Tuesday was grand opening night for Reno's latest arcade-bar. Playfield 76 has been in the works since 2019, but the pandemic pushed back its opening. This arcade-bar has a different feel than Round One or Press Start.
Playfield 76 definitely scored some major points on it's opening night. It's got something most other arcades in the area don't have. "No kids," said local resident Rachel Baker.
It's got more than just that going on. The new arcade-bar is focused on providing an upscale experience. This includes high end food and specialty drinks. There is high end liquor too, as well as a beer assortment.
"There is definitely a better collection of alcohol and it is higher caliber. You know they are not going to water down your drinks," said Baker.
The real attractions however are the video games, including a wall of pinball machines that covers multiple generations.
Playfield 76 is named after the layout of pinball games which is called a playfield and 1976 when pinball and video games were legalized in New York. "We actually have some pinball tournaments lined up already," said Playfield 76 General Manager Hailee Ernst.
The video games have history as well. Some date back to the 1980's while others are brand new right out of the box.
The owners hunted up and down the West Coast to find the right ones. "We actually have a warehouse that we store some games. Every couple of months we will rotate some of the games that we have here out while we rotate some of our new ones in. We are always selling and buying new games we are looking for," said Ernst. "You have all the games. You have the Simpsons, You got the X-men. You have your street fighter. You have the skeeball," said Sean Duffy.
There are 33 games in all, from wrestling to basketball to beer pong. "It's so cool you can play that at a bar," said Ernst, Even if you're not good at the games, it's a lot of fun and they serve food until midnight.
