My husband and I grew up in the 80s when visiting the arcade was a regular activity. There were arcades in every shopping mall – often right outside the food court. No trip to the mall with friends was complete without time in the arcade.
Pinball Pete’s is reminiscent of the classic arcades we grew up with. There are pinball machines galore, early video games, plus more modern versions and of course games to earn tickets for prizes. We love taking our daughter to Pinball Pete’s and introducing her to some of our favorite classic games.
Pinball Pete’s has moved to a new location on Liberty Rd. Their prior location will be demolished to make room for a new high rise apartment building. We visited on April 10 during 2026 FoolMoon to check out the new location.
Check out some video from our walk-through:
My daughter has grown up with video games, but was fascinated with the Pinball Machines since they are no longer common (Photo on the left from 2018 at the old location, photo on the right from the new location.
Back in 2018, she was also thrilled to find Mario Kart where we could sit next to each other and compete. She loves Mario Kart on the Wii U, so it isn’t a surprise that she beat me. There are still several racing games (although I’m not positive if any were MarioKart).
We played mostly arcade games and pinball games. But they do have games like Skee-ball that give tickets which can be redeemed for prizes. This is the prize counter at the original location. But in the video of the new location you can see the new prize counter – conveniently located right by the entrance/exit.
We had a lot of fun on our visit. Pinball Pete’s Ann Arbor is in a “student section” of town. I recommend visiting when there are less students around such as summer, winter break, or spring break. We went over summer, the week before students arrived and it was uncrowded and a lot of fun.
With the new location, there are some activities on the first floor that receives natural light during the daytime. However, like many arcades, the downstairs is dark with a lot of bright flashing lights and plenty of video game sounds. If your child has sensory issues, this may not be the best environment for them.
Visit Pinball Pete’s
Location
Pinball Pete’s Ann Arbor address is 500 E. Liberty, Ann Arbor. There is a second location in East Lansing..
Pinball Pete’s is located near Michigan Theater. It is split between the first floor and the basement. Street parking is available and the Maynard garage is very close.
Pinball Pete’s Hours
They are now open 11a-2a daily. Perfect for a college town. If you’re bringing the kids, daytime hours and summer will likely have less students.
Pinball Pete’s Prices
Admission is free and games are run by quarters – yes they still use coins. Make sure you either bring quarters or have bills to change for quarters. They do have an on-site ATM, but I suspect the fees are high.
Game prices vary. Usually the more retro the game, the lower the price.
Other Activities Near Pinball Pete’s
The one thing that I miss about the new location is the proximity of Insomnica Cookies near Pinball Pete’s! Still there are several great treat shops near Pinball Pete’s – Michigan Creamery, Ben & Jerry’s, Ondo & other cafes.
The new location is near Michigan Theater and close to State St. As a townie, I see myself in the area and stopping in more frequently than when it was on South University.
Other Ann Arbor Gaming Options
If your kids want to explore more gaming options, there are several options in the Ann Arbor Area.
The UM Computer & Video Game Archive is at Shapiro Library. It isn’t a far walk from Pinball Pete’s.
Revel & Roll offers bowling and an arcade. They periodically offer discounted gaming with unlimited play but without prize earning. Personally, I’m happy with the unlimited gaming and not collecting prizes.
Best In Games (BIG) on Carpenter Rd in Pittsfield Township also offers an arcade as one of their attractions. My daughter always loved visiting them when they were Zap Zone. She has been on her own since the new facility opened, so I don’t have photos to share.
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