Cabinets Most Unconventional Places You Found An Arcade Machine

[Doomsday519]

Back in the day(for me that's the 90s-2000s) my arcade experience was mostly concentrated to Chuck E. Cheese so one of the most unconventional places I found and played a game on an arcade machine was the barbershop. Barbershop in Park Heights, Baltimore used to have a Tekken Tag Tournament arcade cabinet. Used to play before a spot was open. Only other place was the orthodontist office. They had a BurgerTime cabinet kids could play for free as we waited to get braces tightened lol.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

I have actually JUST seen a Street Fighter II machine just chilling outside of my local bar & grill (and with a sign saying that kids younger than nine-years-old are banned from playing... For whatever reason).

 

[Lee__Kanker]

Did other countries have them at water parks? One near my town has h2overdrive, appropriately enough

 

[Doomsday519]

Did other countries have them at water parks? One near my town has h2overdrive, appropriately enough

I've never heard of them at water parks. Come to think of it, same with amusement parks.

 

[Lee__Kanker]

I've never heard of them at water parks. Come to think of it, same with amusement parks.

No way! Thats where you're GUARMNTEED to find em! (at least it used to be like that)

The biggest amusement park in italy had Silent Silent scope, SEGA lost world, that one sega light gun with mechs....
probably crazy taxi and a metal slug too too, since everyone seemed to have it

Disneyland orlando had Galaga and a buch of other 80s stuff in the star wars section

 

[thumbsdown]

Not that this is an unconventional place, but a neighbor of mine has a functioning modded/bootleg arcade in his garage (and I find it funny to get to see it all the time when I have to go outside )

Post automatically merged: Oct 30, 2025

I have actually JUST seen a Street Fighter II machine just chilling outside of my local bar & grill (and with a sign saying that kids younger than nine-years-old are banned from playing... For whatever reason).

My local bar has a KOF one, I already shared a vid of that somewhere in this forum lmao

 

[Lee__Kanker]

Not that this is an unconventional place, but a neighbor of mine has a functioning modded/bootleg arcade in his garage (and I find it funny to get to see it all the time when I have to go outside )

Post automatically merged: Oct 30, 2025

My local bar has a KOF one, I already shared a vid of that somewhere in this forum lmao

Bars is where they were commonly found here, in the back with the pool table and the stink of smoke
Mine haaad...one of the later king of fighters, Spinmaster and Metal Slug 1

Post automatically merged: Oct 30, 2025

Ah and house of the dead 2

 

[Doomsday519]

No way! Thats where you're GUARMNTEED to find em! (at least it used to be like that)

The biggest amusement park in italy had Silent Silent scope, SEGA lost world, that one sega light gun with mechs....
probably crazy taxi and a metal slug too too, since everyone seemed to have it

Disneyland orlando had Galaga and a buch of other 80s stuff in the star wars section

oh wow I had no idea

 

[X y b e r - S k u ll]

I remember finding an After Burner Climax machine in a restaurant once. It looked so out of place, but it was a good time lol.

 

[ShinnAsukaYESTaylorSwiftNO]

I once found a Star Wars Episode 1 Racer arcade cabinet at a Cici's Pizza out of all places
sadly it was broken

 

[Luci]

The rest area of my local ambulance depot used to have a D&D Tower of Doom cabinet, played a lot of it when I was a kid.

 

[Lee__Kanker]

This one hotel I was at once had friggin SOUL EDGE, it wqas 2013, I nevert thought I was gonna play it on the actual cabinet; they also had metal slug 2, which I finished (I think I spent 5 euros)

 

[Nickakyoin]

Catechism (aka sunday school) until they removed the cabinets for whatever douchey and bigoted reasons (probably sold, but also probably destroyed), as if that place wasn't already cursed for me. I still clearly remember there was Capcom's D&D beat'em up. I think also a basketball game and maybe other 2 coin-ops that I can't remember at all.

 

[bjork]

I played Ghosts n Goblins at a Builder's Emporium (think Home Depot or Lowes but the mid 80s), and even at the time I thought that was really unusual.

 

[TinRattler]

Late 80s local tennis/squash courts had 3 tabletops. Elevator action,commando and Wonderboy in Monster land. 20c a game great old times

 

[Daixess]

The laundromat I go to has a miss pac-man and galaga cabinet that's definitely not in it's best shape but it's still entertaining!

 

[Bonkers225]

Flea Market, lol

 

[MrChester]

A bunch of regular bars and pubs in my town will just have a random coin op machine somewhere. Usually a version of Street Fighter, sometimes House of the Dead 2, and sometimes Pac-Man. They're actually great for chatting up people

We also have a bunch of barcades though so I guess it's not THAT crazy relatively speaking but it's not something I've seen anywhere else

 

[Lee__Kanker]

Catechism (aka sunday school) until they removed the cabinets for whatever douchey and bigoted reasons (probably sold, but also probably destroyed), as if that place wasn't already cursed for me. I still clearly remember there was Capcom's D&D beat'em up. I think also a basketball game and maybe other 2 coin-ops that I can't remember at all.

They had cabinets at sunday school?????

The fact it's d&d makes it funnier, cause I think the tabletop rpg was targeted by satanic panic at the time

 

[PhaseJump]

Canada has ferry service connecting the provinces of Nova Scotia & Newfoundland. 5+ hours on board if you're crossing.

About 30 years ago I went through and the boat had an arcade with 4 player Simpsons & X Men cabinets.

 

[RandomHajile]

Some time back around 84 or 85 my family went to Lancaster PA for a vacation. It was fun going to all the little Amish stores and bakeries, we bought of lot of homebaked goods. Fond memories. Now, oddly enough, in one amish store was an arcade game. Just one, and it was Two Tigers, the game in this video:

That was the only place I ever saw that game too. Never in any other arcade in PA or NJ, just in that one amish store. the store itself was just hardwood floors and had a musty smell and look, but there was an arcade machine. Still makes me crack a smile when I think back to it. Fun game too.

 

[hazys]

Apart from arcades themselves, you could find arcade machines in the lobbies of movie theaters, bowling allies, some non-chain family restaurants, and family-oriented hotels. One time I found a Project Justice machine in an extremely sketchy neighborhood, which was crazy. I've never found an arcade machine in a totally unexpected place, though that sounds cool.