Free Play Arcade

This spot took me back to my high school years with it’s 80’s soundtrack and nmuerous arcade games. I was delighted as I gazed at the screen burn in of the various manufacturers «GAME OVER». Neither the music nor the ambient sounds from the games was overpowering like you would find in newer arcades which also makes this a great place to converse even when you’re NOT playing. Although it serves alcohol (a nice beer selection with a few wine options) it has opted against multiple TV and the sports bar feel, which is good. The adult hours are a plus. I just wish it opened earlier so I could daytime there. Please keep it simple and don’t change a thing other than a few games from time to time…

If you’re in/​around Dallas, and love classic arcade games, this is a place that you must check out at least once. As the other reviews mentioned, $ 10 gets you in, and you can play to your heart’s content. I didn’t count, but they had many stand-​up cabinets, a handful of pinball machines, and a few sit-​down racing games at the time. I’d say that it’d take a few trips to really cover all the machines, but you could show up at opening time and have a nice marathon!

Pinball, arcade games, and a great selection of beer — this place makes for the perfect date night spot for my husband and I. We came on a Saturday night around 7:30pm and stayed for an hour or so.
Upon entering there is a $ 10 fee per person which earns you a sweet wristband and unlimited free play on all the machines. On the opposite side of the check in, there’s a bar with 4 – 5 draft beer options and tons of reasonably priced bottles & cans of many varieties.
As pinball collectors ourselves we were mostly there for the pinball, and there were 5 machines on the lineup: Revenge from Mars, Whirlwind, Super Mario, Bride of Pinbot, and Black Knight. They were all in reasonable, playable condition. The playfields could all use a good wax and we had trouble with stuck flippers on a couple of them; all of which would make sense for a machine in an arcade played non-​stop. We own a collectors-​quality Bride of Pinbot and certainly the one at Free Play is several steps down from that — but still a decent version for someone who just wants to play the game. Just a little pinball tip: press the start button twice to play with two people (alternating).
Between traditional arcade games and pinballs, Free Play is more game-​heavy. Normally we skip the arcade games but once we finished with all the pinballs we decided to give them a shot. We had a great time! Since all the machines are on free play, you can always hit «continue» if your partner is still in the game. This made for lots of fun rounds of various games.
All the games throughout Free Play seemed to be in working condition (we didn’t see any «out of order» signs). The only machine we had trouble with was Gold Medalist, which was unfortunately the arcade game I was most excited about. We just couldn’t get the buttons to work appropriately.
Bar service was always quick and friendly, and we really liked that we were able to start a tab. As I mentioned before, there was a ton of variety in the drinks offered, which was really nice. All the machines either had built-​in drink holders or a shelf right next to it with coasters.
Also, I loved the music selection! So many folks singing along or dancing in place while playing.
We didn’t have many problems with folks sharing games… it is, after all, quite easy to have a bad game and impulsively hit the «start» button again. While we did have to wait to play most games, it was usually just waiting for the current player to finish up. Only on one occasion, while we were waiting to play Whirlwind, was there a person who played FOUR complete games before turning the machine over to us. Don’t be that person.
As for things they could improve: the seating/​dining area is ultra casual and nothing fancy at all. Think very basic wooden card tables and folding chairs in a dimly lit corner. Around the U.S., arcade places tend to fall into one of theree categories: games only (no bar), games + alcohol (no seating), or full-​on bar (games are secondary to bar business). Free Play seems to be trying something different but it personally wasn’t my taste. I think they could improve the furniture and lighting of the seating area, which would greatly improve the atmosphere. Also, I just can’t wrap my brain around the kids. It just seems weird when my husband and I are on date night, beers in hand, and we’re cut in line by a kid with a chair trying to play Donkey Kong. Goes back to my first point: I’d like to see Free Play make a call as a business as to whether they want to cater to the kid-​at-​heart adults, or allow both at all times. We would definitely visit more often if we knew (for example) 18 and under are not allowed after 6pm — but that is just us.
Overall we had a blast. I hope they rotate out machines regularly to keep things fresh. It might also be fun to host tournaments of sorts. It seemed like quite the popular destination because when we left around 8:45pm, there was a line out the door!

Ehh was going to give it a 2.5 but a 3 is ok I guess. 10 bucks to get in an play all games. Was excited to try this place. If you’re into those old school arcade games then you’re going to love it. That was the problem with me, I don’t like old school arcade games as much. Only Mexican beer they have is XX. No modelo nor corona. Didn’t get food. It was ok for a Friday night. Was clean. Kind of small if you ask me.

Came here for the first time for my bday 1÷9÷16 at around 10:30pm and it was packed and I thought «oh no we won’t get to play»…I was wayyy wrong. First off, we got there so late (they close @ midnight on weekend) they only charged ½ price so that was VERY fair. Second, nobody hogged a machine for too long, and even if I had to wait a bit I didn’t care b/​c everyone was so excited to be back in a retro arcade it was fun to talk to peeps and just have fun watching and socializing while we waited. All and all a solid selection of games, fair beer prices (craft beer for the snobs, 40s and tall boys for the rest of us), and great staff. I’ve seen they have food but haven’t tried it yet. Owners are friendly and have indicated a revolving door of games so that’s also very exciting. I’ve been back twice during the week and it wasn’t nearly as busy so we got to try out all the games and that was equally as fun as the rowdy weekends! Definitely going to make this a regular monthly visit.

Wow! That’s all I can say! This place was AWESOME!!!
I came to Free Play for the first time on Monday, January 18^th, with my friend just to see what this place was like and to see if kids our age would really enjoy an arcade like this, and the first thing that makes me want to go back is the atmosphere. When my friend and I walked in, we were greeted with a friendly welcome and a smile. The guy at the counter that we payed to get in was really nice, friendly and even though there was a huge crowd when we walked in, he quickly got us through to the games without any problems, all while smiling! He was also really professional about asking for our I.D. to make sure we didn’t drink while we we’re there (we’re both under 21 haha).
The second thing that makes me want to go back is the food. You’d think that at an arcade they’d have typical foods like hamburgers and hotdogs. Well I was proven wrong. They have really nice sandwiches/​paninis there that aren’t just thrown together and they aren’t the sort of thing you’d find at an arcade, but they we’re reeeeally good! If you’re unsure of what to get when you go, get the Italian sandwich. That one is AMAZING!
Lastly, the games. There’s a couple games I’m already familiar with, but to try out so many others was pretty cool! I’ve always heard awesome stories from my parents about how they used to always go to the arcade with their friends back in the 80s, and I’ve always wanted an experience like that. Well, as everyone knows, times have certainly changed, but I’m really glad I could have somewhat of the same experience they both had by playing all the classics they did in such a friendly environment!
The only con I have to the place is that there’s not that many tables there to sit down and eat if you really want to. My friend and I had to sit down and eat at a table that wasn’t bussed. That was totally ok with because we just moved everything to the other end of the table, but there were beer bottles left and I didn’t want people to think we were drinking when we weren’t supposed to lol. I also understand that they don’t really have THAT much space, but a couple more tables would be awesome! :)
Overall, this place is awesome and if you want to spend a day at an arcade with all the classics, this is the place to turn to!

So much fun! They had all sorts of drinks, which was exciting because I love trying new craft beers. We went on a Friday night and it was busy but there wasn’t a long wait at any of the games so we were thoroughly entertained throughout the two or so hours we were there. Even the tables have games you can play while eating or talking with friends there. A $ 10 cover fee is totally reasonable and I plan on coming here often!

Finally a nice place to go play the vintage arcade games.
Pros: Good beer, good games, good staff, good fun! This is a cool place saw lots of 40 and 50 somethings with their kids playing the old classic games of days gone by.
Cons: Music too loud could not hear my game. Lighting too bright too much glare off front windows both of these are easy to fix.

Great idea wish I came up with it first. 10 bucks gets you unlimited play hence the name free play. Beer is ridiculous cheap like 4 buck in most beer. But they do have some craft beers just as cheap. I had the Rahr n Sons double bock it was amazing 7 bucks for a 32oz. Love all the vintage games from the 80’s goes well with the 80’s hits they play. Great place guys keep up the great job.

Yasss! It’s finely time that something like this showed up!
It’s an arcade heaven down memory lane for someone like me that grew up in the 80’s or 90’s! Great selection with games like mac man, crazy taxi, pin ball and more!
You just pay a cover and play unlimited games! Good deal!

A wonderful concept, well executed by passionate workers
I’ve been to Free Play Arcade around 6 times now and I can wholeheartedly recommend it for many reasons.
As a stand alone arcade, it’s amazing, with 60+ classic games all in their original forms. $ 10 cover and every game is free inside. They have every machine you feel like you must have (Ms. Pac-​Man, Joust, Robotron) and plenty of games you’ve forgotten (Ghosts ‘n Goblins, Revolution X — i.e. that weird Aerosmith game) or possibly never heard of (Mike Tyson’s Punch Out… Arcade Version!!!). They have a good selection of craft beers and real sugar sodas with the retro glass bottles and some sandwiches/​paninis made in the kitchen so I don’t collapse on my 10 hour gaming binge. It’s also the rare arcade that actually has fighting games and isn’t going to beat you down with glorified slot machines dispensing tickets. And of course this time machine wouldn’t be complete without the 80’s music rickrolling all.
It’s a good place to relive your arcade memories and have some casual showdowns for high scores. It’s a good place to take a date and have a drink while sitting down to some Ms. Pac-​man. It’s a good place to bring your son or daughter because you just showed them Wargames or Tron or YOUR Karate Kid and you want to share with them those bustling arcade sequences (
), not just by downloading a version of the game, but by seeing a real living breathing arcade with all those sights and sounds. It’s a good place to explore the roots of today’s modern online multiplayer gaming by looking your teammate or opponent in the face as you learn, fail, and succeed in a colorful orgy of CRT sprites and chiptunes.
Heck, if you are such a high roller that you wanna buy the machine outright (which I’m not) you can do that discreetly too. It’s not a big deal for them as they are constantly moving in new classic games, not an ever expanding selection, but a flowing one that insures that if you are going to drop by once a month, you can have a fun new experience again and again.
So that’s the concept and I’m in love with it.. .but that’s not all that should be mentioned because this is so much better than a novel idea sitting in a room somewhere. The owners and workers of Free Play Arcade show a clear passion for the entire process. It’s a constantly cleaned, maintained and friendly environment. I showed up for a preopening event, and frankly some of the games needed work (as they were just obtained). Then I showed up days later and the games had gotten that work, as they do every single day before the arcade opens. Then I nitpicked them a little about the joystick here or the button there, after all who wants to play Mortal Kombat if you can’t reliably jump over your opponent and and knock them down with a flying kick, only to forget the fatality move. ;) Well those issues all were addressed as well, with new joysticks ordered and the onsite technicians. What I am telling you is that, as a knowledgeable, discerning gamer from as far back as I can remember, Free Play Arcade is a better experience each time I go back in all the ways I could dream up.
Kudos to them and for goodness sake someone come play a game with me.

I believe I experienced my first arcade game at a local skating rink in the small town where I grew up. They had a single row of maybe 3 pinball machines and about 10 arcade cabinets. It was the late 80s and if I hadn’t been wearing skates, I wouldn’t have been able to reach the joysticks or buttons for any of them.
From the moment I first dropped a quarter into one of those orange glowing slots I was hooked.
At one point my parents even stopped wanting to take me to that skating rink because I would invariably end up spending the vast majority of my time playing arcade games rather than actually skating.
Over the years the games at the skating rink changed. The ones I probably remember most are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in Time 4-​player cabinet, where whenever a group of kids would get to the last few levels, a crowd of kids would gather around to see if they could beat the game, and the Super Mario Pinball table, which I particularly loved due to my fondness for Nintendo and Mario games in general.
Then came the local mall arcade — «Just For Fun.» There was a small store sized bay that housed what would be my first real arcade. It was amazing. Superman, Double Dragon, Bad Dudes, Donkey Kong, Ms. Pac-​Man, and more.
«Just For Fun» was so successful that at one point they had to move to a second bay at the other end of the mall… then later they expanded again and combined the two locations in to one even bigger single location, complete with arcade and console video game promo TVs in the food court that I would always want to sit by and stare at whenever we ate at the mall.
After that, from then on — the early to late-​90s, when I was just a kid (pretty much from age 8 to 15), I always wanted my birthday party at «Just For Fun.» And every year we did.
For many years my friends and I would be given and spend bags of quarters at «Just For Fun.» We defeated Magneto on a 4 player triple wide screen version of the X-​Men arcade game cabinet together. I chainsawed arms and legs off my friends in the way-​more-​gory-​than-​Mortal-​Kombat fighting game Time Killers. We shot up zombies and monsters in CarnEvil. We defeated the baddies in various Metal Slug games. We blasted each other in T-​Mek, sitting side by side in a climb-​in cabinet with vibrating seat transducers that made you «feel» explosions. We shot enemy fighters out of the sky on Afterburner. We felt the road move beneath us on the tilting seated version of Rad Mobile.
It was pure magic. And I could keep going there forever.
But one day, that arcade’s doors were closed. The PlayStation and the N64 had been out now for at least a couple of years. And I had noticed that the Die Hard arcade game was literally IDENTICAL to the version at home. You before had games that were close — like Killer Instinct on the SNES vs the arcade version, but the arcade version was always way better.
But not anymore it would seem. And slowly, the other local arcades closed. And in their place years later Dave & Busters came to be.
But Dave & Busters was far more focused on «ticket» and «novelty» games. You would find lots of skeeball machines, lots of chance games, but no fighter cabinets, no Afterburner, no T-​Mek.
And now, you actually find giant 40″ touch screen ports of hit iOS games like Angry Birds and Doodle Jump…
It would seem that there was no hope for anyone looking for a real arcade.
…Until I heard about «Free Play.»
Sure it doesn’t have any big riding style classic cabinets like Afterburner, but they do have an incredible selection of many other machines that you would not find anywhere else… And they say they are going to always be on the lookout for more machines. And the food is awesome. Loved the Cuban sandwich and a Matilda beer.
It may not be perfect… yet, but when I walked out after checking out a pretty packed REAL arcade for a few hours, I had this feeling that Free Play is on its way to becoming something amazing.
Maybe I have finally found a new place to celebrate my birthday again. Maybe my son will want to have his birthday here someday…

I’ve been twice. Both times with kids ages 7 – 11, and during the day. Boys have really dug it. We stayed about 2 hours each time, which was enough. Plenty of games. Not too crowded. Sodas are a bit pricey ($ 2.50 for a bottle) and I wish they had a few less pricey options, but there is free ice water and cups. Super clean, plenty of seating. Really good! We will go back. Great beer selection.

This place is a lot of fun. Good beer and food along with all the vintage arcade games you can play.
They even have sit-​down games that I remember so fondly at pizza restaurants. There are pinball machines too along with all the classic games I forgot existed.
Fun times!

Went on opening night. I think this place has a lot of potential, but it felt like there were also a few things they weren’t quite prepared for that think could be improved.
Pros: nice game selection (Disclaimer that I personally am not a big gamer and spent most of my time on Mrs. pacman or Tapper while my husband and friends delved into a much wider variety and seemed pleased.) Drinks decently priced. Nice to have a fun new bar concept in the Richardson area.
Cons: it was way bright in there, which kind of killed the bar vibe. Also marketed to have craft beer but did not have a large variety. I think/​am hoping this may have been due to them just opening however. Also their method for storing credit cards was less than secure – they were all in a stack and they handed my friend a card that was not even hers. We spoke to the bartender about this and he said a card box was being ordered, which hopefully is the case.
Overall I will definitely be back to try the food and see if they’ve found their footing a bit more with time.

Well Jared pretty much said everything!
Though I’ll disagree with the projector and pinball machines…
I love this place! Games are rotated around soo next trip there could be a new game in place of another
Nothing is better then beer and arcades!
Don’t let the fact that beer is served stop you from bringing kids! It’s for sure a kid friendly area and a great way to show your kids something you loved to do your self as a child/​teen and creat great bonding moments
Not to mention arcades are great way to socialize with new people, I was there yesterday and challenged a random guy on street fighter vs xmen, a bit little we’re were joking around and talking smack!
And to the guy who rated it one star…
There is guys walking around that will fix the machines…
Or hell you notice something broken let the people know! They run out and fix it immediately!
You don’t tell them it won’t get fixed fast enough until the guy noticed…
This place does need some stuff to improve on but it doesn’t take away from this place being 5 stars!
The staff actually are really friendly and care a lot!
This for sure is my new hang out!

Great, friendly, knowledgable service coupled with clean, fun atmosphere
If you grew up in the 90’s playing video games, this place is your wet dream.
Well-​maintained with functioning games and user ease, this place is fun for all ages.
We brought the bday boy and everything else fell into place! They serve food + booze + arcade games!!! Our bartender was knowledgable and so friendly as was all the staff.
Every one of us had a stellar time and would recommend this place!

Finally after years of waiting DFW has a genuine «barcade» concept up and running. Thank goodness. At Free Play the games are first and the drinks are 2^nd. That’s important.
People in DFW will be familiar with places like «Barcadia» and «Kung Fu Saloon», or modern places like «Dave and Busters» or «Main Event». Well, this is totally different than any of those. What we have here is a genuine, honest to goodness vintage arcade featuring some of the greatest hits of the 80’s and 90’s. I didn’t see a single game newer than 1997 or so in there.
Free Play is pretty simple. $ 10 at the door gets you in. All the games are on free play. It’s that easy.
A lounge area doubles as a searing for a café. A small menu offers a variety of panini type sandwiches and glass bottle sodas. Plenty of beer is on hand also both in the bottle or on tap. I tried the chicken pesto sandwich and found it on par with a place like panera bread. Pretty good!
The game selection is tightly packed, making several long rows. Games range from 4 player «Simpsons» to single player racers to Atari classics to obscure titles you never saw when you were a kid. The games are generally in good working condition, but considering they are all low antiques many of the machines wear decades of abuse like a tattoo on a Vietnam veteran.
5 pinball machines line the back wall, which are my favorite. Pinball machines more than anything have replay value because there is no true ending to the game. You can’t just keep pressing continue. You require skill. Sadly, pinball is also high maintenance so we may not see more of them here. I hope that changes.
For the price you would be hard pressed to find better entertainment. You and some friends could have hours of fun here for just a couple of dollars an hour. Well worth the trip to see. No other business currently offers what Free Play does in Richardson.
***
Here are my tips to improve:
1. More Pinball Machines. With more you could start a league and really get crazy. Pinball is he ultimate gaming machine.
2. Lower lighting. The overall lighting was 20−30% too bright for me and the desired mood.
3. JukeBox. While I noticed and appreciated the 100% 80’s rock tunes, I wish we could select out own favorite throwback jam.
4. HighScore Board. Getting «on the wall» would be a very cool bonus and would encourage people to play specific games.
5. Projector: I have seen a game (like Street Fighter 2) be projected onto the wall. The players still use the games screen, but spectators watch the wall. This creates massive hype and can even build a crowd. Very fun.
6. Better Menus. The selection is there, just needs to be better presented than black and white.
7. Louder Game Volume. Many of the games volume was too low. Crank it!
Despite these suggestions, Free Play is certainly a 5 star business even in its current form. Well worth the visit! I will be back!

It’s a really cool place. $ 10 gets you in the door and all of the games are on free play mode.
BEER
The beer selection is pretty extensive and prices are comparable to other bars. They have everything from bottles, cans, tall boys, 2 draft beers, and even a 40 oz. of Colt 45!
GAMES
They have a wide array of different games and an employee said that some of the games will be changed out over time.
FOOD
The food that I ordered was pretty good, but the menu items aren’t really what you would expect to find in an arcade/​bar. I was expecting bowling alley type food. It would be nice to see some of those types of foods make it onto the menu in the future even though they are widely considered crap food.
ATMOSPHERE
This place really embraces that retro vibe. The color choices are well thought out and ooze nostalgia. Although I would invest in some hand sanitizer with it being flu season and all.
TLDR VERSION
Great place! Great beer! I would add some menu items and hand sanitizer though.
EDIT: More menu items and hand sanitizer have been added since I wrote this review.

I heard about this place from a few friends who are big gamers so I decided to come check out the place & see what the hype was all about. The guy who owns the place has a TON of vintage arcade games & he swaps out games every week or so. Typically they’ve got around 60 video games which range in date from the early 80s to early 90s. Great selection. They do serve food & alcohol & it’s not as noisy as I expected it to be. They’ve got a bunch of tables for you to sit & eat at.
I’ll definitely be back!