After trying out some recent cabinets, we checked in on the success and future plans of Arcade1Up and their home arcade market domination.
debuted in 2018, it was hard to predict just how much appetite there would be for slightly downsized arcade cabinet s. At the time, the mainstream gaming market was leaning hard into a digital-focused future, mobile gaming was as hot as ever, and live-service experiences dominated publisher forecasts.
Yet in just seven years, Arcade1Up has managed to sell millions of home arcade cabinets, license huge brands and game collections, sign major retail partnerships, and expand into new categories—all while building a brand synonymous with bringing arcades home and building game rooms of the future.I was born in 1990, so depending on who you ask I’m either an elder gamer or too young to appreciate the finer things in life. Since I grew up in the '90s, that means the arcade boom happened just a little bit before my time. I still played lots of arcade games, especially at Chuck E. Cheese, movie theaters, bowling alleys, and so on, but the idea of hitting The Arcade with friends for hours with a pocket full of quarters is a specific past time I never really experienced.Thanks to emulation, re-releases, and modern retro arcades and barcades though, I’ve played a ton of the games I missed out on from that era. However, nothing quite beats the real thing, or at least a very close approximation of it like we have with Arcade1Up. There are two setup experiences for Arcade1Up cabinets. You can either build it yourself, or you can hire someone via TaskRabbit. The companies have partnered to offer a bespoke assembly service and I was able to demo that service with one machine, but built the second on my own. Overall, if you’ve ever built a piece of furniture from IKEA, or put together any type of gym or workout equipment, it’s along the same lines. It will take around two hours, potentially a little longer if it’s your first time, but it’s totally doable solo. There is one specific step in which you place the heavy top piece that contains the control deck and screen onto pegs aligned with the base before fully attaching them and that part is much easier with two people. If you’re unsure about your capabilities or don’t have the time and patience, the hired service works well and I didn’t have any issues with the person that built the first of my two cabinets. Either method is fine. In terms of the actual products, the company has grown to such prominence because what they make is great. The build quality is better than you’d expect, they feel great to play, the displays are bright and vibrant, and even the speaker quality and volume is much better than I anticipated. Modern features like online multiplayer functionality and leaderboards really seal the deal. There are tons of cabinets to choose from at this point, so it’s really all about identifying the publishers or genres that you really want. Once you have one or two, it’s hard to stop there. I’ve already started eyeing future cabinets I may want to find on the used market to keep building out my outdoor patio home arcade.While arcade cabinets remain Arcade1Up’s flagship product, one of its most intriguing new products is the Infinity Game Table . Launched as a digital touchscreen platform for classic board games and tabletop games, the IGT has quickly become a hit with families, hobbyists, and even Airbnb hosts looking to add a unique attraction for guests.offering a library of over 50 titles included out of the box with more available for download or via subscription. In total, there are over 170 games. By eliminating common pain points of traditional board games like all the storage space, lost pieces, setup time, and more, the IGT creates a streamlined way to enjoy classics. Features like automatic dice rolls and built-in rule enforcement are big helps. I’ve been trying out the larger table-sized 32-inch model, which comes with a glass top, metal legs, and drink coasters built into the corners. A clever touch-screen rotation system realigns the display to whichever side of the table is active, making multiplayer sessions more natural. Setup is fast too: plug in, connect to Wi-Fi, register, and the system is ready within minutes. TaskRabbit not necessary. There’s a smaller lap-sized variant as well., which of course require players not being able to see each other’s board, require workarounds like paper blockers, which can get a little awkward. The overly glossy surface also collects fingerprints quickly.To reflect on the company’s trajectory, its place in the broader retro revival, and how it balances the tactile charm of the past with the digital expectations of today, I took the time to chat with chief marketing officer of Arcade1Up, Justin Low, in an email interview. Arcade1Up was founded with a straightforward goal: “to bring the magic of the arcade into the home, making it a shareable experience for all ages and skill levels, while preserving as much authenticity as possible,” Low said. That clarity of vision has helped Arcade1Up stay focused even as it has scaled. What began as a niche experiment with three-quarter-scale arcade cabinets featuring classics like quickly evolved into a recognizable brand that retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, Costco, and Amazon now stock nationwide. By year’s end, the company expects to approach 4 million units sold globally. For a physical hardware business in an era where most publishers are chasing digital-only growth, that’s an impressive achievement. Arcade1Up has benefited from the broader “retro revival” happening across entertainment. Vinyl records have seen double-digit growth, VHS tapes and DVDs are being collected again, and older video games are being remade and remastered at record pace. The demand for physical experiences is clear and Arcade1Up has positioned itself at the intersection of nostalgia and accessibility. “People crave experiences that reconnect them to simpler times and nostalgic feelings,” Low explained. “Nostalgia in gaming isn’t just lived once, it’s shared across generations. In a world obsessed with the newest tech, there’s still nothing like gripping a joystick and standing before the glow of an arcade marquee.” That intergenerational appeal is a big part of Arcade1Up’s success. Parents who grew up with coin-ops are now buying cabinets to relive the experience and. Meanwhile, younger audiences are discovering arcade classics for the first time in a tactile way that feels novel compared to playing them on a phone or emulator., for example, as he’s played the games across every system I own, but he’d never played or heard ofuntil I had the Arcade1Up setup. We had a great time taking turns delivering paper and “accidentally” breaking windows around the neighborhood.The trick, for Arcade1Up as a company, has been knowing when to modernize. Today’s players expect features like online leaderboards, Wi-Fi connectivity, and multiplayer options. But Arcade1Up has always prioritized authenticity first, and innovation second. “In everything we do, striving for authenticity comes first,” Low said. “However, we also ensure that we listen to the needs of today’s players. Carefully introducing innovations like online play and connected features makes our products more accessible while staying true to the roots.” That balancing act extends to Arcade1Up’s broader brand strategy. While cabinets remain the flagship product, the company has steadily diversified into tactile-first experiences such as claw machines,, and the aforementioned IGT. Each extension keeps physicality and shared play at the core while expanding the company’s reach beyond arcade purists. The video game industry is notoriously difficult for hardware startups, and the challenge is compounded in an era where streaming, cloud gaming, and digital storefronts dominate the headlines. But Arcade1Up has succeeded by leaning into its physical identity rather than running from it. “Every challenge creates opportunity, and in today’s digital-first world we’ve turned that challenge into a way to stand apart,” Low said. “As a tactile-first company, we create experiences that pull fans out of digital isolation and into hands-on play.” It’s a positioning that makes Arcade1Up unique among gaming companies: less direct competition with console makers, more synergy with toy, collectible, and lifestyle brands. That hybrid identity has helped Arcade1Up carve a defensible niche. “The IGT has exceeded expectations, earning praise from families, board game enthusiasts, and the general population alike,” Low said. Far from being a side project, the Infinity line has become “a cornerstone” of Arcade1Up’s portfolio, with the company committed to expanding it in parallel with arcade cabinets. From a strategic perspective, this diversification ensures Arcade1Up isn’t just reliant on nostalgia-driven arcade sales. Instead, the Infinity line positions the company as a broader player in at-home social gaming. Or, as one spokesperson put it to me, creating the “full game room experience” rather than “just one isolated product alone.” Arcade1Up is more than just a novelty brand. It represents a proof point for nostalgia as a long-term business strategy, not just a trend. By blending licensed IP, approachable form factors, and a balance of old and new features, the company has created a new product category that competes as much with collectibles and board games as it does with consoles and PCs. As the company heads into its eighth year, the bigger question is what comes next. Can Arcade1Up continue scaling without over-saturating the market? Will the Infinity line eventually outgrow cabinets as the brand’s core? And how will the company continue adapting as younger generations raised onFor now, Arcade1Up has achieved something rare in gaming: taking a niche idea and turning it into a mass-market business. Several million units later, it’s hard to argue with the results.
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