It's one year to the day since we opened the doors of the Retro Room at Cityside and what a year it's been! The year in stats... * We've had 13,876 gamers through the doors. Wow! Thank you all for visiting us. * We'
September 12, 2026
Another Sega classic joins the ranks in the form of the fastest arcade game ever made! Following a full and expert restoration from the amazing Mr Murphy we're chuffed to add the fighter jet classic Afterburner to the aisles, all the way from 1987 to be with you
August 14, 2026
A quick reminder that your friendly neighbourhood retro arcade will be open from 12pm - 6pm for the week of the Fleadh in Belfast and we have free parking right outside Cityside! MEMBER NIGHTS ARE COMING TO THE RETRO ROOM We'll be announcing our special members nights and details
August 03, 2026
We're open as always this weekend at Cityside, Yorkgate and we've a few new (well old but you get the drift) games for you to enjoy too! ENDURO RACER RETURNS. MEET LEO OUR BIG KICKER STRENGTH TESTER AND SPACE ACE'S FAILURE TO LAUNCH! Our
July 24, 2026
Our first Football Fest starts at 2pm tomorrow at the Retro Room with our free Subbutteo mini tournament and continues on Sunday in Gallaher's Bar for our Console World Cup from 1pm. A pint, old school football games and the World Cup final later that night? You'
July 17, 2026
We're opening our normal hours over the 11th and 12th Fri and Sat 11am - 10pm and Sun 12-8pm, come on down for a game or two. The rest of the businesses in Cityside are open also. We'd love to see you. TICKETS TO FOOTBALL FEST
July 08, 2026
Our celebration of all things football games will be kicking off on July 18th and 19th at Cityside! Join us for our first Subbuteo tournament in the event space outside the Retro Room from 1pm on Saturday 18th of July! Tickets are free, the event is suitable for all skill
July 03, 2026
We’re heading over to Play Expo 2026 in Glasgow on July 11th and 12th for some gaming fun. If you’d like to talk arcades, retro games or anything else drop us a WhatsApp at https://wa.me/message/U6H5ICHZXYI2P1 And we can hook up. And if you’re
July 02, 2026
Our new web series, Beyond Saving, will see us bin hoking in the history of gaming looking for the real garbage and playing some really, really bad games just for the fun of it. Since the World Cup's on we're focusing on football games and Peter
June 24, 2026
That's right your ol' Da was young once too and he probably spent most of his time smoking fegs and playing games down at his local arcade. And you can bet he misses it! Luckily you can give him back this moment in time (minus the fegs,
June 18, 2026
Ah Belfast. Glad to know that for every one trying to destroy you there's a hundred others building you back up. We'll be open this weekend as usual from 11am - 10pm on Friday and Saturday and 12-8pm on Sunday but we'll keep you
June 11, 2026
Hey Roomies, it's just a week until the World Cup kicks off and we couldn't be more excited. Did you know that we (well Marty) have a collection of over two hundred football games and one that we made ourselves? Fair to say we're
June 04, 2026
Our summer game refresh has really gathered pace, we've added the Sega flight sim classic Afterburner to the lineup! It's not on the floor just yet but will be very soon along with a host of new and returning titles including Space Ace, Enduro Racer, Joust
May 27, 2026
Well Roomies, we're continuing our Fiver Fridays deal matching our neighbours at the Movie House. Come along and see the Mandalorian and Grogu for only £5 tomorrow from 12pm and after buy some hours in the arcade at only £5 per hour before 5pm. Day tickets are reduced
May 21, 2026
That’s right! The most affordable Friday fun continues tomorrow with any movie at the Movie House only £5 before 5pm and our retro arcade only £5 per hour before 5pm. And we’re open all weekend as usual from 11 - 10pm Friday and Saturday, 12-8pm on Sunday for
May 14, 2026
Hey Roomies, we'd a great time on Star Wars Day yesterday with flight sims, fan films and much more we're going to go BIG on that one next year. And speaking of big, we're hosting a Mega Mortal Kombat 2 kompetition on the jumbotron
May 05, 2026
So the sun's out and that means the fun's out at the Retro Room with a couple of special events coming up in May. First off our first Star Wars Day on May 4th Bank Holiday Monday will see the arcade decked out with a ton
April 28, 2026
It was summer 1983 in Belfast and while a real civil war was in full swing outside we were all beaming from ear to ear watching a galactic civil war inside the Cannon Cinema in the city centre... I remember the whoops and cheers at the sight of the opening
April 18, 2026
It’s eleven days until the first Retro Wrestlefest at Cityside, Yorkgate and there’s some buzz about the place! We’ve had some brilliant trash talk videos posted on our social media, get your trash talk video uploaded and tag us @belfastarcade to win a set of VIP tickets
March 31, 2026
We're opening some extra hours for Easter. The Retro Room will be powered on Easter Monday 6th, Tuesday 7th and Wednesday 8th of April from 12pm - 6pm. And don't forget our next special event Retro Wrestlefest on April 11th from 3pm - 8pm! PS yes we know
March 29, 2026
We've organised a first of it's kind live and video game wrestling event with those hardcore grapplers over at Stay True Wrestling for April 11th. We're calling it Retro Wrestlefest and it's going to be awesome. Time to play the game... Info
March 17, 2026
We're excited to announce our very first retro night at Cityside in collaboration with our neighbours at Movie House Cinema! This Friday the 13th March we're bringing the original genre-defining slasher flick Friday the 13th back to the big screen as part of our first
March 05, 2026
Well Roomies. After a nearly two year long restoration our Space Ace is ready to hit the arcade floor! This cartoon classic was years ahead of its time both tech and design wise in 1983 and a bit of a nightmare restoration but we got there in the end, bringing
February 24, 2026
Sharpen your sleuthing pencils we'll be holding the first Cityside Challenge as part of the North Belfast Festival on the 1st of March at Cityside, Yorkgate. Between 1pm and 4pm on Sunday the 1st of March we'll have a number of tasks for you to complete
February 17, 2026
Back in the day the arcade was a great place to meet new friends and maybe even that special someone. We remember it well. The stolen glances through the thick haze of cigarette smoke. The over-celebration when you whipped your mate at Street Fighter II for the thousandth time.
February 13, 2026
Meeting new folk is harder than it used to be. People aren't socialising as much as they used to. There's much more to entertain us at home than there ever was. The weather's been a joke, even my our standards! This Friday the 13th
February 06, 2026
So you've fought tooth and nail, all the way through the bleak midwinter to the big end boss in Dry January eh? Well some focus, most fold. Don't stumble now! Instead join us this Saturday 31st for some free zero alcohol beer samples from the Sober
January 27, 2026
Hey Roomie! Welcome to the latest dispatch from your friendly neighbourhood retro arcade down at Cityside (Yorkgate if you're a local). It's been a great month for arcade pickups and also for arcade visitors which is great, we'd planned for a bit of a
January 20, 2026
Happy New Year to y'all from all of us at the Retro Room, we really got into the full swing of things in the last bit of 2025 and had an absolute blast wrecking robots, fixing games and generally behaving like big kids! Now the real work starts.
January 06, 2026
We’re open weekends as usual and our Xtra Xmas hours are… * Monday 22nd 12 - 6pm * Tuesday 23rd 12 - 6pm * Wednesday 24th 12- 6pm * Christmas Day - closed * Boxing Day 11am - 10pm * Saturday 27th 11am - 10pm * Sunday 28th 12-8pm * Monday 29th - closed * Tuesday 30th - closed * Wednesday 31st 12 - 6pm * Thursday
December 20, 2025
Are you hearing that iconic Sega indent 'cept it's now Belfast in your head? Bel-fasst. If so, our job here is done. Our latest limited edition t-shirt is a Belfast take on the famous Sega loading screen. Minimalist. Striking and unbranded by us. We kept
December 09, 2025
We've teamed up with Combat Robotics NI to bring you a massive Robot Wars style melee at the front of the arcade! You'll mash, smash and bash robots to bits. Surely every nerds dream? And we haven't forgotten the kids too, they'll
December 04, 2025
That's right, proper postable gift vouchers have arrived at the Retro Room and you can buy them now online from just £7 at https://www.retroroombelfast.com/giftvouchers/ or in the arcade at the ticket desk on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And did you know that the Retro
November 19, 2025
The dark nights are upon us but that just brings out the neon down here at The Retro Room. We're insanely excited for our first Halloween weekend and it's a packed schedule down at our new home in Cityside. The arcade will be open as usual
October 28, 2025
We've been in our new home at Cityside for a month and what a mad time it's been. Like any new business we've hit up against some challenges but it's been absolutely great to welcome so many people through our doors and
October 15, 2025
Our first adults only event will take place on Halloween weekend Friday October 31st and Saturday November 1st with games so scary, bloody and down right disgusting you’ll need to leave the kids at home! Join us from 8pm to midnight, and feel free to bring some drinks along
October 02, 2025
That's right, the much requested (bigly) 4 player Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be debuting this weekend at the Retro Room at Cityside and we also have a special promotion with our neighbours at Gallaher's Bar. Buy any £25 day ticket for the Retro Room and
September 25, 2025
Thank you to everyone who made the journey down on our opening weekend, our ears are still ringing with the glorious shrillness of 80s chiptunes! Honestly we were blown away by the response to the Retro Room at Cityside, better than anything we could have dreamed of and to see
September 15, 2025
We're almost there with Belfast's first retro arcade premise and it's getting very exciting indeed. If you missed us on the socials through the week here's the round up... Where will the new place be? The Retro Room will be opening at
September 10, 2025
The neon lights have flickered into life, the paint is drying and 95% of our games are now nestled snugly in their new permanent home at Cityside (tons of people still call it Yorkgate it seems!). The other 5% of our games are in various states of (dis)repair in
September 03, 2025
Culture Night returns to Belfast and we’re very happy to be hosting our first special event The Culture Night Olympics at the new Retro Room premises at Cityside (you might call it Yorkgate!). Limber up those button bashing fingers for a world’s first Track and Field and Hypersports
August 29, 2025
It's been a few years of searching for a great permanent home for a retro arcade in Belfast. At times it's felt like R-Type level 4 (or the Battletoads Turbo Tunnel stage for you console kids) but we've finally found the key and
August 18, 2025
We're very excited to see level two of the Retro Room starting to come together! We'll be revealing the new location before the end of the month but for now join us in basking in the beautiful pseudo-neon glow of our new signage...
July 24, 2025
Things have been a bit quiet around here so we thought we'd give you a quick update on where we're at with the Retro Room. First off we've been knee deep in '80s dust getting the games ready for the new premises. What
July 10, 2025
Our last pop up arcade will be held back home at the Oh Yeah Music Centre this weekend all tickets are only £6 as a special thank you for supporting us! We thought we'd answer some Frequently Asked Questions Where can I get tickets? Tickets are available here
June 05, 2025
Hello all you retro gamers! We're thrilled to announce that the Retro Room will be moving to a permanent premise soon and so we've arranged one last pop up back home at the Oh Yeah Music Centre on Fri 6th and Sat 7th of June. As
May 29, 2025
Announcing our biggest weekend event to date May 23rd to 25th, a three day retro arcade and the launch of Belfast's first Tabletop Football Club at the fantastic Northern Lights! Greetings! It's been a busy month at the Retro Room with lots of new games restored,
May 05, 2025
First up thanks to everyone who made it along to South Belfast’s first ever retro arcade at the Northern Lights. We had a ball and we hope you did too, the feedback was amazing both for the selection of games and also for the venue. Sold out nights at
March 31, 2025
That's right, our early bird discounted tickets for the Northern Lights expire at midnight tonight. Grab em before they're gone for our next pop up arcade on March 21st, 22nd and 23rd at this fantastic new venue. Tickets are £12 for adults and £6 for kids
March 10, 2025
We're very excited to announce we'll be bringing the Retro Room to the Northern Lights craft brewery bar on the Ormeau Road for a three month residency in March, April and May setting another wee milestone by being the first retro arcade in South Belfast! One
February 09, 2025
As January (quite literally) in our case grinds on (see below) we've been very very busy getting the games up to speed for the next event and working hard on the future of the Retro Room. Early Bird Tickets End Midnight Jan 31st If you're on
January 29, 2025
Bring Your Player Two! Early Bird Tickets for Our Valentine's Weekend Arcade Are Live That's right, we'll be back at the Oh Yeah Music Centre on February 15th and 16th for a special Valentine's Weekend event. We'll have our standard
January 20, 2025
Europe's The Final Countdown was number 1 in the charts (I think, it was my number 1 anyway) and Negrete had scored an absolutely unreal bicycle kick for Mexico at the Mexico 86 World Cup, a tournament that was already blowing minds before Diego Maradona took a great
January 11, 2025
Before we took the plunge and decided to start our own retro arcade we toured the world on a quest for some inspiration but mostly some fun. In the next while we'll write up our experiences starting, like charity, at home with the RENDR Festival at the Portview
January 06, 2025
Welcome to Mission Brief, our weekly update giving you a glimpse inside the Retro Room. It's a big, big week as we have our first full weekend retro arcade event at the Oh Yeah Music Centre next weekend on December 21st and 22nd. Read on for all the
December 16, 2024
Tickets are live for our Xmas Retro Arcade weekend at the Oh Yeah Music Centre on December 21st and 22nd. Be quick to bag a 25% discount on our usual ticket pricing (£15 for adults, £7.50 for kids), use the code MERRYXMAS at checkout. This full weekend event at
December 08, 2024
We got this thing off the ground in great style at the Black Box on Friday November 29th. Thank you to everyone who braved the cold, the rain but most of all the teeming masses of Black Friday shoppers. Mayhem! Still there's always the escape of gaming and
December 01, 2024
We've been plugging away in the workshop in a concerted attempt to get an as many of our vintage arcade games up and running for our launch at the Black Box next Friday the 29th. This weekend we got a WWF Superstars off the mat, fully restored a
November 24, 2024
Wake up sleepy heads, it's party time (if you know, you know.) Our 55th arcade machine has just arrived and we've a few more in the pipeline, exciting times indeed! Read on for the latest news from the Retro Room, delivered to you first every Sunday.
November 17, 2024
That's right, we have lift off with our first event on Friday 29th of November from 6pm a perfect wee after work tonic on the way to the holiday season. Expect a wide range of 70s, 80s and 90s original arcade cabinets including trackball bear botherer Crystal Castles,
November 10, 2024
A new venue and a bunch of shooting games are ready for the arcade floor.
November 03, 2024
Exiting Base Arcade, a Space Ace is on its way to Belfast and what's next for The Retro Room
October 28, 2024
The Retro Room is Belfast's first dedicated retro arcade. We have a wide range of vintage 80s and 90s video games all operating on their original hardware as well as tabletop football, classic board games, consoles and more. Who's doing this? The Retro Room was devised
October 03, 2024
Hello to all our kind followers, nearly 1000 of you since I announced the Retro Room a couple of weeks back. And thanks for all of the encouragement and questions too. We thought I'd give you a quick update on where I'm at and what to
September 28, 2024