Inside NQ64 Leeds – Yorkshire’s Newest Retro Gaming Bar

Ah, the gaming arcade, one of the most exciting features of the Retro Gaming world. Back in the days of The Golden Age of Gaming, the arcade was a place to meet your friends with a pocket full of quarters, try out new titles, and show off to everyone when you reached an incredibly high score, becoming the King of Donkey Kong, The Queen of Space Invaders, and the big-shot of many more amazing titles in-between

Not everyone had the chance to stand before Miss PAC-MAN and prove their worth with a crowd watching behind or feel the sweat on their brow from a tense session on Street Fighter, however. By the time I was a teenager, the arcade hall was a thing of the past – there were some arcade machines at the local bowling alley, but nothing that recreated the same feelings I’d heard and read so much about, the feelings my parents had spoken about while I was at home playing the Super Nintendo and N64 from the sofa.

Fast-forward 20 years, and the arcade is back in full swing thanks to companies like NQ64 and its founders Matt Robson and Andy Haygarth. They’re recreating the thrills of the arcade in retro gaming bars up and down the country, with their latest venue opening up in the nearest city to where I grew up – Leeds. I took a trip back to my old stomping ground to check out the new venue on its opening night to see what it had to offer for Retro Gaming nerds like me, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

NQ64 Leeds – A Retro Gamer’s Paradise

Leeds is home to some amazing bars and places to hang out with friends, and if you head to Merrion Street, you’ll find an incredible den brimming with nostalgia and as much retro gaming as you can handle. I was impressed as soon as I entered through the door of NQ64 Leeds and stepped down into the heart of the bar; the neon colour scheme, the nostalgic music, the sights and sounds of the arcade glaring back at me from the dimly lit room, the sounds of people leaving their cares at the front door and gaming together just like the good old days and not thousands of miles away over the internet. It’s an impressive venue, the ultimate party venue in fact, if you’re a nerd like me at any rate.

Spread out over two floors and with multiple rooms to explore, NQ64 Leeds is choc-a-bloc with retro gaming goodness. From the Wall Boy created by Shaun Campbell of Did Somebody Say Retro to pinball machines, arcade classics, and fan favourites like Guitar Hero, it’s a place of unbridled fun where players can compete for glory or just kick back and enjoy a few rounds on their favourite games

Before I get onto the arcades themselves, I want to touch on the artwork in this place. Everywhere you look there’s something to stare and gawk at; it’s a feast for the eyes, and the neon colour schemes brought up feelings of Splatoon vs Tron with a dash of Vice City, which is a cocktail I bet none of you thought you’d be thinking about too. Speaking of which, NQ64 do some stellar cocktails too, but I’ll talk about those in a second.

The toilets for the Leeds venue are on the third floor, but instead of making you feel like you’ve come out of the action to visit the loo, the venue incorporated amazing artwork all the way up the staircase, keeping you immersed in their vibrant, 80s-themed world with Terminator-esque skeletons and scenes that could have dropped straight from the days of Mötley Crüe and Twisted Sister. They also have accessible toilets on the ground floor, and for the staff’s part on the night, all the toilets were clean and tidy too – it’s the small things that count the most.

I think it was a wise-bald man who once said ‘The staff maketh the gaming bar’. That man was me, and it’s 100% true. The staff we spoke to were all happy and excited to be there for the opening night, and they were very attentive too, keeping the place tidy, accommodating all the drinks options on the menu like removing CBD for Ginger Beer in one of the non-alcoholic cocktails, and helping out people who had lost tokens in the arcade machines. At one point the Mario Kart unit required a service, but it was only down for about 15 minutes which made everyone extremely happy. To me, it felt like everyone working there was into the retro gaming scene themselves and just wanted the customers to have the best possible time, which in turn made for a comfortable and enjoyable environment.

A Pocket Full Of Possibilities

NQ64 prides itself on variety and offers different ways of experiencing the retro games of the past. As soon as I came down the stairs and turned right, I spotted a row of consoles offering multiple games that you and I will know all too well. There’s something exhilarating about hearing 90s R&B while seeing two people challenging each other on WWF Smackdown, and then two more people just next to them going head-to-head on Mario Kart Double-Dash. Add Golden Axe on the Sega Mega Drive into the mix, and it’s a party that everyone wants to be at!

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The arcade machines spread around the venue require tokens to work. It’s £8.50 for 15 tokens, which is around 56p a token, with different machines requiring different numbers of tokens to play. Some games like House of the Dead 2 required 2 tokens per person, whereas Ms PAC-MAN only required one. I think in all honesty that it was pretty fairly priced, and as the consoles are all free to play, you can split your time between the different gaming mediums and not actually spend too much money.

I mentioned above that the Leeds venue feels like a full-on party venue, and that was certainly mirrored by the atmosphere inside. When not hunched over machines or pulling shapes on dance mats, people were dancing and chatting around the bar or sat catching up in the many booths set around the various rooms. As it is a bar, it’s safe to say that the party atmosphere was enhanced greatly by the inclusion of gaming-themed cocktails such as the Power Star Martini, the Dr. Ro-Bev-Nik, the NQ64 Golden-iced Latte, and many more. I’m not a drinker, so I checked out the non-alcoholic Crash Bandicoot-themed ‘No Aku-Aku’ which was incredibly tasty, but my pal Josh said the Dr. Ro-Bev-Nik was ‘a taste sensation’.

Price-wise, the cocktails are what you would expect for any bar in a city, coming in at around £8-12. There are a variety of soft drinks and beers too if you’re gaming on a budget, with snacks available if you’re planning on hunkering down in front of Donkey Kong to try and beat the high score in an all-day session. And as they serve alcohol, the age of entry is strictly 18+. There’s no tracksuits or joggers allowed either – retro gamers are classy, don’t you know!

Now, I’m going to sound incredibly old here for a 34-year-old man, but I felt at times that the music was too loud. Josh and I both left with hoarse voices for trying to make ourselves heard and our deep Northern accents definitely cracked a few times during the night. While the NQ64 Leeds website says that they like to play ‘really good loud music’, which they certainly did, I felt it was hard to properly chat about the games we were playing without shouting. Party atmosphere, yes, but not a place where you could have a propper catch-up or nerd out about levels super easily.

I just want to touch on accessibility too. The venue has accessible toilets and is accessible for wheelchair users in most areas, which is important to us as gaming should be inclusive for everyone. There are plenty of options to play arcade machines and consoles on the ground floor of the venue and the walkways are wide enough to pass through easily when approaching the bar. Because of the design of the building, however, the upper floor with Time Crisis, Terminator, Tekken 3 and two pinball machines will be inaccessible, so it’s worth noting this before arriving.

High Scores & Competetive Carnage

I know I always promote how relaxing and cathartic gaming can be if you’re feeling stressed or run down, but there’s nothing like competing against your mates and crushing them into the ground to make you feel better too – it boosts your self-esteem if nothing else! Me and my pal Josh took to the arcades in full competitive fashion, trying to outdo each other’s high scores on Crazy Taxi and Popeye, as well as competing against each other on OutRun which, if you’ve never had the chance to play in arcade mode, is immense fun. It was the first time I had played Crazy Taxi on an arcade machine too, and while the steering wheels on OutRun had more resistance and provided a much more realistic driving experience, it was still fun to put the pedal to the metal and pick up fares in the iconic yellow taxi.

If you want a break from arcade games and consoles (which admittedly is the USP of this place), you can head over to try your hand at pinball machines or the classic fairground Basketball hoops, racing against the clock to dunk as many balls as possible. I destroyed Josh on Street Fighter, but my measly 40 points to 95 on the hoops sent me crashing right back down to earth.

Still, you don’t have to go head-to-head with a friend; there are plenty of solo-player arcades to test your personal bests on throughout the venue. I’ve got to admit that I’ve never seen Popeye in an arcade bar before and it was hard as nails, with Bluto punching me from every direction and Olive Oyl telling me off for dropping hearts. It’s not one for the faint of heart; I had an easier time with House of the Dead 2!

Final Thoughts

It’s not just the paint job and murals in NQ64 that are out of this world; I had a blast walking around this venue and a blast from the past when playing some of my favourite games in such an awesome setting. Don’t get me wrong, I love playing retro games at home, but you can’t beat the real deal when it comes to arcade versions of Time Crisis 2 or Mortal Kombat 2, standing next to your mate and fighting to the bitter end to see who comes out victorious.

That being said, there are a few things that we discussed on the journey back to the train station which we’d change if we had the chance. Firstly, it was loud, and I mean really loud. I’ve been to Bring Me The Horizon gigs and come back with ears that rang a heck of a lot less. I know I live in a world where retro rules, but I’m definitely not old-fashioned – I just wish it had been easier to chat while playing the games.

I also think a lot of people have been conscious about cleanliness since Covid 19, and while I’m sure the arcades and controllers get wiped down before opening, it might be nice to reassure people with some hand sanitiser stations before they leave to chomp down on a McDonald’s burger like Ms. PAC-MAN chomping down on some fruit.

Still, all in all, I loved my time at NQ64. Compared to the Manchester venue, Leeds feels bigger, more vibrant, and with much more going on. It feels less cramped even when full and is an exciting place to spend an evening with friends. The games on offer were amazing, and I urge you to go and check it out if you live near or are travelling to Leeds – bring your A-game though, Popeye takes no prisoners!