5 Of The Greatest Gaming Venues in Bristol

There are also a staggering 3.2 billion gamers across the globe, a figure that is also rising. 

Bristol has its own thriving gaming scene, one that even puts on the world’s biggest charity event linked to gaming. There is also an ever-growing list of venues where people can meet up with fellow gamers and put their skills to the test. These are also steadily gaining in popularity so we can expect to see many more opening up in the near future. But, until they do, here are five of the very best of them. 

Belong 

Head on down to 23-25 Merchant Street and you’ll find the Bristol city centre gaming arena – one of many Belong venues that run all over the UK. There are a total of 36 seats available, bookable in advance. At each one, there’s a high-spec PC, plus Xbox and PlayStation consoles along with a wide array of games to play. It costs just £5 an hour to play if you’re only an occasional visitor. But more and more people are taking out the membership option that allows unlimited play for just £15 per month. It’s also a great place to hold a party with special rates available for larger bookings. 

Active Reality 

It’s fair to say that virtual reality gaming has really taken off in the last couple of years – and a great place to experience it is at Active Reality. There are two centres in Bristol, one at Absolutely Karting at Clay Lane with the second in the Parish Wharf Leisure Centre. The games, for a maximum of six players at a time, take place in a 9m x 6m arena. These include Death Squad Survival, Kitchen Panic and Cyber Clash. They even offer Happy Hour 30-minute taster sessions at a special reduced rate on Friday evenings. The headsets that they use are lightweight and top of the range to enhance the VR experience – and there are many more games set to be added to the repertoire currently available. 

Rainbow 

If you have a taste for the kind of gaming that can even win you cash, head for Rainbow Casino in Millennium Square. Entry is open to anyone over 18 with no membership needed. All of the classic games are available and it’s open for all-day gaming. The dress code is smart casual – and you may need to produce ID for entry. The venue, however, is facing increasingly strong competition from online rivals. For those wishing to go online instead of having to dress up and travel, there’s a huge number of online providers available. Because of this, it’s a good idea to visit a site which makes comparisons of online casinos to ensure you’re visiting a trusted provider, these comparison sites also show where the best welcome bonuses are as well as places where you can play for relatively low stakes. Best of all, you have access to a wide range of games without even having to leave home. 

Four Quarters 

If retro gaming’s your thing, then you could be heading back in time at Four Quarters in Park Street. Downstairs it’s a bar but upstairs there’s a whole array of arcade-style and console games where you can play to your heart’s content. There are more than 20 different titles that change frequently and you can expect to find games like Asteroids, Pacman and, of course, Space Invaders. It’s open from 4pm to midnight from Wednesday to Sunday. If you’re feeling extra competitive then there are also regular tournaments with great prizes to be won and it’s also a big favourite for birthday parties with a difference. The downstairs bar is also a great place to hang out after your session as you re-live those high scores and other great achievements 

Playback 

Another must for retro gaming fans is Playback, located in the ground floor of The Galleries shopping centre. It’s a real passion project that’s run by dedicated gamers Mark and Nick. Here they have over 40 arcade games along with 15 consoles where you can play even more retro titles. There are too many to list here but, to name but a few, there are Mario Kart GP, House of the Dead and Crazy Taxi. For anyone looking for even more traditional games, there are three pinball machines plus over 100 board games from Risk to Cluedo and Monopoly to Ticket to Ride. Just one entry fee of £11 lets you play all day, and that’s what we call seriously good value! 

So next time you feel the need for speed or to destroy a few aliens, you know where to go. And if it’s going to be your first-ever experience of virtual reality, prepare to be amazed!