Exploring London´s Gaming Café´s – The Best Spots for Gamers

When it comes to gaming, few cities match the excitement of London. No matter what types of games you play, the city offers something for just about everyone. One of the best things about London is its extensive network of gaming cafes that cater to casual and hardcore gamers alike. While gaming has long been a social experience thanks to the internet, gaming cafes have become social hubs where people can meet to play games, discuss strategies, and learn.

Of course, this is also possible with apps like Discord and Twitch, but most would agree there's nothing quite like the in-person experience. From retro arcades to high-tech arenas, London's gaming cafes bring together gamers of every stripe, giving them an opportunity to socialize and compete, all while using the latest gaming technology. In this article, we take a look at some of the city's best gaming spots. 

The New Meta Gaming Arena

The New Meta Gaming Arena is conveniently located in Islington Square, making it easily accessible from most parts of the city. Whatever your gaming preferences are, it's hard to go wrong at this arena, which features state-of-the-art facilities suitable for casual and professional gamers. The cafe features more than 25 high-end gaming PCs with Intel i5 processors, NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics cards, and 144Hz monitors, all but guaranteeing an immersive gaming experience from the time you take a seat. 

While most people associate New Meta with AAA video games, you can use their high-powered PCs to play the game of your choice. For example, online poker enthusiasts can use the cafe's computers to visit virtual platforms to play their favorite games. These online poker platforms offer different variants including Texas Hold'em, and provide guides to help new players learn the ins and outs of the different titles. While online poker is often a social experience, playing it in a gaming cafe allows players to interact with others, creating a unique experience. The same goes for other gaming genres, such as strategy games, where players can engage in real-time multiplayer battles, or simulation games, where players come together to share tips or send goods to others. 

Whether you're thinking about hosting a birthday party or corporate team-building session, you can take advantage of the specialized spaces and private rooms to make the experience memorable for all attendees. For those interested in esports, New Meta regularly hosts tournaments and broadcasts major esports events. 

Four Quarters

Every gamer knows that retro gaming has made a huge comeback in recent years. While many of these games have been remastered for PCs and consoles, there's something about playing them in their original form, and that's where Four Quarters comes in. Four Quarters is a retro arcade chain with locations across London, so you shouldn't have problems finding one nearby. What makes this cafe special is that each location is decked out with original arcade cabinets from the 1970s to the early 2000s, giving visitors a chance to take a stroll down memory lane and experience the games as they were originally made. 

That's not all you can do at this establishment; the cafe keeps things fun by hosting quiz nights, karaoke, and themed gaming nights, which have proven to be a hit with the regulars. Four Quarters has found a way to carve out a niche in a crowded gaming industry by blending nostalgia and modern entertainment to create one of the best gaming experiences in the city. 

Loading Bar

The motto of this gaming cafe is, "You can have your game and drink it," and that pretty much sums up the experience awaiting visitors to London's Loading Bar. The cafe brings together things almost everyone enjoys — board games, video games, and themed nights. That means, you can bring your non-gaming friends along and they'll still have a good time. Trivia and gaming nights are two of the Loading Bar's biggest draws and the cafe has almost every game you could thing of, including classic board games and the latest video game titles.