Galloping Ghost Arcade: Where Nostalgia Reigns Supreme in the World's Largest Arcade Collection

For those seeking a nostalgic gaming experience, the Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, Illinois, is an absolute
must. Founded by Doc Mack in August 2010, this one-of-a-kind, gamers haven has become a worldwide destination for arcade enthusiasts. Starting with a single location, the arcade has expanded over the course of 12-plus years to occupy five buildings, spanning an entire block!

Monday Mystery Game Tradition at Galloping Ghost

With a collection of over 900 games, including pinball, arcade and video games, the Galloping Ghost Arcade continues to grow. Promotionally speaking, I like the arcade’s fun tradition called Monday Mystery Game, where they add a new game to their collection every Monday. It’s a great way to get guests excited and involved in their business – and if you can’t be there in person, they even live streams the game unveiling at 5 p.m. every Monday so followers won’t miss a thing. What makes this place truly unique is its “Free Play” model. Visitors pay a flat fee to enter the building and can enjoy unlimited gameplay on any of the games. This approach has allowed avid gamers to hone their skills, resulting in over 600 world records set at the Galloping Ghost Arcade.

A Nostalgic Trip Down Memory Lane

To add to the excitement, many of the games are rare or no longer in production, requiring a combination of technical expertise and resourcefulness to keep them up and running. If you’ve ever wondered where you could go to relive the gaming experiences of your youth, look no further than the Galloping Ghost Arcade where our host, Nate, got to play his childhood favorite pinball machine, BadCat. As the arcade proudly boasts, “We wanted to offer a cost-effective place to play, host professional events and expose everyone to arcade games that they had not seen in decades.” In fact, their collection is so vast, many visitors have never seen some of the rare games that have been restored and placed on the floor of this unbelievable facility.

Excerpt adapted from Barry Zelickson’s special report for RePlay Magazine.