On the site of the new National Film and Sci-Fi Museum, which I’ll review soon, you’ll find The Pixel Bunker. Located in Central Milton Keynes it’s a retro arcade centre with almost 100 vintage machines. Basically it’s pre-teen, teenager and grown-up teenager heaven!
When I first heard about The Pixel Bunker I knew that Hubby and the boys would absolutely love it and booked tickets pretty much straight away!! I wasn’t entirely sure if I’d enjoy it as much, because I’m not really much of a gamer and I never have been. OK, I might be pretty rubbish at playing most of the retro arcade games, but I had a ton of fun trying.
What retro arcade games are there at The Pixel Bunker?
There’s loads that I remember from my own childhood. Some of them had signs up saying they’re 40 years old, so a bit fragile and therefore need a bit of rest. To be fair, I know what they mean!!! At Pixel Bunker in Milton Keynes you’ll find Pac-Man, Mrs Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat II, Tron, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, PaperBoy, Tekken, Line of Fire, Donkey Long and Donkey Kong Junior. Oh, and tons of other games as well.
Basically they have all the best driving, shooting, dancing and general retro arcade games that you can think of! And the best things is that they’re all on free play! Once you’re in you don’t need to pay a penny to play.
The arcade room
Before we went to The Pixel Bunker to do this review I did a bit of research, and read that there were 100 different games. I assumed that it would be quite big. Actually, by looking at some of the photos on their website it looks quite big as well. It turned out to be a lot smaller than I’d imagined. Most of the machines are around the end edge of the room, with a central bank. I was a bit surprised that the machines were as close together as they were, and how many people were there if I’m honest. At times it did feel a little bit cramped. I was talking to another visitor and we decided that actually it probably wasn’t any busier than any other seaside arcade we would have happily been to pre-covid. It’s just that we notice it more these days.
Your tickets (currently) get you a three hour session. We stayed for almost the entire time, bar the last 10 minutes as it had got a bit too hot. I did notice that about an hour into the session the number of people in the room dropped significantly. If you are worried about it being busy at all I’d suggest going a bit later in the session.
What else is on site?
As I mentioned, there will soon be a sci-fi museum here. It opens in late August 2021. There’s also a vintage toy shop. They had Wuzzles, 1980’s Care Bears and some other “boy” stuff that I had no interest in when I was a kid!
The cafe isn’t open yet, but they have got snacks and drinks available. They had lots of what would have been “penny” sweets back in the day. I was quite surprised how reasonable the prices were! I’ve been telling the kids all about 1/2 penny sweets and how I could buy a massive bag of 20 WHOLE SWEETS for just 10p when I was growing up. Those were the days!!
Make sure you look up when you arrive!! (PS this isn’t the only one!)
Our The Pixel Bunker Review
Like I said, as soon as I heard about this place I knew Hubby would love it! I was not wrong. He had a brilliant time. So did Middle Child – his favourite game was Metal Slug X apparently (sounds lovely!). I was really surprised but Biggest Child was less enthusiastic. Don’t get me wrong he enjoyed himself, but only for so long. Apparently arcade games aren’t really his thing, and he’s more used to sandbox games like Minecraft. That genuinely surprised me.
I think that it’s excellent value for money, particularly when you compare it to the cost of actually playing arcade games for three hours! We’ll definitely go back, and I can’t wait for the museum to open. I’m very glad that we decided not to take Smallest Child. She would have hated it, and we wouldn’t have been able to play properly if she had been there. There wouldn’t have been enough space for her to wait by the machines. Plus there is a risk she might have busted something!! They are old and fragile after-all. It really is somewhere for slightly older children, probably min of 7/8??
Oh, and just FYI, Paperboy is still a rubbish, stupid game. Always has been, always will be! Bomb Jack is the best game in the world and I want one in my house!!!!
Admission cost
£35 for a family ticket per 3 hour slot. Slots can be pre-booked via their website.
Parking / How to get there
Parking – There’s 50p per hour parking outside. Just make sure you park in the purple areas!
Address – National Film & Sci-fi Museum, 34 Secklow Gate W, Milton Keynes MK9 3AT
Toilets
On-site
Food
You’re not allowed to take your own food. You can buy snacks currently and there will be a cafe soon.
What else is there to do nearby?
Milton Keynes is full of amazing family days out. There’s old favourites such as Willen Lake, amazing museums such as Milton Keynes Museum or Bletchley Park and Thrift Farm is just around the corner.
Hi, I’m Vicky. My husband and I live in Aylesbury with our three children; a 14 year old son, an 12 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I (mostly) love spending time together as a family. We visit all kinds of places and we’re quite happy to drive a fair distance for a decent day out. A few years ago I decided to set up Free Time with the Kids as a way to share our experiences of these family days out.
You’ll find the essential information you need to know before your visit that can be surprisingly hard to find out. Where do I park? How much will it cost me to get in? Are there any discounts available? Are there loos? Can I take a picnic or get food? My aim is to be your go-to guide for all your free and cheap family days out across Bucks, Beds, Oxon, Herts & slightly beyond. I really hope you find the reviews helpful. If there’s anywhere that you’d recommend please get in touch contact@freetimewiththekids.com or get in touch via Facebook
