Xbox Series X Critic Reviews

Arcade Paradise is a love letter to the days of those summer afternoons, spending pocket money in these delightfully dingy places. It could also be the final nail in the arcade coffin, because no real-life arcade can offer this many good titles under one roof.

We've still got a ways to go until we're finished with Arcade Paradise, but so far we're really impressed. The laundromat part of the game won't suit everyone, but in our opinion it's actually pretty darn engrossing, while building and managing your arcade is consistently enjoyable and the machines themselves are packed with a surprising level of depth. At a very reasonable base price of just $19.99 on the Xbox Store, this one's definitely worth adding to your wishlist.

Arcade Paradise takes you back in time to experience the thrilling life of owning a laundromat AND an arcade! In this simulation/management game, you’ll pass the time by doing some laundry here and there as well as playing your cabinets to promote the games. While the management side is light the variety of retro games you can actually play makes up for it. Gamers with an eye for old school videogames should give Arcade Paradise a try.

Being a simulator game, there is of course a grind, but it’s much more manageable when you’re spending most of your time actually playing games. With over 35 arcade games to purchase and play, you might forget that you’re playing a game within a game, but it certainly reminded me of finding a cool arcade as a kid where I would dump all my quarters after school. A ‘rags to riches’ story where you can also start raking in the money, one quarter at a time.

Arcade Paradise is a delightful surprise. Full of wit, heart, and damned fun minigames it’s worth a purchase if the thought of an idle-style laundromat management sim full of fun as hell arcade games sounds enticing. It’s a relaxed, radical tubular time and I can’t wait to see what the devs come up with next.