Arcade1Up makes licensed home arcade cabinets at roughly three-quarter scale, plus countertop units, pinball machines and game tables. The games are classic arcade titles from Pac-Man, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam and the like, running on built-in emulation. An Arcade1Up cabinet is a big, heavy, flat-packed piece of furniture, and that is the part most buyers underestimate.
The cabinet formats
The standard Arcade1Up cabinet is the upright unit most people picture. It is shorter than a real arcade machine, which is why the riser matters, covered below.
Deluxe cabinets are taller and wider, with a bigger screen and a riser built into the design. They cost more but stand at a comfortable adult height out of the box and look closer to the original machine.
Countercade units sit on a table or bar and use the same games in a compact box. Partycade models hang on a wall or sit on a table and fold for storage.
Arcade1Up also makes pinball machines with a screen playfield rather than a real ball, and the Infinity Game Table, a touchscreen board-game table. These are different products with different limits, so read the listing rather than assuming they behave like the cabinets.
Do you need the riser
A standard Arcade1Up cabinet stands around chest height on an adult, which puts the controls low for standing play. The riser is a matching box that adds roughly a foot of height and makes it feel like an arcade machine.
Some Arcade1Up bundles include the riser; some sell it separately; Deluxe cabinets do not need one. Check the listing for the word riser before assuming it is in the box.
If the cabinet is for children, or you plan to play seated on a stool, skip the riser. Adults playing standing want it.
Which games are inside
Each Arcade1Up cabinet holds a fixed set of games listed on its product page. You cannot add games later, so the list is the product. Count the titles you will actually play, not the total.
Some Arcade1Up cabinets include a few sequels or variants alongside the headline game; others carry a dozen titles from one publisher. The artwork on the cabinet is the marquee game, not the whole list.
Control layout follows the games: a fighting-game cabinet has six buttons per player; a Pac-Man cabinet has a joystick and little else. Check the control panel photo if you want a cabinet that suits more than its named games.
Online play and Wi-Fi
Newer Arcade1Up cabinets, particularly the NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat and some fighting-game models, offer online multiplayer over Wi-Fi with a leaderboard and an app. Older and cheaper cabinets are offline only.
If online play is the reason you are buying, confirm the specific Arcade1Up model supports it before checkout. Two cabinets for the same game can differ, with the newer edition adding Wi-Fi.
Head-to-head models put two screens back to back for two players facing each other. They are larger and heavier than a standard upright.
Assembly and space
An Arcade1Up cabinet arrives flat-packed. Assembly is screwdriver work over an hour or two, and the side panels are heavy enough that a second person helps.
Measure the floor space and, for a Deluxe or a cabinet plus riser, the ceiling height. Check the doorway width for the largest panel, which ships in one piece.
The panels are printed particle board with a laminate, not metal. Edges chip if dropped and the printed art scratches, so assemble on carpet or cardboard.
Freight delivery and damage
Larger Arcade1Up products ship by freight or as oversized parcels. Delivery can take longer than a normal order, and drivers usually leave the box at the door rather than carrying it in.
Open the box and check every panel on the day it arrives. Shipping damage to a corner or a screen is far easier to claim within a day or two than a week later, and the box is required for any return.
Arcade1Up returns on opened, assembled cabinets are difficult in practice because of the size and weight. Check the current return policy, and treat an Arcade1Up cabinet as a buy-once purchase.
Where the Arcade1Up savings are
On a full-size Arcade1Up cabinet the maths is simple: 20% beats $100 on anything over $500, and most Deluxe cabinets are. On a cheaper Countercade or a riser, the flat $100 code, if it applies, is worth more than either percentage.
Dollar-off Arcade1Up codes often carry a minimum order or a product restriction. Try the percentage code if the dollar code is refused before assuming the cabinet is excluded.
Some Arcade1Up codes are tied to one cabinet, such as a Mortal Kombat or NBA Jam promotion. They can be worth more than the general codes on that one product, so check the product page for its own offer first.
Arcade1Up discounts its older cabinets heavily when new editions launch, and its Black Friday pricing is usually the low point. A code on top of a seasonal price is the best combination.
Common questions
Is the Arcade1Up riser included?
Sometimes. Deluxe cabinets have it built in; standard cabinets may or may not bundle it. Read the listing.
Can I add games to an Arcade1Up cabinet?
No. The game list on the product page is fixed.
Does Arcade1Up support online multiplayer?
Only on specific Wi-Fi-enabled models. Check the product page for the online play note.
How hard is Arcade1Up assembly?
An hour or two with a screwdriver and a second pair of hands for the heavy side panels.
| Discount | Type | Get the deal |
|---|---|---|
| 10% off | Promo code | View at Arcade1Up → |
| $25 off | Promo code | View at Arcade1Up → |
| 20% off | Promo code | View at Arcade1Up → |
| 10% off | Promo code | View at Arcade1Up → |
