There is a never-ending debate about whether playing in a physical arcade is more fun than clicking away at a bunch of buttons online. What is the state of play in 2026? As it happens with many things in life, the answer depends in part on what you are specifically looking for, and has more elements to consider than you might think at first glance. So here’s how you can figure out which pastime is better for you.

Playing in Person: The Obvious Positives

Surely, we don’t need to explain in detail why it is a good idea to spend time with people in person, doing something fun you all enjoy? The social aspect of arcade cabinets was always a key part of them being enjoyable, and this has been the case throughout all the decades it has been a common pastime.

Besides, the arcade experience assaults all five of your senses, which is part of what makes it fun. The tactility, the lights, the smell of the venue, the music and the game sounds, the taste of the food and the drinks – you can’t quite replicate these from the comfort of your own home.

But that being said, it is never quite so simple, and there are key counterarguments to consider.

Online Arcades Also Offer Something Special

First of all, there is a clear accessibility issue. After all, it’s easy to say that you should hop down to your local arcade and play there for all of the reasons outlined above, but that simply isn’t physically feasible for everyone. You might be living in a part of the world where arcades or not that common or aren’t built whatsoever for any given social or political reason, or the trip there simply takes too long or is prohibitively expensive. Physical arcades have also suffering from declining numbers, with many now deserted. 

And all this is before you consider the gameplay elements of this. After all, digital arcades can make things happen that would be genuinely impossible in a real venue, and they can pack in a near-infinite level of variety, like having 50 different slingo bingo games on one page, over one solitary machine that takes up valuable physical real estate. You can easily go back and forth between games and try different ones over and over again – this is less easy to execute in a brick-and-mortar setting.

As always, there is more to consider than the surface-level stuff when you are conducting analysis like this. You might just prefer the comfort and ease of access over the social and experiential elements we have discussed above – maybe you are more of an introverted type, or are just easily overwhelmed by all the noise and sounds of an arcade. Surely, online arcade experiences come more into play there?

At the end of the day, deciding whether offline or online arcade experiences are superior, you have to consider a key factor no analysis can count for externally: yourself and your personality. What are your needs and what are your desires? Depending on what you are looking for in an arcade, one or the other will be a better fit for you.