By Scotlyn Ogle
Free Play is the ultimate arcade experience — pay $10 (plus tax) and suddenly you have unlimited access to all your favorite throwback games.
Back in the day, anyone with a quarter could play the classics — Galaga, Pac-Man, Space Invaders. Free Play Fort Worth is bringing back that opportunity with its newest location at 1311 Lipscomb St., inside the former Fairmount Music Hall.
Free Play is the ultimate arcade experience — pay $10 (plus tax) and suddenly you have unlimited access to all your favorite throwback games. With a buffet of over 100 games and pinball machines all set on “free play” mode, guests could spend hours trying out each one.
The first location set up shop in Richardson in 2015 and was followed by locations in Arlington and Denton. Now, after a soft opening last fall, Free Play is ready to celebrate an official grand opening on Friday.
“We kept hearing from people that ‘I’m driving from Fort Worth, and it’s killing me. I really wish there was one closer,’” says Free Play President Corey Hyden. “For a long time, we thought that would be too close, to have one in Fort Worth and in Arlington, and it seemed like too big of an overlap. As we’ve grown and expanded, we’ve learned that there is enough market for two of them that close.”
Hyden knew the company had to do something to make the Fort Worth location stand out. In addition to about 20 games that Free Play makes sure are at every location— including fan favorites such as Joust, Ms. Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong — the Fort Worth location will offer Skee-Ball for the first time, tucked into a perfect corner at the back of the venue. This is also the first Free Play to have a rooftop patio, available to anyone without paying admission.
Free Play also doesn’t have your typical pretzels and hotdogs. An extensive menu features shareable appetizers, hot-pressed sandwiches, pizza, and flatbreads. The bar serves everything from on-tap beer to a new Frosecolada, a mix of frozen rosé, and a piña colada.
The official grand opening will kick off at 3 p.m. with activities scattered throughout the night. At 9 p.m., the kids will be sent home, and the event will turn 21-plus with music provided by DJ Terminator Mike B.
“We are the only arcade that is running all real games,” Hyden says. “All of our parts are original or as close as possible. All the monitors are the right type for the games. We are the only purest arcade chain, and we’ve been able to open four of these by staying as true as possible.”