Galloping Ghost Arcade Has 1,000+ Vintage Video Games and Is an Easy Drive from Chicago

Not many experiences have put me at a loss for words, but sitting down to describe the Galloping Ghost Arcade—with its wall-to-wall cabinets, layered soundscape, and decades of arcade history packed into a single building on Ogden Avenue —has become one of them. How do you convey so much wonder, nostalgia, and pure one‑of‑a‑kindness in a single story? You try your best.

When I first walked into the Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, it felt like walking straight into a scene from an ’80s movie, the ones I watched in reruns in the ’90s, and that younger generations would probably describe as being a scene straight out of Stranger Things.

As you step through the doors, you see rows of glowing arcade cabinets stretching in every direction and hear sounds overlapping from every corner. My eyes needed a minute to adjust to a game room absolutely packed with classic arcade games. Only a few more steps in, and I had gone from Ogden Avenue to a different world with a wall of screens and joysticks.

On paper, Galloping Ghost is a video arcade with more than a thousand machines, but after you spend a little time inside, it becomes the start of a quest you didn’t know you were on—the kind of place gamers dream about—to play as many games as you can, from Asteroids and Ms. Pac‑Man to Sega racers and Atari shooters, without ever digging for a single quarter.

It’s a local legend of its own, but it all started with a kid and a love for games.

Doc Mack: The Mind Behind the Machines

If you spend time at the Galloping Ghost Arcade it won’t be long before you hear the name Doc Mack. He’s the founder, and his story is just as layered as the sounds in the arcade.

Doc knew from a young age that he wanted to work in game design, later launching Galloping Ghost Productions in 1994. The idea for Galloping Ghost Arcade came much later, around 2008, shaped by visits to other arcades that, in his view, weren’t showcasing these games in a way that did them justice.

That drive to build something new still defines Doc. He and his team have helped launch more than 50 arcades across the country and around the world, from nearby suburbs like Wheeling and Lisle to the West Coast. That reach is reflected in the visitors the arcade draws—players travel from as far as Germany, and some even make the trip from Seattle, just for the chance to play rare titles like Primal Rage 2, often planning entire trips around full days on the floor.

While the arcade doesn’t focus on selling games, it has attracted attention from notable figures over the years, with celebrities like Chance the Rapper reaching out to track down rare titles. Even as life pulls regulars away, many eventually find their way back, drawn by the chance to revisit the games they once loved and discover what’s new. Despite its global recognition, the arcade has never relied on traditional advertising—its growth has been fueled almost entirely by word of mouth.

Inside the Largest Arcade in the United States

The Galloping Ghost Arcade is officially the largest arcade in the United States, with retro video games from the 1970s and ’80s all the way up to recent cult favorites, in full working order. At last count, there were 1,087 unique games on the floor—and every Monday, a brand‑new video title is revealed and added, so the lineup is always growing. More than 40 of those are prototypes or games that were never released, and for more than 500 of the machines, this is the only place in the world where you can still play them.

When you enter Galloping Ghost there’s a lot to take in. The lighting runs low, the cabinets run bright, and you’re hit with the soundtrack of dozens of video games running at once. The blips of early shooters and the steady thrum of driving games compete with the sound effects of maze and chase games.

One row of machines might be packed with shooting games, another with one‑on‑one fighters and scrolling beat ’em ups. A few steps over, you’ll find sci‑fi oddities you’ve never seen before. First-time visitors often spend the first 15 minutes just walking the rows before committing to a cabinet.  There's simply too much to take in all at once.

One detail that changes the whole experience is that everything is on free play. Galloping Ghost Arcade charges a flat $25 fee at the door, and once you’re in, every start button is unlimited. You can sample as many cabinets as you want without thinking about coins or swipe cards. The arcade takes both cash and cards, and there are daily, weekly, monthly, and even lifetime membership options if you know you’ll be back often. Repeat players at the arcade often partake in the competitive high‑score scene. There’s even a hardcore championship belt to test a player’s skills. Earn it and you get free entry and snacks and drinks, but you have to come back and defend your title when someone challenges you.

Games at the Galloping Ghost Arcade

Here’s just a sample of the vintage arcade machines and brands you’ll find on the floor:

The Legends: Games You’ll Recognize Right Away

The Galloping Ghost Arcade’s collection pulls in big‑name arcade cabinet classics from heavy hitters like Atari and Sega, all running on original hardware.

You’ll spot icons like:

• Ms. Pac-Man, still one of the most addictive retro games ever made, with colorful mazes and a pace that moves just a little faster than the original.

• Asteroids, Atari’s wireframe space shooting game, where you drift through a star field blasting rocks into smaller and smaller pieces, always one mistake away from getting wiped out.

• Classic Atari titles from the golden age of arcades, where the controls are simple but the “just one more round” pull is strong.

• Side‑by‑side fighters and brawlers from the era when Capcom, Midway, and others were competing for every quarter.

The screens glow in a way that feels pure retro arcade. You’re stepping back into the way these games were meant to be played.

Deep‑Cut Retro Arcade Finds

The Galloping Ghost Arcade isn’t only about the games everyone recognizes. As you wander farther in, you start running into retro games many people have never seen before. You’ll find Japanese imports, short‑run experiment titles, prototypes that never made it into wide release, and cabinets that seem as if they were pulled from someone’s private collection, most likely because they were.

Maybe you’ll come across an obscure Sega racer with wild cabinet art or a lesser‑known Atari adventure with surprisingly deep mechanics. Because everything is on free play, curiosity doesn’t cost you anything extra. Tap the start button on whatever catches your eye, play a round or two, then move on. It’s a lot like flipping through crates at a record store and dropping the needle on whatever has the most intriguing cover art.

Pinball Machines: A Building of Their Own

Galloping Ghost’s pinball collection is big enough to have a home all its own. In a separate building just down the street from the main arcade, Galloping Ghost Pinball lines up everything from ’70s electro‑mechanical tables to modern licensed games, so you can test your reflexes on flashing ramps and multi-ball chaos for hours.

There’s just something about the tactile feel of pinball that makes it a perfect counterpoint to all the on‑screen action of the main arcade. If you love chasing high scores on physical machines, it’s easy to spend an entire visit in the pinball building without ever making it back to the joysticks.

Why Galloping Ghost Arcade Is Unlike Any Other

Most video arcades today run on card swipes and ticket redemption, with bright prize counters at the end. Not Galloping Ghost. Here, the focus is on the joy of the games themselves. The cabinets are in working order, carefully restored and maintained, and all lined up so that you can see just how many eras of arcade history share the same roof.

If you take a minute to look around the room you might see a mix of serious players chasing high scores and parents teaching kids how to play games from their childhood. Groups of friends are right there too, all clustered around one cabinet, trying to remember that one combo in a fighting game.

For people who care about preservation, and for anyone who grew up in arcades, there’s also the simple relief that so many classic arcade games are still here at all. A lot of these cabinets would have disappeared if they hadn’t been rescued and repaired. At Galloping Ghost, they’re not sitting behind glass; they’re ready to be played and enjoyed.

Planning Your Visit from Oak Park and Beyond

The Galloping Ghost Arcade sits on Ogden Avenue in Brookfield, an easy drive from Chicago and the near west suburbs. It works just as well as the centerpiece of a night out as it does as a stop after a day at Brookfield Zoo or wandering Oak Park’s architecture.

The main arcade is open daily from 11 a.m. to midnight on weekdays and from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Admission is a flat fee of $25 for all‑day play on the video games, and once you’ve checked in, you can come and go as you like. The separate pinball building is open 3 p.m.–11 p.m. every day, with its own $20 all‑day rate, or you can grab a combo pass for $30 and split your time between both spaces.

Because everything is on free play, it’s worth planning a bigger window than you think you’ll need—two or three hours disappear fast once you’re chasing one more boss or trying to finally clear that last wave. Before you head over, check their website or social channels for the latest updates on hours, pricing, and any special events or tournaments.

For me, the Galloping Ghost Arcade felt like the arcade I always hoped I’d find as a kid but never did. If you’ve ever wanted to step back into the glow of a true retro arcade, the Galloping Ghost in Brookfield will turn that fantasy into a reality.