Nothing beats heading out to The Local 987 right across the street for some happy hour eats and a couple of drinks to prime yourself for a night at 8 Bit. They have an incredible collection of pinball machines, and enough arcade cabinets to take a break from chuckin' steel at ramps (I still wish they had a Third Strike cabinet, but I won't hold it against them). There's also a back patio if you need a break from the din of the machines or want to have a conversation with your friends to discuss which Ninja Turtle is the best. It's Raphael. It's always Raphael. They have a fridge full of a variety of canned adult beverages and soft drinks, along with a non-alcoholic slushie and an alcoholic slushie to sip on while gaming. The majority of their machines have cup holders to help you out with your beverages. I usually need a couple of Rainier tall cans to get me loosened up enough to be at peak pinball performance. There's also a varied selection of small pizzas if you need something to snack on. It's a family friendly spot until about 9-10pm? I can't remember exactly, but after that time, everyone under 21 must leave the premises and it's adult swim time. The atmosphere has always been very even-keel though, I rarely notice when kids are or aren't present. The bartenders are sweethearts and love talking nerdery when they're not busy (What's up Randal 'n' Forrest!).

The most exclusive arcade machines I have ever seen! Very rare machines, machines dating back to the 70s, and even new gen machines. Every game is 25-50 cents which is crazy! Food is pretty good, their pizza is ready to bake, not frozen though, and it is 5 stars! Bring your kids, bring some buddies, because it's time to be sent back to a time when fun couldn't be more simpler!

This is a great location and place to play! I would go more often with the grandkids if they offered a better menu. I love the idea of this though!

Awesome staff and location, tons of old retro games and drinks for the older adults. It is an amazing local spot to bring your family and friends and I throughly enjoy the amount of play time you can get for the money you spend! You have fun without breaking the budget which is awesome! places like this simply dont exist anymore ill definitely be back with my nephew!

8-BIT ARCADE Food and Fun!! If you have quarters in your pocket and have an itch to play some pinball or that nostalgic video game, come to 8-Bit Arcade on 3rd Avenue in Downtown Renton. Making its mark in Renton after 10 years or more, 8-Bit Arcade is part nostaglia, and all family fun. As an adult, 25 cents goes a long way when engaging with classic game manufacturers like CAPCOM and ATARI. Many games are also newer, using those interactive screens and improving on the 'first-person shooter' concept and teamwork with 4 players or more. As for food... yes, they have it. Be advised that the menu is optimized for hardcore gamer fun. So, don't expect too many plant based options. But, if you would like to have a nice personal pizza, it's there. Adult beverages are also available to include sodas, slushies, and some choice brews. Most importantly, the staff is friendly staff and attentive. Can the whole family have fun? Absolutely. Can you have a roll of quarters and get lost in your favorite game? You can definitely do that, too! So, get your pocket change ready and come on down to Renton's most well-known neighborhood arcade! #8bitarcade

Oh where to begin. This is where gamers not so young and old come together to battle it out with their favorite old school arcade games and pinball machines. For the millennials reading this, back in my day we didn't have the luxury of playing video games in the comfort of our own home. We had to actually go somewhere and to play and we had to pay a quarter per game. But I digress, 8-bit is strategically located at the heart of downtown Renton. This hidden gem is authentic to its core. You will find the old school Pac-Man table top version arcade game, Galaga, and old school pinball machines galore. Stepping through the threshold is like walking back into a time machine to the golden age of gamers. This place instantly stole my heart when I saw they had Q-Bert. This place is dimly lit with neon lights giving everyone that iridescent purple hue. The hum of electricity and the sound of men and women frantically pressing down plastic round buttons to attack a myriad of villains take on a life of its own. Your eyes acclimate to the RGB color graphics everywhere and you soon forget about high definition. The only other constant sound you hear is the sound of laughter as the young groups filter in from the street and the clink of beer bottles as another group raises their drinks in celebration of something. This is the place where you lose yourself for an hour and have fun with no judgement. I love that this is exclusive to the 21 and up club after 9pm. Youngsters need not bother because they will check ID. My favorite item on the menu was the alcoholic tropical peach slushy. Yes, you heard me right. And it was delish. And strong. As I finished my adult slushy of course I got hungry and had to order a whole cheese pizza for myself which I gladly demolished. The man behind the bar has service down to a science. Place was busy and he held it down. Didn't have to wait too long for our order. What you will not find here: bad vibes, kiosks that allow you to load money on a card to swipe to play games, dance dance revolution, bro-y douchebags wearing affliction shirts. What you will find is epic old school games, inexpensive drinks, art drawn on pizza boxes hung up on the walls and most prevalently you will find what makes Renton: Renton. At the center of this establishment you will find its patrons, young and old, of all ethnic backgrounds, some with robust 401k's and others just starting on their career path. This mural of people , this intangible positive vibe is what you will never get at a Dave and Buster's. Corporate copycats trying to placate every demographic lose when it comes to authenticity. 8-Bit reigns supreme in that category. P.S. - when you do end up going, try to find the Simpsons game. It's located in the front. Look for the high score list. WOK and JOE highest scores respectively. If you can beat our score, I'll buy you a beer.

Always happy to visit a good arcade. Loved the vibes here and the variety of machines. Staff was nice. We had a good experience and would recommend anyone looking for a little nostalgia or just need to get some gaming in. Love the cost to play a game, plenty of options under a dollar which is so rare these days! Honestly, I'd have given it 5 stars but we ran into a few issues with machines. The one machine (Medieval Madness) I went there specifically to play had multiple issues (table not level, broken troll door, broken draw bridge). This machine really should be down for service asap. I'd have been less disappointed to have a sign on it than to play a couple bucks to find it was having multiple issues. Overall we had a blast... but just a small nudge to prioritize some machine maintenance would go a long way. We were really happy to see such a great space for gamers and would still recommend!

Very fun arcade, lots of options and even when it's busy you can still find a spot! As is pretty standard with arcades there is definitely a layer of grime on top of everything but c'est la vie. Staff are lovely, I've never experienced any issues with any of the games and they have a solid beer / cider / seltzer selection. Will definitely try out their pizza soon.

An awesome game bar with a wide selection of fantastic pinball machines! I tried a lot of them and they all played great! The space is large (even some outdoor space as well) and the service is perfect. The bartender was very attentive and did not have to wait for anything. Also, the BBQ chicken pizza was fantastic and was ready pretty quickly. Can't wait to come back again and play/drink/eat some more.

It's rare to see local arcades in this day and age, but I'm glad this one exists. It's a nice and small bar-cade that serves a few drafts and various canned beers. The arcades had a mixture of old school and new school games. You'll see cocktail table arcades of Frogger and Burger Time. Shooters like Area 51 and Terminator Salvation. Classic Simpsons beat'em up and Street fighter. As well as the new school 2012 Ninja Turtles arcade and a Minecraft beat'em up. There's a good selection of pinball games as well that fills up the whole side of one of their walls. They have a patio area in the back if you just prefer to drink with some friends or you can just sit on a stool at the bar. There aren't too many tables around the arcades, so I found it difficult to find a place for my beer as I'm playing some games. Some of the cabinets have glass holders above them, but it's a bit hard to reach for a short guy like me. So not very convenient to drink and play which is unfortunate since that's what customers wants to do. Also a lot of the arcades have slanted control panels, so you can't safely rest your beer on their either. I don't think I'm comfortable with placing my drink on the floor since it looks worn out and obviously it'll be dirty with people walking around. The some of the controls on the arcades aren't very usable. Mostly the joysticks. Noticed this for a lot of the fighting games so those should go through some maintenance. After fixing these issues, I think the place could see a lot more customers.