Retrovolt Arcade — Attraction in Calimesa

For full transparency I rate 3 stars as any place that meets expectations. 4 Stars as "exceeds expectations" and 5 stars as "greatly exceeds expectations"

We had a birthday party here and overall it was a good time. The employees were very nice and the decor was great. I really liked the murals in the party room. It was also really clean, and they were wiping everything down when we got there to set up, and started cleaning up as soon as we checked out of the party room.

There were tons of arcades and a bunch of pinball tables (that my 4 year old loved as she thought the arcades were to hard). There were two arcades that my kids were looking forward to, that were broken or they didn't have anymore (Simpsons and X-Men). Retrovolt had so many other arcade games that I don't think my kids noticed though. Several of the kids ended up spending most of their time playing the two Nintendo Switches they had in the party room, which seemed like a waste to me since we already have a switch but I can't hold that against Retrovolt. In fact, it's nice that they had the option.

I really only have three "real" complaints, and they're nit picky.

1. For parties they have a two hour time limit but I don't feel like there were any discounts with that group rate. $250 for up to 15 people is $16.67/person with the max of 15 people. They were doing a special where every additional person was $10 which helped bring that number down to $14/person. But if you go on a non Saturday/Sunday you get to play for 5 hours for $15. I can understand only having the party room for two hours but I would have liked to feel like we could hang out in the arcade for longer, if desired.

2. You have to pay for everyone. Parents came with their kids but several didn't play any games and the ones that did definitely didn't play $14 worth of games. I'm probably just being reminiscent of nickel Cades, or arcades from the 90's, but I could've pumped in quarters and been cheaper for myself, and my wife didn't play at all. Normally we both wouldn't taken full advantage but spent most of our time getting food etc for the party guests. Not Retrovolt's fault at all, it just would have been nice to feel like there was some kind of discount for bringing in a large group.

3. "Only Two people" are allowed inside to set up for the party. This is because they let you in 15 minutes before the party starts, and I totally understand that having a lot of people inside could be problematic, but we have three kids from 4 to 8 and I didn't really want to leave them out in the van while my wife and I set up. I didn't ask if they could come in because another family also came early, so my kids played with there's outside. Again, they may make exceptions but it seemed like a weird rule when most parties are going to be for kids and that would, usually, require people in the family just sitting outside.

Overall we had a really good time, and we'll go back, but I don't think it's a great deal for the party package unless you aren't going to stay for more than two hours anyways... and have a group of at least 25 people who are all...

One of the best hidden gems in the IE area is this arcade. From well preserved arcade games from the 90s to both new and old pinball machines, this place is guaranteed to have at least one game you will enjoy.

My dad is a huge gaming nerd (in a good way) and he has introduced and influenced me to enjoy a variety of similar games as him. One of them being pinball (though I won’t lie, I’ve better at digital pinball than the real deal) and this place has some of the best and most entertaining machines available. There always seems to be something new whenever we visit and many hours can fly by within a blink of an eye.

The entrance fee is extremely cheap, $10 for an hour and depending on the day you visit, it can range from $15-$25 for a day pass. And for that price, you can play any games within the store without any additional fees.

Though a small personal note, if you are sensitive to noise (like me), I would recommend bringing either noise cancelling headphones or ear plugs cause this place can become extremely loud at times. The music is often on blast and sometimes parents let their young children run wild and scream their heads off. But that aside, this spot is a great place to hang out and have fun with your friends, family, and kids without breaking the bank. Plus, there’s plenty of food spots to grab a bite before or after your...

This place is incredible. Well kept, fantastic selection of games, and the kindest staff ever! If you happen to run into the owner, Bob, be sure to say hi - he's simply a wonderful human!

While there are a few options for this type of 'pay-by-the-hour' arcades, this location is by far the nicest.

It's also a wonderful spot for kids, as you don't fret about spending quarters on games they may not want to play after a few minutes.

Additionally, this is a wonderful space to have a party - private or otherwise. They're group area is a wonderful space setup with Nintendo Switches (everyone ends up playing Mario Kart 8!), and has plenty of space for sitting, enjoying food & drink, etc.

The one difficulty is that the arcade is loud. However, I'm not sure how that's preventable considering it's a room with a ton of arcade machines.

My family and I travel 20 minutes to this spot, and believe it's worth an even longer drive. Come and spend the day (as they have in-and-out privileges with the all-day pass) - you...