Cape Town has no shortage of places to eat, drink and dance. But sometimes you want your night out to come with a scoreboard.
Happily, there are plenty of adult gaming venues across Cape Town. And we don’t mean the kind of game where you put it all on black and walk away a little (or a lot) poorer. Rather, these destinations let you choose between retro arcade classics and the green baize, table tennis backspin and a triple-20 on darts. Some are high-tech spaces built around virtual reality and racing simulators. Others let you revel in the simple pleasures of throwing an axe at a piece of wood.
Whether you’re planning a date, a group get-together, or simply looking for something different to do after dark, these are Cape Town’s best places to play.
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This article was written by Richard Holmes, a travel writer based in Cape Town. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines and check out our latest travel guides written by local experts.
Billing itself as Cape Town’s first retro arcade bar, Barcadia combines an old-school arcade with proper cocktails in the heart of the city. Expect classics like Pac-Man, Tekken, Terminator and Centipede, alongside pinball and other vintage favourites. Better still, the arcade machines are on free play when you buy from the bar, so there’s no hunting for coins between rounds.
62 Hout Street, Cape Town
Forget the wonky pub pool table with one cue and missing chalk. Sessions in Bellville takes billiards seriously, specialising in full-size nine-foot American billiards tables and Heyball, the increasingly popular Chinese version of eight-ball played on a snooker-style table.
It’s the first dedicated venue of its kind in the city, and alongside casual table bookings, you’ll find coaching, tournaments and regular leagues for players who want to raise their game. There are darts too, plus a full-service bar and a private VIP room if you’re bringing a group. Beginners are welcome, but keep a keen eye out for pool sharks before you put any money down!
Tyger Manor Centre, Bellville
Virtual reality gets a major upgrade with The Park, which launched its Cape Town arena in August 2026. What sets The Park apart is that this is free-roam VR, allowing players to physically move around a large arena while exploring the same virtual world. Groups tackle shared missions, mini-games and immersive challenges, with headsets and controllers transforming an empty room into an entirely different universe.
Sessions run for 90 minutes and include an introductory experience, a mini-game and a main game, while a fully stocked bar lets you toast the winners afterwards. This new Gardens venue is one of the most interesting additions to Cape Town’s gaming scene this year.
10 Kloof St, Gardens
When darts aren’t dramatic enough, upgrade to an axe! Axe-O at The Spice Yard in Salt River offers coached indoor axe throwing, with dedicated lanes, wooden targets and instructors who talk newcomers through the basics before the competition begins. Sessions can be booked for couples, groups and larger parties, and the format is pretty straightforward: throw an axe, hit the target, celebrate like you’re Haaland putting one in the net.
100 Voortrekker Rd, Salt River
If you love nothing more than shouting advice at Kimi Antonelli on a Sunday afternoon, this spot is for you. TGN Racing Simulators offers a truly immersive motorsport driving experience designed to recreate the feeling of being behind the wheel, just without the pesky inconvenience of tyres, fuel or an actual crash. TGN has been building racing simulators since 2008 and runs sim-racing centres in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Umhlanga. The most fun comes when you go head-to-head with your mates: pick your circuit and see who has the racing lines to back up all that Formula 1 advice.
Ipic Shopping Centre, Corner Amandel Street & Bottelary Rd, Brackenfell South
ArcTT takes the humble game of table tennis to the next level with professional tables, court bookings, coaching programmes, tournaments and competitions. Book a court, grab a bat and prepare to discover that table tennis is considerably tougher than you thought. Coaching is available if you want to improve your serve, footwork or forehand, but there’s nothing stopping casual players from booking a table and settling old scores.
ArenaX, 9 Racecourse Rd, Milnerton
Prefer meeples to machines? Head for the Cape Town Science Centre in Observatory, where Wizards Game Room flies the flag for tabletop gaming. It’s home to the Chris Legg collection, incorporating games from the much-loved former Wizards Books & Games store. You’ll find everything from accessible party games to niche titles and heavyweight strategy sessions, and the big weekly drawcard is Friday Night Games, when players take over the room from 6pm until late. Bring something of your own or simply grab a seat and join a table. Hosts are on hand to help newbies find an appropriate game.
370B Main Rd, Observatory
Based at The Watershed at the V&A Waterfront, this long-running escape-game specialist offers a collection of themed rooms in which teams have 60 to 75 minutes to solve puzzles and make their escape. Current adventures include prison breakout Escape Plan, the mysterious Old Hotel, Cursed Treasure, Shipwrecked and superhero-themed MARBLE. If enclosed rooms aren’t your thing, HintHunt also runs Amazing Race challenges around the Waterfront and a multi-stage Mission Room blending logic puzzles, skill games and physical tasks.
Watershed, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
Sometimes old-school is cool, and ten-pin bowling remains one of the great group-night activities. Let’s Go Bowling at Stadium on Main in Claremont is ideal for groups, with plenty of lanes on offer, along with a full bar and pizza joint attached. The wider Let’s Entertain U complex also offers glow-in-the-dark putt-putt, laser tag and digital golf.
Stadium on Main, Main Road, Claremont
Dinner with a side of friendly rivalry? That’s the idea at Happy Folks, the colourful eat-drink-play restaurant at Eden on the Bay in Big Bay. Interactive dartboards and high-tech ‘SHUFL’ shuffleboard tables are the highlight, but there’s a full restaurant and bar around the games to keep you well fed and watered. Watching the sunset over Table Bay beforehand is an added bonus.
Eden on the Bay, Big Bay Boulevard, Big Bay
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