Emporium

The Vegas location of this national arcade and bar chain, set within the hi-tech fun house Area15, is a spectacular destination for 21-and-over fans of old-school video games. Live DJs spin house, hip-hop and techno sets; a heavily-stocked bar pours craft beers, draft cocktails and “boozy slushies;” and the arcade floor features classics like Konami’s side-scroller The Simpsons, Williams’ beat-’em-up Smash TV and Atari’s unique maze game Marble Madness. Mix things up with a few games of pool or Skee-Ball, located on the ground floor. Area15, emporiumarcadebar.com.

Game Nest

Hidden away in a Chinatown strip mall, Game Nest is an all-ages, pay-by-the-hour arcade featuring offbeat Japanese imports. Many of them are rhythm games that require you to beat something in time with an onscreen prompt, such as Namco’s Taiko no Tatsujin (taiko drums) and Konami’s Bishi Bashi (oversized, colorful buttons). This is also where you’ll find Taito’s glorious Cho Chabudai Gaeshi, in which the player ruins a social occasion by flipping over a tea table in anger. (You get points for how many friends and relatives you knock down in the process.) Game Nest also features games with more traditional controls, including “Luigi’s Mansion” and “Tekken 5”—though at just $10 for 60 minutes of unlimited play, you can afford to try most everything here. 4525 W. Spring Mountain Road #112, gamenestlv.com.

Pinball Hall of Fame

Though its website promises 25,000 square feet of “pinball and nothing but pinball,” the all-ages Pinball Hall of Fame also offers a terrific selection of arcade classics, such as Midway’s Tron, Cinematronics’ Dragon’s Lair, Atari’s 720°, Sega’s Star Wars Racer and Midway’s Tapper. So extensive is the PHOF’s video game collection that one Weekly staffer recently remarked that they can easily spend an hour there, in sight of nearly every pinball machine known to humanity, and blow through a cup of quarters without playing even one game of pinball. 4925 Las Vegas Blvd. S., pinballmuseum.org.

Player 1 Video Game Bar

Anyone who frequented Fremont East’s late, great Insert Coin(s) will find much to love at this Midtown bar and arcade. For just $8 ($5 for Nevada locals with valid ID), 21-and-over guests get unlimited access to a giant room of vintage games, from Xenophobe to Battlezone to Qbert. The bar offers 50 taps and 150 bottled beers, a selection of specialty cocktails and craft sodas for non-drinkers; they’ll keep you fueled while you re-acquaint yourself with Player 1’s complement of classic consoles, from the Atari 2600 up through the Wii U. They also offer current-generation consoles, and lots of comfortable places to play them. 2797 S. Maryland Parkway #24, player1vegas.com.

Click HERE to subscribe for free to the Weekly Fix, the digital edition of Las Vegas Weekly! Stay up to date with the latest on Las Vegas concerts, shows, restaurants, bars and more, sent directly to your inbox!