Hearing about a new arcade bar downtown sounded like the perfect idea to celebrate my birthday. On top of that, the management group (that owns other bars in the area like the Grand and Red Lantern) was more than eager to offer the ability to reserve a seating section if we could guarantee a minimum spend. Unlimited playing via wristband! I was so excited, what could possibly go wrong? Well, for a bar called Versus pretty much every multiplayer game they had was totally broken (or in the case of Hydro Thunder which was at least working -- not networked in the first place) Air hockey - out of order Big Buck Hunter - 1 of the guns totally broken Hoops - out of order Mortal Kombat - 1 of the joysticks totally broken Ski ball - one of two machines out of order, and crammed in the corner without much room to play on it anyway Pinball machines were generally ok, although some had sticky buttons which made playing them pretty hard. The consoles also worked. Other machines that were frozen looked like they might have just needed to be reset, but various attempts to bring it to the attention of the staff went nowhere. The drinks were fine and not too outrageous. The food was possibly average/what you'd expect out of gamer snacks if one of my guests didn't get a moldy burger which was just salt in the wound at that point. Pretty much a colossal let down for a bar where the 20 of us had to hit an $800 minimum (which we did hit, plus additional "management fee" for the reservation and included tip). It's partially on me for not looking, but we even got booted at 8PM sharp. You'd think that if they know a group of 20 is coming and making me pay $70 in planning fees, they might remind us to come a little earlier on in the day so we could at least keep buying drinks and play some of the few games that were not out of commission. It was just a huge bummer, because its in a cool location and the space itself is neat and seems like it could have a lot of promise if they just gave the most minimum of a shit at maintaining it (shocking given its only 1-2 months old how totally broken it was). Don't think I'll be going back anytime soon. If you're looking for an arcade bar, stick to Roxie's in Central or try giving Lucky Strike/Jillian's another look if you haven't in a while - its recently overhauled and has an entire floor entirely full of multiplayer arcade games and a prize room that were all in working order. read more

My friends and I visited Versus while on vacation. After sipping wine at the wine bar down the street, we saw this establishment and decided to check it out. We were so glad that we did! Great drinks, unlimited games for free on Friday evenings, and friendly employees. Can't get better than that! read more

When this popped up on my Yelp app, I was pretty excited! Located at the heart of Downtown Crossing, I thought that it had a prime location and adds to 'A4cade by Area Four' in Cambridge for arcade bars. I went on a Friday and got there around 9:30 and had no trouble getting in. Compare this to 'A4cade by Area Four' where the wait can be up to 45 minutes when I first visited. For the price, it really cannot be beat. $5 gets you unlimited play at the machines! But I also didn't see any machines that take coins/change so I guess that their business model is just to have everyone pay for the unlimited play. They have a wide range of retro machines and arcade classics such as air hockey and skee ball as well as giant Jenga near the bar. I didn't buy any drinks so I cannot comment on the price and quality of the drinks. My friend did buy a beer and a mixed drink and I believed that cost him around $20. Not too bad considering the price of the games. The menus posted by other Yelpers also show the food prices, which appear decently priced for the area. I would definitely come back next time I am in the mood for some drinks and arcade games. read more

One of the people in our group was served a moldy burger, the food wasn't good overall, the drinks are served in chef boyardee cans and half the games are broken. The drinks were fine, beer was well priced and the decor is great. The best games are the consoles hooked up to bar displays - they at least work. Won't be back. read more

They're not off to a great start here. The mix of games is somewhat random, and several of them are substantially beat up: the Mortal Kombat P1 joystick was more or less non-functional, the Iron Maiden pinball machine had multiple stuck bumpers, and one of the more vintage pinball machines didn't work at all. Adding to that was bartender's at best inattentive and at worst downright surly attitude. It took well over five minutes to get served on a Thursday evening. Since there's almost no room between the bar and the handful of booths available, while you're waiting you're constantly being jostled by bar staff and other patrons trying to make their way to the other rooms. Another feature of this less than ideal experience was that the entire floor--every square inch--was incredibly sticky. Like 1980s second-run movie theater floor sticky. Given that we were there starting at 6 PM on a Thursday, I'd be willing to bet those floors haven't seen a mop in a week. And finally, the cardinal sin of an arcade/bar: there are zero drink holders on or near any of the games. Absolutely none. So unless you were playing or near a machine with a flat cabinet top, you were either balancing your drink on the glass of a pinball machine, leaving it on a table somewhere behind you (good luck finding an unoccupied one,) or placing it on the floor by your feet. Given all that, as well as the fact that places like A4cade and Barcade have none of these issues, I cannot implore you enough to stay the heck away from Versus. read more

For a place that just opened they already have several games out of order. No corn hole which is listed on their site. Food is mediocre at best. Game selection is poor. Bartending staff is inattentive to put it mildly, hates their lives is more accurate. Having been to great arcade bars on the west coast and in nyc this place strikes me as something doomed to fail. Hospitality is utterly lacking and hosts a manager that from what I can see does nothing but sit by the host stand. Doesn't interact with customers or do anything to help the business. If I had a dollar for every time I saw an employee smile of leave with my wallet having moths pop out of it. Plus side: They have console games you can play from the bartop. Great idea. $5 for unlimited games. Great idea, if you want to play air hockey, shuffleboard, but the rest of the games.... Cons: Whomever was in charge of choosing these should be left tied to a post in the desert in Arizona and left for the birds. You fail at understanding this entire genre of people and the training in your staff. You could be so kuch more profitable if you hired people who have never bartended before but actually gave a shit about hospitality in any remote sense read more

Yelp 100 Challenge 2019 5/100 I was just visiting and was looking for something to do in Boston. This was one of the things that came up and it's pretty pathetic. Maybe my standards for an arcade bar is high because the ones I've been to in Chicago and LA are a lot better. The drinks list was mediocre and they didn't have a great selection of games. It was also really cramped. It's hard to get around to play any games because theres lots of people on the weekends. If you were interested in playing a certain game it was also hard to wait for that person to finish playing because theres no area for you to stand and wait. I thought there would be more classic arcade games like tetris, Qbert, Street Fighter;etc. It's $5 to play unlimited games but I guess that's pretty pricey depending on how many games you really play. The bar in LA only charges 25 cents per game and the beercades in Chicago the games are free except for air hockey. I didn't like their cocktail list so I just ordered a beer. They didn't have as wide selection of beers either. If you're in the area, just check it out but don't expect much. It's very small. read more

Had a great time at Versus and the staff was so nice. I had made the dumb idea to show up to what I thought was a bar/restaurant but really just a bar with a starving 7 yr old. The place was packed due to a corporate event and there was nowhere to sit. I had ordered a pizza at the bar and was struggling to find somewhere to sit when the manager (owner?) came over and mad a makeshift table with chairs for us so we could sit and enjoy our pizza which was surprisingly delicious. We will definitely be back read more

Versus has the most accommodating and wonderful staff! Their ambiance is stellar and their game selection is radical! Service is on point and the space is an AESTHETIC DREAM COME TRUE! Would definitely recommend to many friends and come back often. Surely one of my new favorite bars in the read more

VERSUS - Grab a Rita and get playing - Arcades Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Update: Management reached out to me a couple weeks ago about my experience. I was really impressed that they acknowledged how I felt and took everything that I said seriously. They apologized and didn't try to downplay or make any excuses. The manager, Michael kindly invited me back to give them a second chance, but unfortunately I'm not from the area and don't know when I'll be in Boston again. Nonetheless, I really did appreciate how professional Michael was and how he handled the whole situation. He did mention that their pizzas were tasty, so if you're hungry and have to choose something, perhaps pizza is the way to go. read more

This place is my new favorite bar. I had an absolute blast doing a photoshoot here. The artwork on the walls is incredible and really sets the vibe for the whole bar. Their selection of games is awesome. Once we finished the photoshoot, we started with their pinball machines, made our way over to skeeball and shuffleboard, and then spent most of our night sitting at the bar playing Mortal Kombat and absolutely housing an AWESOME steak & cheese pizza. I could have had 3 of them, it was so good. I went back and forth between drinking Mojito Codes and Resolution Ritas. I seriously couldn't decide which one I loved more. The location is super convenient, it was less than a 10 minute walk from work and right in downtown crossing. 10/10 I'll be bringing all my friends here to hangout from now on. read more

VERSUS - Arcades Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I was hoping for the best when I went to Versus but alas, I was thoroughly disappointed. The barcade was incredibly tight and the bartender could not keep up with the demand. They provided my friend the wrong drink. While I was there it was stuffed to the brim with people and the fuse blew twice. I would suggest stopping the $5 unlimited play and fixing your electricity infrastructure. I also would suggest adding a cover to keep attendance limited. read more

Really pleasantly surprised by this new spot! Had a blast and I hope it sticks around. I went yesterday on opening night-- it was only $5/person to get in! Not sure if prices are always gonna be that low but I guess come get it while it's hot. Inside is super cool-- definitely an arcade vibe, but also has a sweet full bar with great drinks. The drinks are normal Boston prices ($6-15) so no surprise there. We didn't get any food but the menu looked yummy. The vibe would be great with friends, but also made a great date night if you're not a sore loser. You could even go by yourself and have at it on the games. People were pretty chill too, because it wasn't too crowded. Speaking of the games, they were the core of what made it so awesome! Lots of classics-- Pac Man, Ninja Turtles, pinball, racing games... my favorites were probably Skeeball, basketball, and Donkey Kong. We were easily there for three hours because we are nerds but I could have spent another hour there. It was a little upsetting because I think a couple games were malfunctioning but they were old and there were so many more games so it was okay. All in all, a fun place that I highly recommend! I hope I go back in the near future, if only to get further on the Donkey Kong game lol. read more

If I could give this zero stars I would. First off it's $5 for unlimited play, which sounds like a great deal, but when many of the machines were broken and only two games were actually multiplayer (in a bar called "Versus" for Christ's sake) this is a terrible experience. We ordered food... a veggie burger and a Chicago hot dog. The food took about 30 mins to come out, which I'm not sure why considering it was the cheapest looking quality I've seen in the area. And to top off, the food was completely wrong. Telling the waiter they gave me the wrong food, he tried to convince us it was correct. After some debate they took it back and brought the correct meal... but even then they forgot many items. The photo below is the Chicago dog, $12, they forgot the tomato, pickle, onion, relish, and meat for one of the dogs. It was a total let down. When it came to getting the check... after 15 mins of waiting I had to get up and hunt down the waiter to remind him we asked for it 15 mins ago. I cannot begin to explain how incredibly disappointing this entire experience was... not only will I never be back, I will make sure others don't even attempt it. read more

VERSUS - Arcades Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

This should be a 4* review. But... You get a weird old stinky bar smell as you ascend the stairs. But woman manning the register at top of stairs was great! Bartender - omg - she was so so slow, closing out other checks and talking to her co-worker (barback I think) versus serving us. Took painfully long for us and folks next to us to get served - despite no other customers at the bar. (Minus one star) Beer selection was ok, "microbrews" were dominated by Sam and Clown Shoes. $5 unlimited play was fine. I thought there'd be more games. Also many were out of order. Need more drink holders or shelves at or on the games. Games were a bit sticky. Could use more frequent wipe downs. (minus one star). read more

Unfortunately , I had the opportunity to come twice and one week ; that's not my style but the things we do for friends. So Tuesday, I went on a date and I was super excited because I love arcades. The staff was incredible and so was the food. I got the BYO Burger and a Barrel Roll Rita and my date got the Buffalo Wings and the Cheese Steak Spring Rolls; it was all amazing! Thank you to the chef! The games are $5 all night every night so worth a date especially if you were an arcade junkie or lived for nintendo ( they have other stuff as well ) -- oh and everything is served on a cute dish! I'll leave that surprise for when you arrive. On Thursday, things didn't go as well as it did on Tuesday. I feel like we did wait a little too long to be serviced but the bartender did apologize. Next, time you should probably get your customers situated then chat with your friends because 9/10 times you'll see your friends on another day. The bus boy was amazing on both days. And once again shout out to the chef! That chicken was slammin *inserts mom voice* I also recommend bringing cash because the machine had shut down when we were trying to close the tab but to each his own on that note. The manager handled this pretty well despite me being slightly upset about having to wait 15 minutes to cash out. read more

I was part of a group of 3 that came in for dinner/drinks on their opening day! We were greeted by a friendly hostess that gave us the low down on games ($5 unlimited) and then seated us. We ordered the mac and cheese bites, which were good. We wished the bacon inside the bites, but they were still tasty. We played Jenga, which was already on the table when we sat down, until the food arrived. It seemed to take a bit for the pizza and steak and cheese to get to the table. The pizza was perfect for two people, definitely way too big for just one person. At first we were confused as to why the pizza was missing a slice. We looked at the menu again and realized it was 'pac man' themed. The steak and cheese was good, we didn't order the cheese wiz on it. There was enough cheese, it really wasn't necessary anyway. Fries are crinkle cut. I am curious as to what happens to the missing slice of pizza from their 'Pac Man Pies.' We played some games after and then went home. It is a fun bar, but I would suggest a few more games in the back, since the room is big enough. Overall, I am not dying to go back. It is more of a 'I came and checked it out, I'm good' place for bar food and a few games. read more

With a little work this will be a great spot that arcade junkies and people looking for a fun time will really love. It was great to share beers with friends and enjoy the vibe, but the current iteration of Versus could use more love from the owners. I went to this spot for the first time last night to find out that it's in the same location that Gem Nightclub used to be. I've got some significant memories from Gem, so it took a while to adjust being in the "new" space. It makes sense to me that a grown-up arcade business model like Versus would bring in more revenue than a more conventional nightclub/lounge like Gem, and I actually like the idea of a grown-up arcade, but the execution in this case just wasn't there. To start with, the red velvet booths and the other decor are virtually unchanged. It looks like the owners just took down the old neon sign, put up a new one, painted some art on the walls and moved in a bunch of cheap 20th century arcade cabinets. This wouldn't be bad at all! But the cardinal sin here is that the original game cabinets were not refurbished -- Big Big Buck Hunter was turned off along with two pinball machines, Centipede only let you move vertically, and Donkey Kong teased you with the pregame animations, but didn't actually let you play. Despite that, me and the fellas had a blast blowing stuff up (and getting blown up) in Aero Fighter and talking trash to while exchanging kicks and punches in Mortal Kombat and Soul Edge (even though not all the buttons worked on Soul Edge). The highlight of the night was when we played a game of Madden 19 on one of the LCD screens at the bar. We were able to make it through four three-minute quarters before one of the controllers died. It got intense. Some other details: It's $5 to play all night. As of now, the games don't require tokens and there is no limit to how much you can play. This kinda makes the leaderboard on each game a little funny, but that's alright -- The venue is a little crowded (good ole Gem), but the beer is good. I had a Space Cape Double IPA -- They've got arcade basketball, skee ball, and shuffle board too if that's your thing -- The music was alright, but they can definitely let loose with it a little more. Weezer and 80's ballads are alright, but give the people some Migos or DJ Snake every now and then! Bottom line: I love what this place could be. I would go again, especially if the cabinets are refurbished. read more

I really want to like this place. Versus has the best selection and best pricing-model of any barcade that I've been to. This may have been an issue with the night I went in particular, but there was a live DJ in one of the game rooms and it totally killed the fun for me. I went to Versus to hang out and play games with my friends, but couldn't hear the games or my friends over the music. read more

I've always had a good time at this barcade. The drinks and food are good quality and relatively strong. This isn't going to serve your top shelf liquor but they have really good choices. The food is typical bar food which matches the high energy environment. I'm always a fan coming over here. The bouncers and host are pretty chill. This year we brought with us a small cake to celebrate a birthday and no one in this establishment gave us any trouble, but we did order food, and drink, much respect! There is also likely to be a five dollar cover. read more

Went on a Saturday night . Not sure if that's the best idea seeing how packed it can become and how packed it was . We got lucky and found parking right outside ! I knew it was $5 a person for unlimited play on the games so that wasn't an issue ! It was more so trying to get a chance to play the games . It was super packed to the point where there is no way you weren't going to rub against one another . The floor was super sticky ! I don't think I ever came across a floor as sticky as this place . The vibes are good and everyone was just enjoying themselves . Not much options of tables so unfortunately we couldn't get the food options we wanted . I did happen to get the pretzel with cheese sauce . It was burnt but when you're hungry and you'll eat it lol . It was good though . Everything was sticky because it's a packed bar so just know that the games will be sticky !! I will not be coming back here BUT it wasn't a bad experience and I would suggest trying this on a weekday than a weekend . They also have special themed days !!! I enjoyed playing old school street fighter ! That was one of my favorite games growing up ! Also before I forget lol, I did have the megaman drink and it looks like I was missing my cherries lol . It was really good . I wish they would have a picture of the drinks near the options though ! read more

VERSUS - Pretzel with cheese sauce - Arcades Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Such an amazing place. The vibe is great, bartenders are happy and look like they want to work. We seriously had the best time here, drinks are really good too! We went on a day it was like 5 dollars to play all and it was worth it!!! read more

Pretty cool concept of a "barcade," a bar and arcade in one. We definitely stuck around one room the most. The one with the basketball, ski-ball, bubble hockey & table shuffleboard as those were the activities we spent most of our time with. Food was good for bar food and the cocktails were made well. Unfortunately I wouldn't have purchased too many if I was footing the bill myself considering they were $14 a piece. I visited during a Saturday afternoon and it seemed like all the children there were having a good time. They even had TVs set up with video games at the bar, all up to date such as FIFA 19. I'd be curious to see how the atmosphere changes after dinner towards the evening though. read more

VERSUS - $14 Cocktail and drink menu - Arcades Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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4 years I've been coming here, and ive never been disappointed. Old school arcades and Pinball, participant friendly action games like ski ball and connect four basketball, and modern era consoles (switch/PS4/Xbox One) at the bar...what's not to like? PLUS they have a great staff, great prices, and the music is always on point. Highly recommend for all kinds of gamers and family friendly entertainment read more

Came in on Saturday right when they opened to avoid the crowd and had a great time! I will definitely be returning. I LOVE that it's only five dollars for unlimited play. There isn't a huge amount of games, but I'd say decent, and more importantly they have a lot of my favorites, such as centipede, space invaders, skee ball, and those basketball things(lol). It does get pretty crowded but I love that there's some natural light during the day. Children are welcome here, which I actually thought was pretty nice. There were a few parents teaching their little ones the ways! The drink prices are what you'd expect, and the quality of them is decent. Not great, but still fun and good enough. We also ordered the cheesesteak egg rolls, which were honestly delicious but over-priced for sure. They come on a frisbee which I think is delightful. Overall great time here, and the reasonable game price makes up for the over-priced food and drink. Looking forward to trying trivia here, too! read more

Sucks ass. Piss poor prices. Place costs 5 bucks just to get in. Not worth it. Small.

My boyfriend and I just traveled to Boston, MA for a 5 day trip to explore Boston and all the fun it has to offer! When planning our itinerary and stumbling across Versus online, I knew it was a definite addition to our schedule. What a better way to have fun on a budget than to enjoy a large variety of games in a fun retro setting for only $5! This place definitely brought out our inner kid and we had a blast!! The drinks were great and the bartenders were very friendly. If I was local I'd be a familiar face at Versus. A must go! read more

I booked a birthday event with Versus for 20 people on a Saturday, and we had a great experience. It was not a private party, so the place was full. Our space (2 lounge tables) were ready for us right when they opened at 5pm. We had only booked the space for 2 hours, but if I were to do it again, I would have booked for 3 hours. As luck had it, the party after us canceled and the manager said we could stay later than planned-- wow! I was impressed, considering it was a busy Saturday night (they could have easily filled the space with other people). Staff were attentive to us the whole time, and the manager Michael was super friendly and elevated the experience even more for us. We booked the food in advance with a package price per person-- the event person arranged this all with me via email, and there are several choices for packages with food/drink. The food was great, and they were very generous with the amounts. AND they gave us To Go containers to bring leftovers home, which I thought was awesome to be actively less wasteful. I was so happy at the end of the night that on top of the built in fees (which I expected), I left an extra $50. Michael and the staff made our birthday party super easy and fun, so it you're thinking of booking an event beyond the typical bar experience, I recommend looking into Versus! read more

Great place and just opened too! $5 entry fee ain't bad for their premier in downtown Boston. Upon entering, there's a full arcade and bar, what more is there to say? There's a full bar with regular great drinks, and staff were fantastic. Grabbed a couple drinks with my friends and headed to the game rooms. There were many classic games and modern ones too (from retro pinball to video games on the flatscreen at the bar, and everything in between). I might be too much of a nerd but I'm a sucker for the arcade driving games. There's some artwork/wall art that's pretty cool, and a bunch of unique bits, like mini statues of various characters that make the atmosphere very enjoyable. Music had very classic throwbacks and very well appreciated. Possible critques: -I can't say it's small. Being in downtown Boston, its compactness and layout is very effective and it works well. And I went on a Friday night, so it was busy and it was great. Also, it's an arcade bar in the middle of Boston. You can't beat that! -On the note of size, there's no coatroom, so the winter season will be interesting as people try to have a drink and play a game while giving their coat to a buddy -Also noticed some parts had carpet which may take damage with spilled drinks, and places right by some of the games could use some cupholders. (I will admit that I could have used a cupholder installed by my side so my drink wasn't sloshing as I played on one of the dual fighting games.) Tables around the center area may not be enough just for sheer numbers of guests Also kudos to the staff! Staff very on top of everything from smooth entry, to clearing up the drinks from communal tables, to general security. They definitely make it all more worthwhile to return. TLDR: Fun classic games, standard drinks, great atmosphere for a good time. read more

This place is so cool growing up in the 80's I played all these games my favorite arcade game is Galaga I put some hours into that game the food is incredible the jumbo pretzel is so good the wings are insane!!! Love this place read more

The best games and it's unlimited with a wrist band you get for $5. I was late to a Sox game because I couldn't stop playing pinball and skeeball and that's not a complaint!! Place is awesome!!! read more

Wings are superb. Honestly after a little buzz it's a cool place to wind down the night. Unlimited arcade games are a super plus. We played basketball competitively for at least an hour. Food is good, wings are a must. read more

I had fun here. It really took me back. Nothing like the original arcade games, giant jenga, checkers, pinball and more. It's laid back. People were nice and friendly. It's not a huge place or super fancy but sometimes you don't want that. You just go and drink and play. It's definitely a place to go hang out. I went around 11 or so at night and stayed till close. So I don't know about the food or day atmosphere read more

Hop on the ferry or commuter rail and go to Bit Bar in Salem instead, especially if you're looking for a "family" atmosphere; they allow kids at Versus, but it's not really kid-friendly. It looked like a really cool place from the decor, like arcade-meets-speakeasy-velvet-nightclub... but that's about it. The games are open-play and you buy a $5 wrist band instead of tokens or quarters, which sounded like a great idea. We easily play through $5 in tokens each visit at Bit Bar, so theoretically it could've been a huge bargain (although they did insist we both purchase a wristband so, $10). Unfortunately the arcade room is basically a hallway off the barroom, nowhere to hang out and wait for games/watch your companion play or put your drink down while you're playing. We managed to play one game of (weirdly double-speed, obviously knockoff) Pac-Man before getting herded back into the bar area by the crowd (not that it was that crowded). One 25 cent game for $10. We ended up sitting at the bar, the app we got was standard cheap frozen bar food served on... a frisbee? For some reason? That's not really a complaint I guess, just kind of bizarre. They have game consoles & TVs so people can play video games at the bar, which was once again a good idea in theory... totally fine when the guys next to us were playing Madden, but not so much when people on the other side started playing "Nazi Zombies"? Big yikes, not at all what I wanted to see sitting at a bar. Basically this place is a swing and a huuuuge miss. You can tell that the company heard barcades are trending and decided to open one without actually thinking through the logistics. read more

Definitely an acquired taste of a bar. Little dirtier but does t hold back what it is. You come here to drink and have some fun. $5 plays games at least if you come early enough. Quite loud and can get busy but offers enough for a fun night out. Have a few Clown Shoes in bottle and on tap as well as a couple wines and full bar. More like a club atmosphere with games than a bar. Has events like trivia on Tuesdays as well as TVs. Would recommend if in the area looking to kill some time. read more

Came here for a friend's birthday. The atmosphere was amazing and friendly. Everyone who worked there, from the bouncers to the waiters were the best. Drinks were all great and the vibe was unmatched. After being stuck inside for COVID all these months this was worth all they money spent. I'll definitely be come here again in the future. read more

Hearing there was an arcade coming closer to the city got me really excited, so I decided to check out Versus in the evening after work. Upon entry, I was greeted by a great and friendly host (all the staff that I encountered were pretty nice) who gave me the scoop. So it's $5 to play and since there are no quarters or tokens you can play as much as you like and however long (which I definitely took advantage of lol). It wasn't too crazy but I can see this place getting packed but still having the ability to roam around and play games. I think the problem with the other reviewers is that they were probably looking for a large establishment like Dave and Busters and the games they have. But what they fail to realize is that Boston doesn't have much space so there's no way there would be a place that big. Also the games at Versus were great! It was just so nostalgic and brought back so many memories when I played pinball and Tapper. They also had console games at the bar, air hockey, and even basketball in another room. The drinks were pretty good I had the rita and mojito. Also the food is bar food so if you don't like french fries, pizza, or burgers well you might not like any bars or their food. I'm a vegetarian so I'm glad they offered the "Impossible burger". I'm also a fan of the veggie spring rolls. My only gripe is the music selection. Don't get me wrong I like hearing alternative rock (they also threw in a few hip-hop classics), but feel free to throw in 90's pop classics and even some of the music from today. I understand you want to make the crowd feel good, but a lot of the people I saw there were college students and a few years older, so they'll understand the music. Aside from the music, I can't wait to bring my niece here. I know she'll love it! read more

I paid $83 + tip for burned food and drinks and woke up this morning to a new $48 charge from versus on my bank account. They are not open until Thursday and have yet to respond to me. read more

No extra charge for playing the arcade games and don't have to go through the nuisance of buying extra tokens. Just a flat fee if you go after a certain hour. They serve bar food and have switch console games as well as board games and standard arcade games. Their drinks are reasonably priced and always have super nice staff. read more

I wanted to love this place so, so bad. Part of me still does, but ultimately VERSUS is a let-down from what could have been an amazing establishment. I was looking for a barcade in Boston for a long time and became thrilled when I heard of VERSUS' opening in Downtown Crossing. You pay to get in, but then all your plays on the games they have are free. The ambience and decor is on point. Thumping 80's jams, cool art, nostalgic aesthetic everywhere, whether you want it or not (instead of plates, you get served food on frisbees). The arcade itself is decent. Mainly pinball on one side, and skeeball/mini-basketball on the other, although they do have some legit cabinets that impressed. I can't stay mad at any place that has Crazy Taxi, Centipede, and Rootbeer Tapper. The problem is some of the games are not very well taken care of. Some were not really operational, without signage to notify you they weren't in working order. The staff wasn't doing anything do dislodge all the basketballs that got stuck in one free-throw game, for example. They do have one giant modern TMNT game that allows for 4 players at once- definitely check that one out. The co-op lightgun shooter Maximum Force / Area 51 is also pretty good. The menu itself is limited to pub fare, nothing bad but nothing amazing either. If you don't go out in downtown Boston a lot, prepare for some serious sticker shock on drinks and food, but its unfortunately par for other bars in the area. The bar itself is expansive, but gets crowded quickly. They have some consoles there for public play, but don't expect them to be open since space is so limited. This place overall is actually pretty small! One time I came here and they were closed for a private function, which was a shame, but I got a card from them that covered my entry fee on my next visit as an apology. Apparently they get rented out fairly often so be sure to call and check before you go! read more