Are Retro Home Arcade Cabs Still Alive?

Are Retro Home Arcade Cabs Still Alive?

Hey guys, welcome back to another blog post with yours truly!

As a huge fan of retro games and collectibles, this is a topic that keeps popping up in arcade communities. Are retro home arcade cabinets still alive?

As most of you know, a company called Arcade1Up completely dominated this space during the COVID era, making it financially possible to own your very own mini arcade. Whether you live in an apartment, house, loft, or garage, you could set up your own retro arcade at a reasonable price.

Well… you used to. 😅

Times have changed, and so have the prices.

Arcade1Up got the ball rolling with cabinets featuring our favorite childhood arcade games. These things were selling like hotcakes at one point. But now? Not so much.

The big issue? They haven’t been delivering many new titles or securing the licenses we’ve been waiting for. Where’s WWE WrestleFest? That would be a dream to play online with others!

Now, with other companies trying their hand at making cabinets, I really wish Arcade1Up would get back to innovating—not just re-releasing Pac-Man for the thousandth time. (Seriously, we get it.)

But anyway, back to the main question:

Are retro home arcades still alive? In my opinion — absolutely, yes.

Even without new titles or cabinets, there’s still a strong community. People like me are constantly watching our favorite content creators for updates and sneak peeks. We’re all waiting for that next exciting cabinet to drop — the one we’ve been dreaming of.

Personally, I currently own four cabs and one pinball cab from AtGames. I often find myself watching creators like MichaelBTheGameGenie, hoping for news that something awesome is on the way. My dream pick? WWE WrestleFest online. But I’d happily settle for Donkey Kong or Popeye by Nintendo to round out my setup.

There’s no doubt in my mind — home arcades are still exciting and desirable, especially for people in my age group. We just need something new to be excited about.

Until then, all we can do is keep dreaming of affordable, awesome cabs that spark that same childhood joy.

Thanks again to everyone who reads my posts each week! I’d love to hear from you — what’s in your personal arcade collection, and what titles do you want to see hit retail stores?

Until next time — see you later, everyone!