GameTime Tampa is a barcade in the historic Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa, Florida, blending a full arcade floor with bowling lanes, pool tables, and a full bar under one roof. The venue caters to a broad audience — families with kids, groups of friends, and adult night-out crowds all share the same space, with hours stretching into the early morning on weekends.
The concept is straightforward: visitors buy play credits or an unlimited pass and work through a mix of classic and modern arcade cabinets, then step up for a drink or a round of bowling. GameTime Tampa is one of several gaming-focused entertainment venues in Tampa, sitting alongside dedicated arcades and barcade concepts such as 1983 Restaurant, Bar & Arcade and Aikon Arcade elsewhere in the city.
At a Glance
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Address | 1600 E 8th Ave, Tampa, Florida |
| Phone | +1 813-241-9675 |
| Hours | Mon–Wed: 11 AM – 11 PM; Thu: 11 AM – 12 AM; Fri: 11 AM – 2 AM; Sat: 10 AM – 2 AM; Sun: 10 AM – 11 PM |
| Rating | 4.1 out of 5 from 2,400 Google reviews |
| Best For | Barcade experience, family outings, group nights, bowling, and pool |
What Players Say
GameTime Tampa earns consistent praise for its energetic atmosphere, attentive staff and bartenders, and broad appeal to both families and adults. The bar program draws frequent compliments, while the arcade floor and bowling lanes keep groups entertained for hours. Service staff are a particular highlight, with guests frequently calling out individual team members by name — as one reviewer wrote, “the drinks were sensational. Would definitely be a repeat customer” — Google review, and another noted, “Candy is the reason we stayed and this review is a 5 star” — Google review.
Reviews paint a mixed picture on pricing. Many guests point to weekday unlimited play deals and discount offers as excellent value, while others cite peak-hour credit costs and the per-ticket payout on redemption games as a sore spot. One reviewer noted, “Tuesday $10 two-hour unlimited play is the best value” — Google review, while another wrote, “for $200 in credits, I was only able to accumulate ~4,000 tickets” — Google review. Visitors planning a trip during a busy weekend should also expect longer waits; as one guest put it, “I’d recommend going during the day over the weekend because it wasn’t super crowded” — Google review.
Food is the most inconsistent element of the experience. Some menu items, including chicken tenders, draw raves, but the kitchen’s slow service and occasional burnt offerings frustrate diners. Comments like “Both of my kids chicken tenders were put on the table as black and burnt as can be” — Google review are balanced by positive mentions elsewhere, so managing expectations on the food side is worthwhile. Kid-friendliness, by contrast, comes up overwhelmingly positive, with one reviewer writing, “Our kids loved this place! We were happy that all of the kids had fun especially since they range from 6 to 17 years old” — Google review.
Games & Machines
GameTime Tampa operates as a video arcade, and the floor combines arcade cabinets with bowling lanes and pool tables for a full entertainment-center experience. The mix is geared toward casual play and group activity rather than pinball-focused or retro-cabinet purists, with newer machines and recent upgrades earning regular mention in reviews. As one visitor observed, “All new games and machines. They have definitely upgraded and put the work in” — Google review.
Because machine rosters rotate, visitors looking for current game lists should check the venue’s official site before heading out. For broader coverage of the Tampa arcade scene, the arcade finder catalogs nearby options, and the interactive arcade map shows their locations across the city at a glance.
Visiting
GameTime Tampa sits at 1600 E 8th Ave in Ybor City, just east of downtown Tampa. The address is within walking distance of Ybor’s nightlife district and the historic streetcar line, and several paid parking lots are nearby — one reviewer noted, “Park at the Ybor Lot 5 for first two hours free” — Google review.
Hours shift noticeably through the week. Sunday through Wednesday the venue opens at 11 AM and closes at 11 PM, while Thursday extends to midnight and Friday and Saturday stretch until 2 AM, making it one of the longer-running arcade options in Tampa. Saturday and Sunday open an hour earlier at 10 AM, useful for families with early risers.
The venue serves a full bar alongside the kitchen, and the drinks program earns more consistent praise than the food. Bowling lanes and pool tables add variety beyond the arcade floor, which makes the space well suited to mixed-age groups and casual nights out, though guests are advised to manage expectations on the kitchen. For more Tampa gaming venues, browse the arcade finder or open the arcade map to see what’s nearby. Venue operators who manage GameTime Tampa can claim this listing to update hours, photos, and machine details.