If you’re the sort of person who enjoys going to old school arcades and spending your coins on games of Pac-Man and other classics, then you might be looking for a fun places like that in the city of Stockholm.
Unfortunately, this craze that swept America and Germany in the 1980s isn’t quite as alive in Sweden.
But don’t let that get you down!
There are still a few places around town to get your gaming on, if you’re up for the challenge.
Ugglan Boule & Bar
This right here is really the #1 place to go for all of your retro gaming needs.
It’s got your old school arcade games (arkadspel in Swedish), though the options here are limited.
You can play Pac-Man, Pong, Asteroids, Sprint, and some retro Sega games.
But here’s the thing – there are like the original old school arcade cabinets and they don’t work so well sometimes.
So, you might make the trek here just to discover that your preferred gaming is being finicky at the moment.
So, keep that in mind.
Oh, and you should definitely make a reservation on their website to make sure your arcade game is available for you.
What really makes Ugglan special is that it’s not just retro arcade cabinets.
They have pretty much any type of game that you want to play.
You can throw darts with some buddies while you down some Swedish beer.
My personal favorite is the collection of pinball machines, which is pretty awesome.
And if you’re feeling a bit more cerebral, then you can challenge a mate to a game of chess while you sip on a cold brew.
Bring a whole group of friends and chose from the assortment of board games for a fun night out. Ugglan also has pretty much any table game that you can think of.
This includes shuffleboard tables, foosball tables, pool tables, air hockey tables, some ping pong tables and probably some more that I’ve forgotten about right now!
There is truly no shortage of gaming tables there.
They even have a game there that I’d never heard of before.
It’s called boules and it’s a French game that is well known in Paris.
So you can even try games that might be new to you!
Make no mistake though, this is a classy place and not the usual type of dive bar where you’d find an assortment of games like beer pong and dart boards.
They have great beer on tap and excellent food.
You can find Ugglan at: 116 40, Närkesgatan 6, 116 40 Stockholm
HEY STHLM
If you like retro Japanese arcade games, then HEY STHLM is definitely the place for you to go!
Here you can find more than 30 different arcade games to play, some of which you will recognize and other you might not.
They also have some pinball machines for the enthusiasts like me.
This place is a lot of fun and the arcade cabinets aren’t as finicky as they are over at Ugglan.
However, this place is small and darker than Ugglan.
So, keep that in mind as you decide on what type gaming experience you want to have.
Maybe you’ll just be satisfied cursing at Ghosts ‘N Goblins since that game is so freaking difficult!
Or, bring a friend and challenge him to a game of Street Fighter!
Find it at: Gyldéngatan 2 113 27 Stockholm
Heron City
If table games are more your style, then you might want to venture out to Heron City.
At O’Leary’s Bowling you can not only bowl a few games, but they have a handful of pool tables that you can play on.
While that doesn’t exactly quench a thirst for some old school gaming, it’s still pretty cool that you can play billiards or bowl here, if that interests you.
It’s definitely not cheap, and it doesn’t offer the same experience that you get at Ugglan.
However, it is nice for a change of pace.
It’s been almost 3 years since I was last at Heron City, but they also used to have around 40 arcade cabinets where you buy a card, which you then use to play games.
Sort of like Dave and Busters power cards in America.
I’m not sure if this is still the case, but it might be worth checking out if you’re interested and can’t get to Ugglan.
Find it at: Dialoggatan 2, King Curve
Do you know of any other places in Stockholm that are good for gamers?
If so, drop a comment so that I can add it to the list!
image credit: ugglanboulebar.se