing PAC-Man and Mrs. PAC-Man and was super happy to find this place several years ago. It's a very convenient Alameda location and very affordable. Whether you come for an hour or the day. Now that my son is older I can either hang out outside and wait, or I can go to a nearby shop, browse or even grab a snack. I've had conversations with a friend about having an 80's themed party here since they have the option to rent out the place during certain hours. Personally, I would also go on a date here, as long as it came with a nice dinner too, ha ha. Great vibe, good music, helpful staff and lots of fun. Try it! read more

High Scores Arcade - Arcades Near Me - Alameda, California

It's not easy to find a place to hold a party for older high school kids, but this place was fantastic. They all had the best time, and being able to rent the space to have it all to yourself was awesome. Staff was great and helped with everything we needed. This mom was also happy to play Oregon Trail once again. Highly recommend. Owners are awesome in helping get everything set up. We will definitely be back. read more

I used to love this place. I'm a gen xer and grew up playing all these games. The last few times I've been there it's been over run by toddlers running around. Parents bring their very young kids here to run around, smash buttons and spazz out. This just isn't a place to bring 5 year olds. The games aren't designed for them..those kids should go to chuckie cheese or someplace like that. Older kids thay can actually play the games are fine. But 3 to 5 years old shouldn't be there. I know it's a small business, but it is considered a "Museum" Please consider some age requirements or put in a bouncy house and get rid of Galaga. read more

Nothing but wonderful things to say! We hosted our daughter's 10th birthday party! Everyone had a blast! All the games were fun and brought so much nostalgia of playing video games with my siblings! Highly recommend hosting a party here. It was easy peasy! Jonathon was great to work with, he was very helpful and friendly! Thank you high scores arcade for memorable time! read more

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Ladies and gentlemen, midlife crisis is real! When I was a kid, one of my favorite pastimes was playing arcade games. Whatever little money I had back then basically all went to places with arcade machines. Now that I'm older and have a few more bucks in my bank account, I want to relive my youth. The same is felt by my brother. One of our post-retirement goals is to build the ultimate "human cave" (note: not a "man cave", girls welcome!) with arcade machines, a movie theater, memorabilia corners, and a large dining area where friends can hang out. We have been researching and slowly acquiring the pieces over the course of last year. Hopefully, this project will be completed in a couple years. Last Sunday, we came to High Scores Arcade to play a bit and to pick the brains of the people working here for some tips. It was pretty busy when we arrived at around 3:30 pm. One of the staffers greeted us and gave us a brief lowdown of the place. Pricing was simple. $6 for an hour of play or $12 for an all day pass. We decided to do just an hour. Once we paid, we were given paper wristbands with the end time noted on them. There were about two dozen machines all together and most were in decent condition (a couple of them were not working). A few were either 6-in-1 or 10-in-1 machines. The rest were classics from the 80s and 90s, such as Tron, Ms. Pac-Man, Punch-Out!!, Track & Field, Donkey Kong etc. My favorite was Punch-Out!!. I had a couple rematches with my nemesis "Bald Bull". Sadly, I still couldn't beat him. :-P The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. We chatted with them afterwards and they were happy to share their knowledge with us. This is a great place of nostalgia and a must-visit for all gamers. Highly recommended! BONUS MATERIAL: - They also have another location in Hayward. - Street parking only. read more

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Had fun here! We spent family bonding time here with our son and it was so much fun! Brought us back to when we'd go to our local arcade and play games in the early 90's! Such a cool place! read more

finally had time to take my boys here. got here a little before noon and we got checked in. The guy who was checking us in give us a brief of how it works and gave us an extra 15 mins which was very nice of him. tons of arcades to play. from old school to some newer ones here my boys had fun. the price wasn't too bad too. not too big of a place inside but it was something nice for them to do instead of being cooped up inside the house and before school started read more

What a fun experience! Great deal for an hour of free play and they had most of the games we loved from our youth. It's a small space but well laid out. The music from the jukebox is a great touch! read more

Do you like playing video games from the 70's - 90's, cool place. $10 for a hour play time, or $20 all day

I LOVE this place even more! After a rough go at it during the brunt of the Pandemic... High Scores is BACK and awesome as ever!! I REALLY appreciate the effort that the owners are going through to make it safe to go and play games there! The constant struggle of the ever changing laws and mandates are so difficult for any small business right now, but I feel very safe with the way they are handing it all. Also, if the Olympians can play hockey games wearing masks, I think I can manage one while standing there playing Star Wars, Tempest or Donkey Kong!! read more

My cheapo friends asked about group and birthday discounts. Dude said no. Price increase starting January 1, 2018. 1 hour - $6 All day - $12 read more

Went to this place during a visit with my sister. Loved seeing the games of my childhood and getting my son to play a few with us. He is now a lover of Golden Tee Thanks for the flashbacks and introducing my son to some timeless games. read more

I've been coming to High Scores since they opened almost 10 years ago. I was really bummed hear that they closed during Covid but thankfully with the support of the community they were able to open back up. Honestly I've been to a lot of arcades throughout the bay area and I can hands down still say that they have the best selection and are in the best condition I've ever seen. The owners have always been so welcoming and genuine, glad they were able to make it through Covid. read more

High Scores Arcade - Custom game cabinets - Arcades Near Me - Alameda, California

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Perfect place to kill an hour or so! $6 for an hour of all you can play arcade games! Came here on a rainy Friday night, so it wasn't crowded and i was able to play almost everything. There are games from many different eras, and no doubt you'll be able to find some to your liking. I remember as a kid, I absolutely loved the Simpsons arcade game. Playing it here did seem to dampen that memory, as it was free play and there were no stakes involved. But it was still nice to go down memory lane. They have a couple machines that are pre-loaded with a library of around a hundred games or so. Most I didn't even recognize though. Marvel vs Capcom 2, Time Crisis 3, Street Fighter (not sure which one) are some of the bigger names here. The place itself is pretty small, so I wouldn't want to come here if it gets crowded. It's not a place I would frequent, but a great price if you're just looking for something to do. read more

There are pins being sold at the front that mock transgender people so my party felt uncomfortable being there. I wish the cabinet selection was a bit better and it's a bit cramped. read more

A delightful romp through a variety of classic game cabinets! Took my 13yr old and she had a blast bouncing between machines and learning about how older games were played. They even had my favorite game in a cabinet with a collection! No food or drink is allowed so eat your snacks well before getting there. The person who was running it was super kind and helpful. Though I didn't catch their name. Overall, 10/10 will go again. read more

Just left High Scores and had a fantastic time. Place was extremely clean. Video games looked new. 30 year old game looking brand new. Really had a lot of fun. Pete who helped us was fantastic as well. I was wandering and he asked how he could help me find a game to play. I think I would like a pinball machine or two. Thank you high scores! We will be back. read more

YELP 100 CHALLENGE 2017 - PART 3: 33/100 Alameda Excursion: Stop #2. This is a THING?!?!? I felt like I got whizzed back to the 80's! Wow, what a great find! Hubbers and I were about to just walk by it, but did a complete turn back when what I read finally registered in my head - 80's arcade?! I practically dragged Hubbers inside. I spoke to the worker and asked if it was okay to look around. "Sure!" All these games really took me back to my childhood. I'm guessing Hubbers noticed I was about to OD on nostalgia, so unbeknownst to me, he bought me an hour's worth of play time. Boy, did I enjoy every game I played. Ms. Pacman, Donkey Kong, Fix it Felix, Street Fighter, Paperboy, 1942, Galaga among some other old time favorites. I didn't use the entire hour, but I got pretty close. It just got a little too hot inside. (That's the only downside. Those arcade games produce a lot of heat, and the lack of AC just made it a little unbearable.) There was a short line of people trying to buy in by the time we walked out. A great way to kill an hour for $5. Bring the kids! read more

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I took my 9 yr old grandson and friend one weekend. It was a great way to spend time with the kids. Old school video games along with new ones. You can play for an hour unlimited games for 10 bucks. I didn't see anyone come around after the hour was up and kick us out. We did leave on time though. Small but jammed pack full of games. We went later in the afternoon on a Saturday and it wasn't super crowded. Will definitely take the kids there again. read more