The best arcades in NYC

This family-owned joint is maybe best known for being the former home to the famous Tic Tac Toe Chicken—that bird has flown, and the arcade today is popular with a mix of diehard arcade buffs and casual gamers. Grab lunch in Chinatown before settling in for a game of Beatmania IIDX, ReRave Plus, PIU Infinity, Neon FM and DDR—and redeeming tickets for some fun prizes. If any of the older machines happen to eat your dough, tell the staff—they’re known to refund your credits if you ask. Be sure to bring cash!

This souped-up bowling alley offers HD video walls, cushy seating, state-of-the-art lanes, plus a New York City-inspired laser tag arena. It also has arcade games like Jurassic Park Arcade and Mario Kart, as well as traditional pinball machines and some super-slick air hockey setups that remind you why dinging around a puck is so much fun. The machines use game cards that you fill them with credits, so you don't need to carry around any tokens or change. There's pizza and other kid-friendly fare, plus a full bar for deserving parents.

This scaled-up arcade has a bounce zone, Mission Impossible laser maze, 3D simulator and a laser tag arena with plenty of twists and turns to keep the competition on edge. The selection in the arcade includes all the latest games, and all the classics. There's plenty in here that will work up an appeitite—good thing Laser Bounce is in a mall with a food court.

What more could a kid want? This sweet arcade has food, bowling, shuffleboard AND a giant arcade that's great for all ages. It's also a sports bar Favorite games include Jurassic Park Arcade, where kids can use “tranquilizing guns” to help restore order to the island and save over 30 species, Candy Crush Saga, Kung Fu Panda, Batman, Mario Kart Arcade Grand Prix Deluxe, Star Wars Battle Pod and tons more—many games offer prize tickets, too.

Jam-packed with as much fun as your kids can handle, Funtopia definitely lives up to its name—there’s Balladium, Time Freak Playground and Lazer Runner (all blacklight/glow games), a three-level playground with tubes, tunnels and slides, bumper cars and a toddler play area. There’s also a huge area dedicated to arcade games (over 150 to choose from), including air hockey, Fruit Ninja, Frogger and Pac-Man.