Gameworks
5000 S Arizona Mills Cir,Ste 669, Tempe, AZ, 85282
Gameworks Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Tempe for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
5000 S Arizona Mills Cir,Ste 669
Tempe, AZ, 85282 - Phone (480) 839-4263
- Website https://www.gameworks.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 11
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : No
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Divey
Noise Level : Very Loud
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
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J R.
First.. Seems like a fun place to hang out.. they have a pool table, bar, and restaurant upstairs. Downstairs is lots of games, which i didnt play. I am getting really upset with these big restaurants that think its ok to sell frozen food! Un believable. The food was not seasoned. Literally no seasoning. Not great food.. I didn't even take the leftovers for the dog. The three stars are for the atmosphere and games :)
(3)Marty F.
What happened to this place? I remember coming her when it opened many years ago and even as an adult the place was jaw dropping. Remember that game that took you up a few stories into the air? I remember GameWorks having the top of the line of any video game out there. On the bottom floor, you could play anything that was new to the industry and on the second floor, you could play the vintage games like Frogger and Pacman. I get that the arcade industry has changed, but I guess I had no idea how much.. I was just here last night while waiting to see a movie and when I walked in, it felt as if I stepped into Peter Piper Pizza. Tons of skiball, basketball, dance dance revolution, karaoke, guitar hero.. They had some of the old games there, but it just looked like GameWorks jumped the shark and was trying to now be a place where you could play console games. I just wasn't impressed... Also the food there isnt the greatest.
(2)Renee W.
Went there for $10 game night on a thursday .... Walked by so many time and this was my first time actually played in there.... for $10, all you can play , well, only limited to machine that do not give out ticket .... Overall decent deal but then many of the machines are out of order .... :-( And of what was not broken, 50% of them are racing game, 30% are shooting game and couple of dancing game which you can barely hear the music give it's so loud everywhere .... The most fun is probably the karaoke box and the roller coaster ride simulator .... those 2 were fun, but if you were planning to do that, come on a thursday, otherwise it gets expensive. For $10, it worth it though Would be a better experience, if not so many machine were out of order
(3)Chelsey H.
Now if this review was written over 5 years ago this place was amazing and would have gotten 5 stars. Fast forward to today, it's kind of dissapointing. They have a small selection of Japanese games such as ddr, pop n music, guitar hero etc. The problem is they got rid of a lot of them and my favorite purikura machine. Not to mention most of these are broken from having no regular maintenance. There have plenty of games that you could find anywhere and they have good deals on thursday. I gave this 3 stars because I still have fun when I go here but I could be so much better.
(3)Nathan P.
Fun place to go on Thursdays when you can get the unlimited game card from I believe 6-10. Plus it's 18+ after 6pm so it's a really fun place to go, grab some drinks at the upstairs bar and play video arcade games drunk. Amazing what that little bit of alcohol does to your innerchild. Overall a fun place to go if you're looking for something cheap and a good time. Not quite as good as Dave and Busters but fun anyway.
(4)Perry M.
GameWorks should aptly be renamed to NothingWorks or possibly BrokeWorks. These names would be more fitting. So thru my work I got an opportunity to purchase almost $200 in game certificates like 1 hour free plays and 20% off your bill for like $24, so I hadn't been here in almost 15 years, I went a few times when I first moved to Arizona back in 2000 and lived in Tempe, then eventually when I realized that Arizona Mills is like the slums, I stopped going, back then Game Works was actually a cool spot to hang and play the latest games...not so much anymore. No joke I want to say that 1 out of every 3 games there is either broke or does not work correctly, the staff is a laughable bunch of kids that are not much older then most of the brats that are running around this place, and you would be lucky to find one staff member if you were on fire and you need to know were a fire extinguisher was. All the trash was over flowing out of the garbage's. And the place is disgusting, nothing is cleaned they should pass out sanitizer with the game cards. I found half eaten food inside some of the games. It smelled bad, and everything is sticky. I can imagine if you have kids and bring them here they would all get sick...it's because this place is the dirtiest shit hole I have ever been in. I have seen nightclubs after they turned the lights up on a Friday night that are cleaner then this place...puke included. And don't get me started on the Men's room. The smell alone is enough to gag a maggot. I will be throwing out the rest of my coupons, or giving them away to people I dislike. This place should be called Joke Works. The jokes on you if you go here. AVOID.
(1)Mike C.
I mean, in theory, this place SHOULD be excellent. However, once you walk in you'll soon realize that the fun and enjoyment left this place a long time ago. Came in here last Saturday night with a friend and we were looking to play some games and have some fun. Both her and I agreed that this place was very antiquated, dirty, overstaffed and underserved. We walked upstairs to get a drink and had multiple staff members walk past us without acknowledging us even after making eye contact...while we were standing by the empty counter. Not cool. Took us a few minutes of standing there before we were finally served. I made the mistake of going into the bathroom...and it was absolutely disgusting. I'll spare you the gory details, but trust and believe I would NEVER let my kids go into their facilities. As for the games that are available to play... Very old and uninteresting. We had a pocket full of money and honestly didn't play a single game because there was hardly anything worthwhile. There are other places, which will go unnamed, which provide the exact same services as GameWorks...I won't be coming back.
(2)Stephanie L.
Absolutely f-ing terrible! We brought our daughter here on 5-13 to have a great night. We walked in and it looked great, Until we bought our game cards. After that it was all downhill. All of the working games are overpriced, the other half are all broken. Even the ones that WERE working, were either missing pieces or had gang names carved into the screens... The seats to sit on were either cut open or falling off. I needed assistance with a game so I asked the shaggy haired fellow from the prize room to help me. He couldn't care any less and was absolutely no help. If you are looking to have a good time with your family or friends just take all the money that you would have literally wasted in there, go out behind the dumpsters and wait to be robbed at gun point. The experience will be more entertaining and surely your hard earned money Will be better spent that way rather than on that smelly run-down dump they call "gameworks" Conclusion: Gameworks sucks. -5 stars! You couldn't pay me to go back!
(1)Richard B.
This place looked like it would be amazing, and there was definitely fun to be had. However, so many of the games weren't working right that it took the fun out of the day. If I were a little kid and I had saved up just to play a game where you can't aim the gun right, or get your tickets, or strum the guitar, it would be heartbreaking! I was standing in a section full of games either turned off or broken, on a Saturday in the summer in Arizona, when I realized that this place is likely literally dying. Half full, no one really happy, faces full of disappointment, and they are grasping at straws with the groupons and free offers (and they didn't make me want to come back, so it was all for naught). In a past life, I would talk to small businesses about their reviews, and they would always be insistent that the bad reviews weren't their fault and weren't real. Well, in this case a quarter of your games were off, another quarter were not working properly (yet taking money), and that isn't anyone else's fault but management.
(1)sally l.
It's an OK place to go. Last time we went, one of the machines was broken and when we swiped our card (twice), it took the credits but wouldn't let us play. So we asked for a refund on our lost credits. They said they had to have a manger do it. It took 20 minutes for the manager to get to us. He stopped and chatted with people on the way. When he did arrive, he did not even acknowledge us or apologize. He just looked like a big jerk. Plus we had our 2 year old with us and she wanted to play not wait for 20 minutes for something that wasn't even our fault. It can be a fun place but the employees are stupid and don't give a crap.
(1)Mel E.
first time here and it was OK. the place smelled real bad, like urine, especially the elevator. service was okay, we had to call the guy over a few times. they didn't even check on us. wings were good, bbq chicken pizza was good except for the fact that it was over powered by a whole bunch of garlic cloves. ugh, i love garlic cloves but man, there was too much on there. the cool thing though is that they have that asian photobooth thing and a karaoke booth!
(2)D N.
I give it two stars only because the food service was excellent by our server Ryan D (46). The rest is a hot mess. How is this place still open? You enter and head to the "ticket" area or at least you think you are because as a customer you have no idea how to start playing games? We get to the middle of the place to a long line and look above and decide to order the family four pack special as it's Sunday. $40 for a large pizza and four one hour passes. Well needless to say after 7minutes in line we are told that we have to go upstairs and order that from our server? What? Seriously. Could there not be a sign? Could one not pay for the $40 and go pick up a pizza upstairs with a ticket? One can always order drinks and appetizers with the server if they are worried about not getting their servers work?? Anyway then we hear a technical speech regarding the cards because you can't play games that dispense tickets.....seriously? Which games are those? Are they tagged? In a certain area? Are you kidding me? The "host" notices the discontent and he looks spazzed out! Do you work here dude or are you a disney animatronic? How about up-sell and offer to sell me another card that works on the ticket games.... Not that I would really want to but bringing in a couple of 8 year olds ....they kind of like those tickets?!!! Still confused about the way crap works in here and to no avail we buy a regular pass from the animatronic and my Husband goes off to let the kids play while i go order food. Nope. They don't give you your passes until you close out ( are you freaking kidding me) or at least I am too agitated to ask our sweet server because so far my attitude of this place has gone downhill fast. Wondering why we didn't just go to Dave and busters? So upstairs... All the old games are gone that once used to be on the wall, (the racing games and the old school games) and downstairs my husband is running into games that are out of order or don't take the card!! Lol No good place of business should be this darn complicated. It's ridiculous. Who are the people running this establishment? Honestly... Even my 8 year old said , they should have videos up of people playing video games ( would help since they don't have any of the major ones) and this place could be cooler. Don't know but won't be a bit surprised when this place closes for good. Won't come here again. Save your money. Stick to Dave and busters at Tempe marketplace or order Gametruck to come to your house for a video game party experience. Grrrrrrrrr
(2)Heidi C.
Just got back from Gameworks and was disgusted by the lack of service, rude waiting staff complaining that they were busy .. Even with an empty bar and only one other table than me and my boyfriend sat at the bar. We decided to come here for a beer before going to see a movie. Since my boyfriend didn't eat dinner and I was peckish we decided to get the sampler.. Now at $18 dollars I was expecting a very hefty amount of food for us to share... I was so wrong ! For 18 dollars we received 3 mozzarella sticks 2 potato skins 3 tiny wings and 5 stale tortilla chips and it was so bad , the waitress gave us beer in plastic glasses because she had no clean talk ones (in an empty bar?) but still charged us for a tall. Our bill came to over 40 dollars !!!! and I had one beer and a couple of stale tortilla chips, we had to go eat dinner afterwards instead of watching a movie... Appalling and will not return.
(1)Dawn S.
Went there on Sat 5/13 with 4 kids and 2 adults from 5pm-6pm. Paid $52 for two new cards for $22 with 125 points on them each.We opted for these kind of cards so the kids could play the ticket redemption games. We had 2 kids share a card and it took them about an hour to go through it. We redeemed our tickets and went into the BARE prize area. A lot of bins were empty and everything seemed to be overpriced (compared to Dave and Busters). One of the prize bins CLEARLY had marked 10 tickets for a single piece of candy. So my kids loaded up on these because they could get a bunch of them. When we got to the counter to check out the clerk (whom was very rude) starts arguing with us that the candies are 20 tickets each not 10. We show him the sign on the huge bin of candies and he rips it off and said, "That's wrong, it's 20 tickets." He was extremely rude and unforgiving and this attitude alone will make me NEVER go here again. Pros: -Inside AZ Mill Mall Cons: -Extremely rude workers - where I purchased our game cards and the ticket redemption area -Lots of the games were broken -Games that had seats, the seats were extremely torn and worn out -Women's bathroom was disgusting, not sure if they check it regularly -Expensive ticket redemption prizes My conclusion: I will never take my family here again.
(1)Steve C.
It's really disappointing that I went out of my way on my vacation to visit this arcade only to find that the majority of the games (other than the ticket games) are unplayable or outright broken. I only played anything because I happened to have a gameworks card with credits already on them. I walked away in the middle of several games, as it was too frustrating to try to work with unresponsive and/or vandalized games.
(1)Jon K.
FIX YOUR EQUIPMENT!! Its bad enough you over charge for games, but for it to not work and then wait in line for a credit.... UGH!
(1)Vanessa G.
We had to kill time before watching a movie, so we came here to the bar to eat some food and get some drinks. The bartender was great, great customer service. The egg roll Mexican appetizer we ordered was really good, but the sauce it came with.. BACK AWAY. it was hard to swallow, to sweet to even try to describe. As for the main dish we got a chili burger... worst decision ever. It sounded amazing, it was bad. Just bad. The chile was more like a can of beans that was poured over the burger, that was a little more done than medium well, and no extra zing taste, nothing. Not enjoyable at all.
(2)Ramon O.
We went in for the first time. For family time. Ordered food(pizza) it was not great to be honest it tasted like microwave food. It was a bit pricie but the games where so much fun! We will come back for the games not food.
(3)Stephanie M.
My boyfriend and I visited Gameworks for the eat and play combo. To say the least; we were not impressed. The customer service was so-so. The restaurant was mostly empty when we walked in but our waitress still gave the impression that our simple order was difficult and was less than friendly throughout the meal. The food was the only saving grace and even that left something to be desired. After finishing the meal we walked down to the games only to find the majority of games the eat and play combo allowed were out of order. (The one or two hour pass can not be used to play games that give tickets or prizes) I would recommend paying a bit more and going to Dave and Buster's if your in the mood for this type of establishment.
(2)Mon-Cheri H.
Chicken strips were quite juicy with a nice crunchy coat, the wings had a little too much sauce, fries were cooked but would have liked them cooked longer so they weren't so flimsy, mozzarella sticks were perfect, and the potato skins were a bit too salty.
(3)Jeffrey C.
Overall this was quite a disappointing experience. I first came here with a friend of mine who grew up in Arizona and he used to frequent this place. Although we didn't play any of the arcade games downstairs we went upstairs to the bar area where there are pool tables available. On a more recent visit I decided to take advantage of the remaining credit on my game card and there were only a few arcade games that I was interested in. It seems like Dave & Busters have a much better selection and after my recent visit I would rather head there instead.
(2)Leslie O.
If you like to pay for old & heavily used arcade games, then this is your place. The ticket and card buying system is a little bit complicated. I just wouldn't spend money here again. Some game were fun but not worth it.
(2)Tyler H.
More like Games Don't Work. Almost every game we played had an issue or the machine was completely out of service, was like an arcade in an apocalyptic world. Only plus was they serve beer, and even those aren't even cheap.
(1)Holly C.
They have a plethora of games, including a lot of old school arcade games! It looks a little run down, but it was fun to go there and be a kid again.
(4)Jessica K.
We had some time to kill after a movie, so we stopped in after seeing a sign for free game play with a movie ticket. They offer 30 minutes of free gaming, all you have to do is show your ticket stub from Harkins - score! We were able to get our fill in that 30 minutes, so I'm not sure how they are making $ on this deal, but we look forward to doing this again. I was kind of confused as to where you would order food. The place isn't laid out well and it seems as if they are short staffed. Would be a great place for a kids party.
(4)Jen L.
I was a kid when Gameworks first opened at Arizona Mills and it was a magical place. There were some really great interactive games that blew my mind: A game where you're strapped in a seat and you can rise up to the second story of the building as you try to pop other people's hot air balloons, a motion-detecting combat game, a huge bank of race cars for a racing game. It's no longer magical. It's best not to know these games used to exist, because Gameworks is now just a large, average arcade with a LOT of broken games. My companion and I bought Groupons for all-day passes and ultimately it wasn't really worth it. It seemed like up to 1/3 of the games were broken and the most interactive games they had (aside from the shooting/racing games where you hold or get on something) were Rock Band-esque games and DDR. Old news. We played for a couple hours at best and then gave our passes to a parent and his kid. It seemed like they'd enjoy them more than we did. I'll choose to remember Gameworks for what it was and not what it is.
(2)Benjamin C.
The best game there was finding the machines that worked. I signed up just to make this review. I'm visiting the pheonix area from out of state. My fiance and I wanted to have a fun night out and decided to give gameworks a try. Holy mother... it was a tragic joke. LITERALLY 50% of the machines were out of order or turned off. The other half were, of the majority, malfunctioning or not accepting card swipes. We spent 50 bucks to charge the card (plus a "fee" or "tax" or something). It was a task to find machines that worked to spend the full amount. We ended up giving our card, still charged with hundreds of credits, away to a child before we left. We'll never be back and we'll tell everyone that visits the area about our rediculous experience. Management, get your shit together.
(1)Nicole B.
After dinner with friends Saturday night, we decided we wanted to see a movie but had time to kill. Thus we decided to hang out at Gameworks. This was my first experience at Gameworks. For the most part, I hung out in the upstairs bar while a few friends played games downstairs. (Well drinks were $5. They had a crazy cocktail menu, but no prices.) I really wanted to play air hockey, but it was broken. My husband played a shoot-em-up and then we played a round of Mario. To play games, you must purchase a game card. The card itself costs $2, then you can load whatever dollar amount you want. I didn't actually purchase the card, so I wasn't sure how many points equaled a dollar, since you use points/credits when you play a game. (Mario was one credit per player, but the claw machine was 13 credits.) Overall, there was a mix of adults and few children actually playing. Some of the machines seemed really old and like they had taken a beating. (Again, a few others were broken or in need of repair.) Overall, it was an easy way to pass the time before a movie but I wouldn't go out of my way to come here.
(3)Amy Michelle Mosier M.
I go here just for two things: the restaurant and the pool table. Their restaurant is thankfully located on the upper floor away from the madness downstairs (and the noise). Their best drink is the Choco-tini, yes chocolate with vodka. It really does work. A little expensive but if you're playing pool, you might as well. The crowd at the bar isn't trashy. They have good wings and American food. Good spinach dip. Been here lots of times. The two pool tables are almost always available. Giving this place three stars because of the games. They took away many of the old school games. They used to have a shooting game where you went up three stories if you advanced in the game. They replaced them with a lot of the mechanical claw booths, a stupid photo booth and lots of games where you aim a coin onto squares and many many Dance Revolution mats. Sounds funny but I would like to see a shooting range put in or even a game like in Vegas' Excalibur where you bet on a mechanical dog. Many many years ago, they had a Jurassic Park ride. Even that sounds better than what they got now.
(3)Thomas K.
allow me to join the chorus of "what happened to this place?"s. my first visit, about 15(!) years ago, was quickly followed by several more because the place was a lot of fun. in the intervening time, yes, i've changed a bit - but Gameworks has changed more, and not in a good way. most of the games here dispense tickets, quickly followed by a raft of mediocre racing simulators that are from a generation or two ago. a lot of the semi-unique things i might've tried are "under repair." maybe most disappointingly, there are only four real vintage games - and their CRTs are in bad shape. Gameworks is something i used to look forward to visiting when i was in this area, not so much because i think it's a great place but for the memories. well, no use now - it's a shell of its former self. best to leave what good memories remain untainted, stay that way. (note: if you're taking little kids, it might be pretty good. i wouldn't guess 5 stars for that even, though.)
(2)Santiago M.
Cool place to spend some time with the family..tried "Guitar Hero" for the first time (addicting)...nothing we played was out of order at that time...WILL COME AGAIN for sure...
(5)Luciana L.
Kind of small compared to other ones I've been to but the kiddo still had fun. Just a tip: when you insert your card in the ticket counting machine, leave it in there or else you will get an error message. The hubs and I kept pulling it out (like when you're at the gas station using your credit card) so imagine how much of an idiot we felt like when we finally figured it out. Mind you, he's the smarter one and I'm the one who figured it out. One point for me!
(3)Andrew W.
Went here for a work event and none of the games that we were told we had free access to even worked. Dave and Busters is way better and definately has a better atmosphere.
(1)Nick L.
Went here yesterday and felt let down. Years and years ago it was awesome! Then I noticed it started to transition to a budgeted arcade. I saw some games there that I saw about 5-7 years ago which is good, but unfortunately, those games are the ones the no one plays. Over the past decade, most of the games I played have disappeared and the less popular ones still exist. It has turned into a quiet (people traffic) place, with several broken games. Even some games that were not out of order had broken/defective controls. Maybe its a money thing or issue, but Gameworks, you really need to have quality control. Have your employees test run the games every so often and ask your managers to interact with your guests and get their opinions so you can bring back the glory that this place once had. Dave and Busters is kicking your butt and it doesn't appear that you care. Please please please don't let your business and this location turn to dust. It's not a bad location at all but I'm fearful that you'll have to shut down at this rate. I didn't eat here this visit, but I never had a problem with your food. I did however take advantage of your bar happy hour. The beer was a little flat, but just like the rest of your facility, improve it cosmetically and tweak a few things and your business will be stronger. Shouldn't take much to transition this rundown place to a gem.
(2)Kayla D.
I can't remember the last time I was so insulted and disrespected at a place. After telling the server there would be 2-3 more joining the 4 of us he walked to the back kicked the wall and yelled the f-word. So I asked him if it was a problem to take care of us he said no it was frustrating to take care of so many people and he was the only one there and blah blah blah. After talking to the manger who didn't seem to care we left. So much for enjoying my birthday with family and friends.
(1)Mike K.
I've been here many times and it gets worse and worse. Game works has become way overpriced and at least 25% of their games are out of order. We hit three that didn't work properly but weren't listed out of order. Complete waste of money. The second floor is now just Lounge and half closed down. Dave and busters is our favorite and I will never return here again.
(1)Stacie P.
Bought a groupon if free unlimited game play which sounded awesome. Unfortunately, most the games were out of service. And the interior definitely could use a makeover especially the bathrooms
(2)Adam R.
Dave & Busters lite! If you have a choice between Dave & Busters or here go to Dave & Busters!!! Loud and smelly!!
(1)Judy L.
I have not been here in ages. The games are way cooler and fun but the crowd is little teens. I remembered this place for adults? The kids are everywhere. Running, rude, jumps in line in front of you, and just runs into people. WTF! Get some manners you little sh?ts!!! Then to top it off, it was freaking HOT in there. I was melting.
(3)Zachary S.
Long after man has left this planet, remnants of its glory shall remain. Much like the end scene of Planet of the Apes, man's masterpieces cannot be fully erased. Full disclosure: Gameworks was never amazing, nor was it a consummate achievement of mankind, but my god in heaven, has it fallen far from being an enjoyable diversion. Visiting Gameworks the other night after a movie, I did not even recognize the inside. In the past year, Gameworks has transitioned from a two-story video game mecca to a trashy, shotgun-style Dave and Buster's knock-off with a few old racing and carnage games sprinkled along the wings. What was once full of racing simulation games, a multi-story pirate-cum-balloon fight (or for the old folks, it used to be a shooting tower), and new-age arcade games, has become a vacuous shell with half-corroded consoles and token-munching, brainless ticket dispensers. Much of the interior has been gutted, leaving odd walking patterns and vast arrays of blank canvas. 10-15% of the arcade games were "under repair" and another 5-10% were in great need of service (Virtua Tennis now has the cinematography of a Lumiere Bros. film). The remaining games feature nothing you could not find in the lobby of a movie theatre. Instead, Gameworks' focus is on ticket-oriented games such as Deal or No Deal and some game where you jump in the air and get tickets depending on when you land in relation to an arbitrary, electronic lighting wheel. If that level of lowest common denominator banality thrills you, change this rating to 5 stars. If I'm scraping the bottle of the barrel for positivity, I can compliment their beer selection (San Tan and 4 Peaks) and pricing (5 bones a pint); however, that does not justify the large-scale Peter Piper Pizza whitewashing of Gameworks' product line. I'm giving it a courtesy star for the fond memories, but, like Lady Liberty on the beachhead, Gameworks is completely broken.
(2)Samantha I.
My advice: count the # of Out of Order games before you buy a credit card! What arcade has 3 non functioning air hockey tables?! Everywhere we turned things were out of order so we spent our $10 on Dance Dance Revolution and basketball. The music on some DDR consoles was SO loud we couldn't hear our own song when someone was playing beside us and the number of tickets received from games seemed to be totally random (as there were 3 of us playing and the winner always got less than the others - huh?) Also not a fan of the $2.50 card activation fee...whiiich we had to buy at the service desk because surprise surprise the automated machine was broken. I've never been charged tax to add money to an arcade card before either. Have fun, mall shoppers. I have no desire to visit this place again.
(1)Faith A.
The game selection is not too bad. They have a lot of rhythm games, and they're handily bunched together in a room. Overall, though, the games are quite pricey, and certain machines keep breaking down. To be fair, I've put on an extra star for the games since I do find a good amount of them enjoyable. The customer service is deplorable, though. I want to bring up a few points about the staff. These events have really soured my experience with this location. Normally when I go to Gameworks, I play a few games and everything is fine. However, on two occasions, the staff has been incredibly rude. One night, one of the staff yelled racial slurs at that group out of nowhere. We called upon his manager to get an apology, but the offender only claimed that it was an accident that he yelled out all those words. It was definitely no accident as he tailed our group to the outside of the building and shouted those words. On a second occasion, after playing a few games with our group, my sister and I sat down and took a break at one of their tables for a few minutes. One of the employees came over and said they were watching us the entire time, and that if we did not play any games, they would ask us to leave the establishment. It is odd that they have been watching us, and it is odd because we HAD been playing games, albeit not as many as the others. I will note that we are Asian and post-college, but we dress and act like any other American women, so I have no idea why we were treated this way. Despite all this, Gameworks can be a place for a fun outing depending on who is on staff at the moment. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be returning to this location again. NOTE ADDED 5/15/13: Below it seems like a representative of Gameworks offered a way to contact me in regards to my experience. In actuality, no follow up was offered. I emailed him shortly after he left that message, but I received no response in return, so my rating still stands.
(2)M W.
A joke. Took my son and literally a quarter of the games we tries to play were broken in some way. As expensive as games are today, save your money for someplace that maintains its games.
(1)Kressida M.
let's just say this place is shit. 20 for the groupon is sadly over-priced. of course you can only play non prize and non ticket games, which I understand.. but every other game which you can play is broken and if not it was very close to... I remember this place being super awesome as a kid and now it is a joke. castles n coasters can hold up against this arcade which is a very sad statement.. I was pretty bummed that I wasted the money on this and will never return. :(
(1)Amy T.
I haven't been to Gameworks in about 5-6 years. I remember the one in Michigan being a lot different. I thought it was a pity when they closed but I think I see why after my visit here. Holy expensive! I bought the deal on Groupon. I thought a little over half off was a good deal! $20 for a full day of games. (This is based on what we could play with the groupon) If I would have known that the place consisted of a high majority of extremely similar fighting games and racing games I would have probably passed. Quite a few of the games either were broken or did not work at all. The restaurant has good food. My better half was a little upset paid $9 for only 4 chicken fingers, but they were tasty nonetheless. I'm not impressed, they have nothing there that would convince me to go again.
(2)Kate H.
I feel kind of bad for giving this establishment two stars but I really feel like the place has gone downhill compared to the past. I used to like a lot of the games here; Taiko Drum Master (a drumming music game), an authentic Japanese photo booth, the UFO catcher machines you would normally see only in Japan...they're all gone now. I'm not sure if this is because Gameworks parted with Sega but a lot of the really cool things have been replaced by generic token-eating machines. My boyfriend and I are avid rhythm game fans but were seriously disappointed with how they treat their machines. Two of the Dance Dance Revolution games have broken first-player pads, which essentially makes them useless and the drum game they replaced Taiko with has a broken stick. When we gave up playing those games for a bit and went play others: a) A good number of games were out of order b) Our tokens were jammed three times in three separate machines c) Tickets were not refilled in some of the machines d) A button was broken on their prize machines (the ones you hit a button to win a prize) so we had to call the manager over to fix the situation. We had to ask an employee working to help us multiple times and it was obvious she was getting fed up. That made ME fed up because she was standing around the rest of the time talking to her coworker. The only redeeming thing during this trip was that it was happy-hour so all games were half-price. The games are overpriced anyway so it made the trip a little more bearable. I've been here multiple times in the past and normally I would come back in a heartbeat but now I'm hesitant. Gameworks really needs to step up their game and stop getting rid of everything that once made them special.
(2)Thomas M.
This place is okay, but not super. I like Dave and busters more I think. It's just too small with the same old games
(3)Myke R.
Gameworks is always a lot of fun. I'd give it five stars but I think they've gotten pretty expensive - pretty much $1 minimum per game. Some games are $2.50 or so. The cost goes down per game if you buy a big fat ticket with bonus credits. I dropped $30 on me n the 12-yr-old boy and we played for a couple hours - mostly shooting hoops. Another thing - I miss my old games. They used to have a bunch of old "quarter" games upstairs - classics like Joust, Galaga, Tempest and Burger Time. Now there are many versions of fighting games.
(4)Jeff F.
I really only come here to watch UFC and some football games. Nice crowd for the UFC fights no cover charge and they usually have happy hour specials during the fights and football games.
(4)Jochebed G.
I've fequented here often enough to know that all the majority of the games here are all those ticket games and little claw type games. I come to hang out with friends and play some games. I can in on tuesday night around 6pm and thought to have dinner there since I had a coupon for the place. I really didn't care about price at the time with the coupon. After being seated our waitress got our drinks took our order and everything was fine. After we recieved the food we were left unattended for quite some time. When the waitress finally returned I had to ask for a refill and some ketchup as well. My drink was empty so I would assume that would be something that the waitress would ask but I caught her before she left. My boyfriend did not recieve a single refill the entire night and we were there from 6pm to 9pm. We had friends meet us there and we just chatted it up for some time. It wasn't for some time that we realised that the place was bare not just of customers but of staff as well. It was as if they closed the place down and just left us. After the waitress had taken our check and cashed us out that was the last we saw of her. The plates of our food were still in front us the entire time and we had kind of placed them all together so that she could come and just take them...kind of thought that the bunch of plates stacked together would give the hint we were done but I guess I shouldn't be so subtle next time. The food was ok at best. Nothing bad nothing good in hind sight though if I had to pay full price for what I got if that waitress had left us like she did and I didn't frequent the games I would've walked out. Probably wouldn't notice. All in all go for the games if anything else. The games are even ok that is IF they are running. Sometimes I come in and games are off or not working. This is just a place that is convienent for myself and friends to meet up.
(2)Julia R.
My husband and I travel here from Tucson occasionally because they're one of very few places that has Japanese music-game consoles, including Beatmania IIDX, Pop'n Music, and Guitar Freaks/DrumMania. On a weekend afternoon, the place isn't nearly as busy as you'd expect it to be, and even though there are lots of lights and noise and little kids running amok, it's not too bad. Would be nice if they brought back the time-based passes ($X gets you 2 hours of unlimited play) since the music games are about $1/play, but still can't complain.
(4)Thomas S.
It's like Vegas here. Full of flashing lights and noises, but no real content or anything to make you stick around too long, but it looks so fun from a distance.
(2)Brian B.
PRO: Fun place to take the kids... in the middle of a massive mall, or outlet, however you want to see it. CON: Horrible customer service. You'd better go into this place, knowing what to do, and how to do it. Don't ask anyone any questions.. at all. When in doubt, walk out with your head down. EXIT.
(2)Anna M.
So I hear on Thursdays Gameworks has a $10 play-all-night and $2 shots (and other misc. drink specials) from 9 to close. gameworks.com/?tId=1&sId… Sweet! They have a DOCWE table, so I lugged my husband out and the kiddo (whose regular bedtime is midnight due to our schedules, so don't even go there). Get there at 8 and decide to pass the time by getting a bite. The waitress was sweet and lovely and made sure we were well taken care of. So 9pm rolls around. I want to order a drink to take with me to the table. Why not. I have a designated driver and kid-taker-care-of-er and its been a long week so a drink or three sounds fab. "The drink specials don't start until 10" says the bartender. "Thats not what the sign in front says." says I. Shrug. Drink specials don't start til 10. We at Gameworks like false advertisement. So I order my $10 play all night card, and will be back at 10 for my drink. Get the card, obligatory $2 card fee.. and sit down at the DOCWE table. One race and the card stops working. We go WTF to the manager, and he says some games aren't available with the card. 1. We know, your sign says redemption games and a few others. DOCWE wasn't on that. Nor is it a redemption game. 2. The waitress said it was fine, way to make her look like a jerk. So we ask for a refund. "You want a refund on a card you've already played on?" after a few sarcastic remarks from my husband, we are told our transaction had been canceled. We walked out the front door, disappointed and frazzled. We walked right past the sign that we had seen when we walked in... no mention of the DOCWE machine, and said drink specials started at 9. For the record, we also heard several other people complaining about the sign. I took a picture of it, and if my phone cooperates, I'll post it here as well. Melissa is right, it smelled pretty bad downstairs. I figured it was all the kids.. Dave and Busters doesn't stink.. and of course they will continue to get my business and the hundreds upon hundreds of dollars I sink into that damn DOCWE machine and happy hour beers.
(1)Walt C.
I write this because I actually care about this place. Gameworks opened in 1997. I was actually part of the opening crew. I only worked there about 6 months but I loved it so much I would make it my weekly haunt for several years. At that time Gameworks kept up with the gaming market which of course has gone down severely since console and computer gaming has become more popular. However, Gameworks was never a game room or an arcade. For the first year that it was opened you could have money deducted from your paycheck if you referred to Gameworks as either one of those in the presence of a manager. Gameworks was an experience. It's originating concept was what would happen if a bunch of 90's tweens were to find an old abandoned building that was powered by "Surge" soda. The magical new super caffeinated mountain dew alternative for tweens living the extreme. The credit system they used was supposed to be easy on parents and tweens alike. Mom or Dad could buy a card that could be used in every part of Gameworks excluding the bar. That way a kid didn't have to carry around actual money and could play games, get a burger and fries, drink some SURGE!!!! ect.ect. Video games had cup holders and fries were served in cups so kids could snack as they played. Upstairs there was a coffee bar, a regular bar, and a full restaurant. They had leather couches and chairs in parts of the bar and coffee bar. They had an area for retro 80's games. Most importantly they had two special attractions known as Vertical Reality and the INDY 500. In the middle of the upstairs they had a professional sound and video board with some of the latest equipment available at the time. They had actual DJ's that were called Play Jockeys controlling video and audio feeds to the 5 different quadrants of the building. During the initial year of opening I witnessed lines outside the door of people trying to get in the door . They had over a thousand people riding the indy 500 hundred each week during the summer. They had contest with great prizes like Superbowl tickets, Harley Davidson, and one Halloween they gave away a stand up House of the Dead arcade game. Now the decline- Every company has a vision and talking points that they pass off as their do's and don'ts. Gameworks always wanted to have staff available to assist people. The first notice of decline of course was under staffing. No longer were people greeting others, giving them a random free play on the games. Instead of running multiple lines of Vertical reality which had multiple bays they would only keep open one or two. Instead of having announcers always stationed at indy 500 a sign was put in place that said see attendant for assistance. Secondly the one golden rule they swore they would never, ever, ever, EVER BREAK... Gameworks will never have redemption games. Tickets were considered evil, instead they had a gift shop where you could buy things like shirts, shot glasses, and all kinds of other crap you could possibly find as prizes at other places. They day I walked in and saw the first game spitting tickets and the words redemption, I felt I was kicked in the nuts. The final straw would be the multiple changes to the bar. Certain liquors, beers, ect were gone. Certain specialty drinks gone. Great bartenders gone. Happy hour host and play jockey's gone. The music is now a loop, the play Jockey audio and visual station is not used. Last time I was in there the bartenders were using jigs, had no flair, and most importantly were more concerned with trying to get the one girl who was in the bar to talk to them instead of making money by serving drinks, up selling, and keeping conversation with multiple patrons. Gone was the once warm inviting atmosphere, and instead I felt like I was having a drink poured for me by a 21 year old holding a liquor bottle for the first time. At this point the once great establishment that I have spent thousands of dollars at between 97 and 2007 has become a poor depressing shell of what it once was. You could actually close the bar, get rid of the restaurant and put a pizza place upstairs and they could probably pull off a chucky cheese gig and be more profitable then what they appear to me. Opportunities for improvement- It is my firm belief that Gameworks has the chance to reinvent themselves if they would try a radical approach . At this time they have at least 3 or 4 great spaces that they could potentially use for LAN gaming and console gaming. It would very easy to set up multiple consoles and a internal LAN and do a pay for the hour or day thing. Much like Howie's game shack in mesa riverview. They also need to go back to the night club ambiance after 8pm. Bring back the play jockeys and the hostesses. Bring back that feeling of warmth. Update as of 7/21/13 Attraction rides have been taken out. Many of the non-redemption games looked in horrible shape. Seemed like nothing but driving and redemption games. #Sad -1 star
(1)Mark D.
Wow. I thought I'd been to a Gameworks before, but this isn't the place I remember. Puts Dave & Busters to shame. Shame, brother. Hung out for a couple hours there this afternoon with my lil bro and man, we had a blast. Price-wise you can't beat the 2 hour unlimited play for $15 we hit. Don't think that's available all the time, but it was today. Score. Service was actually really good too - what kind of service do you really need at an arcade? Well, not having been in one quite like this, it was kind of nice to have someone patiently explain the swipe card system (no pockets full of quarters anymore), not to mention the layout of the place (which is huge - two floors!). The selection's incredible - everything from your typical racing games, shooting games and fighting games to basketball and skee ball and air hockey - there's even stuff I've never seen before, like a Karoake booth and jumping games (?) and roller coaster simulators. And as one reviewer mentioned, there are several that even require a seatbelt. A seatbelt. Sweet.
(5)Katrina D.
This place was heaven when I was a kid. The crazy noises, the lights, the prizes. It was paradise. It's a little different now that I'm an adult (paying my own way), but it keeps bringing back those memories, as well as making plenty of new ones.
(5)Lauren V.
This place is good times every once in awhile. There are tons of fancy new arcade games like dance dance revolution and stuff downstairs, but upstairs is where i like to hang out. first, because there's a bar up there, where they also serve food. i've never eaten it, but i'm betting it's just so-so and probably overpriced because the drinks are. but also upstairs are all the old school games like ms. pacman, asteroids, mario bros. and they're all 25 cents. it's also inside a mall and right by the movies, so it's fun to stop in when you have a few minutes to kill.
(3)Gwen G.
I hope they get back to how it was when they opened. The selection of games is not anywhere of what it was and I really wish they had a better selection of the vintage games.
(3)Georgia R.
I don't know if you've already heard or not, but I'm pretty good at Dance Dance Revolution. It just seems like I was born a natural. Okay I lied. I am absolutely horrible at it, and Gameworks proves it. I still don't get how the hell you're supposed to know what the person on the screen is going to do. I did have a few cocktails before attempting to dance dance, but still. I sucked. Big time. Anyways, this is a great place to bring the kids, and the not so kids. There are sooo many different games to play, and they have the crazy ones that are more like rides than games. A couple of hours of games isn't going to be cheap though, but it's pretty fun if you're into arcades.
(4)D. B.
Best Features: Karaoke and Photo Booth If you thought you remembered Gameworks, guess again. About 2 years ago, Sega bought the company and all of it's assets and has slowly been turning every Gameworks in the nation into a Japanese style "Game Center." It's no secret that arcade gaming has been on the decline for the last two decades due to home console games, and in America the industry has almost disappeared save for a few small companies. The Japanese business model has definitely changed the dynamics of the place - there are now two small Karaoke booths (With songs in English but a book for Japanese, Chinese and Korean songs is available too), a Japanese style Photo Booth (very fun), a room of ufo catchers, 3 dance machines and a slew of other new things on the way. The old Gameworks mainstays like the Indy 500 game and that vertical shooting thing still remain. The only downside is the price. You must purchase a card to play anything and rather than tell you the monetary value, they use points. It's easy to lost the value in your mind as you are going from game to game. Make sure to conserve your money or else you might be making a few trips like I did, dropping 20 bucks a pop.
(5)Johnson M.
Gameworks has gotten a LOT better lately. They reorganized their game floor, got rid of a bunch of crap and added a bunch of Japanese arcade machines straight from Tokyo, with English instructions typed out on paper and taped to the machines! They have an entire little area dedicated to fighting games with the nice sit-down, 1 person-per-machine, but still 2-player linked setups. Fighting fans will know what I'm talking about. They also hold tournaments semi-regularly, the last time I was there they were running a KOF tournament which was $5 to enter. I don't know about prices because I never look or care. I go and drop $27 to fill up my card with a grip of credits and can go back for days. I enjoy this place much more than D&B, especially since it seems D&B's games are stagnant. Gameworks is always mixin' it up.
(5)Heather Y.
I went here yesterday and had a blast! Yes, I'm 22 years old, but hey acting like a kid is fun. LOTS of games, surely you'll find at least a few you'll enjoy. I went here on a date and it was a great choice. Spend $20, get a 100 credits. Games average 2-4 credits, some of the really great ones are 8-12 credits. Have shooting games, fighting games, racing games, music games, dancing games, and lots of other games. Love love loved it. Spent 2 hours there and didn't even notice. Laughed, yelled, cussed, and smiled. You get really into some of the games :-) Anyway, overall great.
(4)Joseph M.
For arcades, Gameworks pretty much owns. Located in Arizona Mills, it offers plenty of entertainment & food nearby. I enjoyed the overall experience here -- it's been several years since I last visited a GW. They've got classics, new games and a pretty chill atmosphere. Though, they kind of lack enough games that spit out tons of tickets, like D&B's. Will be coming back again! :-)
(4)Kristin C.
I'm not a video game person. Just don't play them. I'm not anti-video game, but I'd rather read a book. Yes, my geek card membership is nowhere near expiring. But anyhow... I still like this place. See - it was all building up to something. 2 levels of video games - including one that you have to strap yourself into because you physically go up and drop down 4 different levels with your feet hanging. I even like playing that one! And one room full of those jet ski/skate boarding/skiing kind of games where you have to move your body to play the game. And of course, the requisite Dance Dance Revolution. I'll never play that one EVER - but it's a blast to watch folks play. The more serious they are the more hilarious it is to me. I'm telling you - it's free entertainment! Upstairs is cool. The restaurant and bar are kinda TGIF/Applebees-esque so while not specifically bad, not amazingly good either. We rented out a VIP room for a birthday years and years ago and it was an awesome time. Lots of catering options from the restaurant, but the hit of the night was their coffee bar. All you can drink during the time the room is rented. I hope they are still doing that one. And girls, if you aren't into games but you're significant other is - do like me. This Valentine's day instead of some crappy box of chocolates or flowers that would only die - I gave a Gameworks gift certificate. Oh yea. Big points.
(4)Micah D.
I remember the very first time my step dad took me to a video arcade. I must have been about six years or seven years old. It was the early eighties, and I was all about Defender. Sure, I loved Missile Command. Ultimately, I remember thinking Pac-man was "kind of dumb" but I never was much for maze games. I wanted to press buttons, fly spaceships and shoot things. Oh sure, I had an affair or two, Tron, Donkey Kong, the games with lots of pretty colors and such. Nothing quite matches the magic of those days for me. Perhaps it's the misty rose colored filter of childhood nostolgia, but arcades seemed like something different then. Something magical. Pitch black havens for the disenfranchised where a quarter was enough to win you fame and glory, provided you had the skills to back it up. Fast forward some 2 decades later. Video games have jumped the shark in a lot of ways. With dedicated consoles, online gaming, and PC gaming, most people don't leave the house to get their digital freak on. A person doesn't get good at "video games' They learn the survival skills for FPS, or RTS, or MMORPGs, Sports simulations, Music simulations, fighting games. And they do it at home, or at a LAN party. So what's the appeal of a place like Gameworks? Well you get to hang out with the highly annoying teenage crowd at "The Mills". But for me it's all about the latest developments in Arcade stand alones. They have some interesting "immersion" / VR type games, like Sky Pirates (steampunk hot air balloon aerial combat baby!), Afterburner Climax (with a servo equipped cockpit designed with some help from Boeing and Northrop Grumman, you will soon find your ego writing checks your body can't cash, and loving it!), Of course they have the old skool stuff upstairs. But hey, I got plenty of that action 20 years ago. Or Let's Go Jungle, a dose of safari madness where you and a friend can hop into your utility vehicle and unload on mutant frogs, leeches and lots of other unpleasant things. The 50" screen, 5.1 surround sound and kick back motors on the guns help with the fun factor. So when you get tired of listening to your best friend's girlfriend murdering another REM song on rock band while you hammer out a beat on your flimsy toy drum controller, when you've played with your wii so much that you can't lift the controller anymore, come down to Gameworks and try out some of the new developments in stand alone games. The arcade is still fun, I promise. But leave that Dio t-shirt everyone thought was so cool in the bottom of your closet. Nobody really thought it was cool, we were just being nice. (See Also Golf Land and Dave and Buster's.)
(4)Alicia S.
The sliders were the best I've tasted in a while! Real meat and a tangy sauce. the fisherman's platter was crunchy and the fillet was full. I didn't expect to get real food at an arcade but I was really pleased. My God daughter had a creamy macaroni and cheese with ham from the kids menu and we all had to eat some. Afterwards we worked our food off by playing arcade games with the kids. It was a blast
(4)Andi T.
I went to a group thing here and had a better time than I thought I would. Service at the bar was good, and there was a nice drawing-room style chill out room if you wanted to get away from the kiddie casino vibe of the rest of the place. I also liked the row of old skool games for geezers like me that haven't played since we were kids -- Centipede, Pac Man, Frogger, Mario Bros, etc. I never made it down to the skee ball area, but you know I would've taken the local kids OUT.
(4)JP K.
I have been going to this Gameworks for a few years now. I befriended the bartender Noah, who has a very extensive knowledge of fun shots and drinks. The food is a bit on the expensive side, but if you get a drink or two and head on to the game floor you won't have to spend too much cash. The games are always being updated, and while some games are simple, like the claw-grabber machines, there are great flight simulators, shooter games and great two player, multi-player, and versus games if you are in a group. When you purchase a game card be sure to pay the $2 upgrade for a bunch of extra credits. Usually I'll spend $20 on the game card and add the $2 upgrade and I can play for a couple of hours straight. There a also games that give you tickets as a reward which can be spent at the little store. I got a mini lava lamp for my desk at work after one night of collecting tickets with a friend. One of the best parts of Gameworks is that after 10pm the second level is for adults only. The second floor also has many classic games like Super Mario Bros., and Rampage. If you are looking to avoid the ever-present hoards of kids, go on a weeknight and go late.
(5)Brandon L.
As far as Arcades go, Gameworks PWNS all, at least in AZ. The only reason that it doesn't get 5 stars is becuase it is a bit pricey. If you can find deals for like an hour or two of unlimited play, it is really worth it. They always have updated games. The House of the Dead series is always fun to play. They have such a variety. If you like Pinball, they have tons of pinball. If you like 1st person shooter games, they have tons. If you like ticket producing games, they have tons of them, if you like air hockey, they have the coolest air hockey tables. They just have so much to do. Its worth a good night of game playing fun.
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