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    Playland Arcade

    3.5 (104 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 11:00 pm

    Playland Arcade Photos

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    Anastasia M.

    This place seriously needs an upgrade. We bought game cards and went to play, and honestly it was disappointing. Most games are $2+, but the machines are in rough shape, worn out and not working properly. The basketball games had deflated balls, one machine only had two balls instead of five, and another kept getting stuck. The air hockey table just stopped mid game and we didn't even get to finish, plus no one mentioned it was time based. At other places you play to a set score, here the time ran out when we were at 4. Overall, this place has really gone downhill. Not a great experience.

    $1 dollar games
    Gabriela M.

    Located on Pacific Park (Santa Monica Pier), this arcade is popular and busy on weekends. I came on Labor Day Weekend with my son, and he loved it. We spent a reasonable amount of time playing arcade games before we went to the boardwalk. Most games are $2; the air hockey tables are $1 per game. A few games are $5. A few games were not working, and the claw machines needed strength to hold the prizes. It's like every other arcade; know that you won't get your money's worth on the prizes. You can earn tickets for some of the games.

    The Mandalorian pinball machine
    Steven C.

    A lot of the classic games with some new ones sprinkled in too. Located in the heart of the Santa Monica Pier, this arcade is a nice addition to all the fun nearby. Played pinball, shot some hoops, got beat at air hockey, and even got some foosball games in with my 14 year old. We had a blast! At first I was complaining about the cost of the card. Spent $25 which included an extra $5 in game play. But there was a $2.95 service fee and a small percentage charge as well to use my debit/credit card. But the money went a long way! We played a ton of games before the money was all gone. The arcade was clean and the workers were helpful and nice as well.

    Erik G.

    The selection of games are quite abundant. There's your classic arcade games along with some newer games to play as well. Buy the card at the kiosk and you can receive some free game play depending on how much money you add to your card. We added $20 to the card and received $5 for free. It was enough money to keep our toddler son occupied for about an hour. I swiped my card a few times and it deducted money, but the game didn't run. I let the staff know and they refunded me the money. Don't forget to cash in the tickets on your card for prizes

    Dana M.

    Playland Arcade is filled with incredible games and experiences any kid - or adult kid - can imagine! I loved the classic Zoltar featured in the film BIG with Tom Hanks! I saw a ton of parents with their kids, making memories. this place is a true Pier treasure.

    George Gordon 310-451-5133 - you owe us $10.

    We had a such a fun time here, playing arcade games and posting for goofy Photo Booth pics. Unfortunately the Photo Booth charged us $10, took our photos and then was unable to produce any prints. I called the number posted, but unfortunately it seems to be a scam.

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    5 months ago

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    3 years ago

    Pretty typical amusement park arcade. It was pretty well kept as far as arcades go. The kids had fun.

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    2 years ago

    One of the most iconic places in LA that you must go to! Super fun to go to with friends and family.

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great virtual reality Games! Love all the prizes and new games! So much fun! All the newest games!

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    2 years ago

    I love love coming here, my kids just love this place!! Definitely will come back! Nice staff!

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    2 years ago

    I am obsessed with air hockey great staff great place.... I will definitely bring my family back here.

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    3 years ago

    Not bad prices and had a great option of games! Staff was super nice and the card was an easy way to play games!

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    Page 1 of 3

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    Review Highlights - Playland Arcade

    Had a blast playing the rolling ball game , air hockey, basketball, water gun race and other games with the kid.

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    Player One VR World - Live VR with the family

    Player One VR World

    5.0(139 reviews)
    0.5 mi

    Cool experience for my kids…read more Parking plentiful nearby. Nice people. ---------------

    If you have motion sickness, you can do this! BUT YOU must know how to recalibrate your equilibrium…read morefirst! Or at least know your triggers. I have motion sickness and Ican not ride 3D/4D rides without feeling queezy. I can not watch the classic Star Wars movie because it was too shaky for me. Hell, (spoilers) i didnt even know they blew up the death star because i couldnt watch the ending of the first movie! I can't do Star Tours, soaring over the world/california, spinning rides, playing first person shooter (fps) games...get the picture? I had to try this for myself to say if I truly can or can not do VR. There are "moving" elements in this VR game that can cause motion sickness. Standing still as your surroundings move is a major part of this very immersing game! You will also be going "up/down" ramps on a flat service, so that will throw off your equilibrium. Defying virtual physics is what Dennis explained. I had my ways to gain back my center and refocus as I was playing this game. If you wear glasses, please bring them, it will help! I thought I had mine, but I forgot it. The staff will help you get calibrated with the equipment and send you on your way. At one point, my vr set started to get blurry so I had a hard time seeing the enemies, but they were big enough to see when they're "five feet" in front of you, lol. It also got blurry because sweat was starting to form around my eyes. This is going to be a very lengthy review. First off, parking is a little confusing if you're not from the area. I had to circle three times to park on the same side as this venue. There is a parking structure on the opposite side of the street. All structures give you 90 minutes free without the need of validation. Then, it can go up to $25 for the maximum structure price. The venue is like the TARDIS. It's bigger on the inside, haha. The door remains locked, but they have a ring doorbell that contains a phone number to call for someone to come open the door for you. Talk about a personal greeting! When you first walk in, you have a set of stairs. They also have a handicap lift, so they are ADA compliant! Kudos! They have a row of stationery equipment that allows you to run/walk in place and turn. They also have a two-seater ride. They have 5 seatbelts that will strap you in for safety. One for each shoulder, one for your lap, and one each for your feet. They also have an overhead bar that you pull down as if youre actually on a Rollercoaster. If you ride the Rollercoaster one, you will get sick. You will experience the motion, but you won't get the effect (wind/air) of a moving vehicle. They have a wall of lights set as an aquarium as a little seated waiting area. They suggest optimum fun and experience, 6 to 8 people in your party. That is also how many guests can play in each area. They have two areas that are meant for 8 players, their pvp area and their main floor. Get this! They have an escape room, max is 6 players! I definitely want to come back and try this one! Another area is family friendly and is great for up to 6 people as well. Dennis explained to us that the reason this place has the word "World" in this establishment is because these rooms came from all over the place! I think he said the family friendly room was from china/taiwan/japan...etc.. so that's pretty cool! They have a little area where you can host a party, but it's not secluded, it's open to the public. This venue is open to the public and walk-ins are good, but you may have to wait. Dennis mentioned some guest had to wait 2-3 hours until their turn. The guest did leave a deposit to ensure their spot in line. So they suggest to book online to set up a reservation. Each gaming area is about a 30 minute session. You will sweat because you will be moving a lot. It is a workout! Only one sad note, I wish there was more air flow in the building. Because I have motion sickness, I needed fresh air to cool me down. This was a fun experience and I do intend on coming back!

    Photos
    Player One VR World - Awesome Team Building.  Us vs Zombies

    Awesome Team Building. Us vs Zombies

    Player One VR World
    Player One VR World - Entrance to the free roam VR rooms

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    Entrance to the free roam VR rooms

    Pacific Park - Ice cream and the Ferris wheel

    Pacific Park

    3.8(340 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    I grew up visiting the Santa Monica Pier on road trips to California. I spent many summer vacations…read moreon the beach and hanging out at Pacific Park during my youth. I have memories of riding the roller coaster and playing games at Playland Arcade. I still enjoy visiting Santa Monica from time to time to relive my childhood. Seeing the iconic sign and walking around the pier brings back many fond memories. The Santa Monica Pier is a large 1,651 feet wooden pier in Santa Monica, California that has been featured in many movies, television shows and video games. It is over a hundred years old. Pacific Park is located on the pier and opened in the mid-90s. The park itself is "non-gated" and there is no charge for admission. You can see the Pacific Wheel - a solar-powered Ferris Wheel from a distance. Rides include a steel roller coaster, a drop tower, a swinging Sea Dragon, bumper cars and a bunch of kiddie rides. There are also carnival games and food and snacks. It has been some time since I have been on one of these rides. I recently stopped by here to walk around and people watch. Santa Monica Pier is still very crowded and touristy. Pacific Park was full of people as usual and they all looked like they were having a good time. In front of Pacific Park is the Route 66 sign that people like to take their photos in front of. Santa Monica is the end of the road for that historic highway and this sign pays tribute to it.

    Beautiful park overall, but unfortunately I don't feel comfortable returning after what I witnessed…read moreduring my visit. While I was looking for directions I noticed a tall skinny guy with tattoos name tag Byron was screaming at a young lady, calling her names and cursing at her while I tried to interfere he told me to back off of he would beat me up too... while he had his attention on me the lady just walked away. I dont know what happened after. I hope management reviews how employees conduct themselves while in uniform and on duty, especially when it comes to professionalism and public safety.

    Photos
    Pacific Park - The big wheel at Pacific Park on the pier

    The big wheel at Pacific Park on the pier

    Pacific Park
    Pacific Park - The park looking back towards the ocean

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    The park looking back towards the ocean

    SportsFest

    SportsFest

    5.0(3 reviews)
    0.5 mi

    An awesome and fun night out! We were taking a walk on 4th Street in downtown Santa Monica and…read morehappily discovered SportsFest. The batting cages caught our eyes through the window, but once we went inside, we discovered you could also play tennis, lacrosse, cricket, and padel. Each cage had virtual screens with scoring (think Top Golf, but with racket/paddle sports) and you can rotate between all the sports in one reserved lane. There's a bar in the back giving it a Lucky Strike-ish feel and there's also a foosball table and pool table. The two of us played a quick half hour just to try it, but could have easily played for over an hour plus and had a full-on date night here. Great place for groups, big and small, and glad to have a fun entertainment space in downtown Santa Monica!

    What a fun and great place to hang out with friends and family! There are 4 batting cages that…read moreallows you to play interactive / semi-digital sports: baseball, tennis, lacrosse, and cricket. You can switch off between each sports and absolutely no experience or skills are necessary. We were told golf will be added in the future but not sure when that will happen. There are also several arcade games, foosball table, pool table, AND skee-ball machines!! How cool is that?! The place also has a small private room and a bungalow, along with a back area with 2 bars where they also serve food. Upstairs: there's another batting cage and an area to just chill and hang out. There are a bunch of tv's throughout the place, I believe they sometime have sports/watch parties. This would be such an awesome venue to host a birthday party or work/group event. Overall: great place to hang out before or after spending time at the nearby Third Street Promenade and the Santa Monica Pier, which are both only a few minutes walk away. Friendly staff is also a plus! Parking: several public parking structures (#1-7) are located nearby that are all within about a 5-minute walk. Parking Structure #1 is probably the closest one, just down the street. About a 2-3 minute walk.

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    SportsFest

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    The Ultimate Video Game Bus - Kids had a great time

    The Ultimate Video Game Bus

    4.9(44 reviews)
    11.1 miStudio City

    This was our second year using the game bus and the whole experience is amazing. It's so easy! We…read morecontinue to be impressed with how the owner/host keeps his finger on the pulse of what's hot and also is always upgrading his equipment so that it is top notch. 11/10 do recommend for any party with video game loving kids! The interior of the bus is super impressive and air conditioned. It's also super roomy and doesn't feel at all cramped even with all the kids at a gaming station. He goes above and beyond to facilitate games with the kids as well. This service makes party planning a breeze!

    In honor of my daughter's 17th Bday, my wife and I wanted to give her and her guests a unique…read moregift...being able to play video games with each other! We don't have any gaming consoles in our house and even if we did...we had no idea how to have more than two people play together. We did look at other portable gaming "trucks" but strangely many didn't follow ups with me about their services. Within 45min of my inquiry Zimar contacted me and provided a quote for 2hrs of gaming. We agreed on a date, time and I immediately placed a deposit. In person, the gaming bus is sight to see. It's a massive (former) school bus with an interior unlike any school bus I ever entered; festive atmosphere (mood lights and music) along with I believe 13 screens with two seats per screen, and controls. The bus had every game my daughter and her friends could have wanted. They didn't play as many different games as the bus had which is fine by me. As host/facilitator, Zimar was personable and patient. Also, as soon as the group got into the groove of things he faded into the background. The bus had both XBox and Sony consoles...and perhaps others iterations/versions that I didn't ask about...as well as a ton of games for each console system. Ultimately, my daughter and her guests had a ton of fun...they didn't stop talking about until well as the bus had left. A couple of other notes, the bus arrived slightly early and the festivities on the bus started exactly on time...since we paid for a specific amount of time, I appreciated that detail. The bus and everything inside was super clean and well organized. If I had an area to improve; I'd say communication (with me). We agreed on a date and time and while that all happened perfectly well, I wish I would have gotten a reminder or "we're 10mins away" text. I'm happy to concede that perhaps that's just a me problem. That said, if you're not accustomed to someone keeping their word, you should say "hey texted me when you're 30mins away", which is something I didn't do. My daughter will forever remember a great experience! And for me that's all that mattered in the end.

    Photos
    The Ultimate Video Game Bus - Video game bus for kid birthday

    Video game bus for kid birthday

    The Ultimate Video Game Bus - Used them again this year!!

    Used them again this year!!

    The Ultimate Video Game Bus

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    Playland Arcade - arcades - Updated May 2026

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