OCTO ZONE — Local services in Toronto

** Edited the redemption items part on Apr. 22

I've been coming here regularly for a bit over half a year now but have only decided to write a review recently after having experienced the arcade more thoroughly first.

Octo is one of my favourite claw arcades because of the following:

1. Their VIP membership package is one of the better ones as they give you 5 tokens on a weekly basis for free and 50 free tokens for your birthday that you can claim 6 days before and 6 days after your birthday.

2. They have great deals and promotions pretty regularly (i.e. 20% off all redemption items for the entire month, getting 10 tokens back when you trade in 5 plushies and 25 tokens back when you trade in 10 plushies, etc.). For Valentine's Day 2024, they had a buy one package get 50% off second package of equal value deal, which significantly reduces the price per token.

3. They sometimes have some festive activities such as the string pulling game for Christmas! This game is pretty much a gamble in that you can get a chance to upgrade to a huge prize and also have a chance to downgrade to a smaller prize. We got really lucky and both of us won a large Sanrio plushie (Kuromi and Cinnamoroll) from merely pulling one string out of hundreds of strings (think of how low the probability of that happening is lol XD). As an icing on the cake, the owner was very nice and generous to let us choose one of the smaller prizes in the game to add to our already very lucky winnings if we were to let him take a picture of us with our winnings. That certainly put a smile on my face and it even shone through my mask =D.

4. The owner is quite generous in general. One of the nights a while back when we were there, he let us experiment playing the swing claw for free. We ended up playing at least 30 rounds of it lol XD. He's also extra attentive to your needs once he knows you more.

5. They are pretty easygoing when you want to exchange for a different plushie within the same machine for any reason. Two of them proactively helped me get a redemption item (music box) from Christmas that they have already stored away (because they recognize me in general and remembered my request/inquiry from my previous visit =D ).

6. They open longer hours than most other claw arcades and they sometimes extend their hours into the wee hours too based on demand.

7. They give you bags that are like backpacks for free to bag your winnings.

8. Their store is very clean, organized, and aesthetically pleasing.

However...

At the Rec Room, you can redeem things like MK, Kate Spade, and Coach purses/wallets, Kate Spade, Swarovski, Pandora, and Disney jewelry, Nintendo Switch (as well as games and controllers), huge legos (i.e. Eiffel Tower, Bowser, Millennium Falcon, Iron Man, etc), Apple watches, Yeti bottles, Bose bluetooth speakers, Robot vacuums, etc. As such, it would be nice if Octo can add some of these types of prizes to their collection of redemption items.

Last but not least, I do hope that they can get some 飛天少女豬事丁 and Banjo Kazooie merchandise! If they can also get a saxophone, flute, cello, and/or a piano keyboard, that would be a dream come true! =D (Speaking as a rusty piano, violin, recorder, and clarinet player lol x_x) I also asked for a Zojirushi or Tiger water boiler previously but it's not necessary anymore, as I've already gotten it elsewhere =D

TL;DR - I recommend this claw arcade as they have generous packages for VIP members and they frequently have great deals...

07-25-2025 - update The store owner replied to this review and added generic information that is not true at all. More reason to not recommend to go here*

Shady business practices!

⭐ 1-Star Review: Octo Zone Refused to Honor Groupon Deal – Avoid This Business

I purchased a Groupon deal for Octo Zone, expecting a fun and easy experience. Instead, I was met with complete disregard and zero accountability.

When I arrived to redeem the Groupon, Octo Zone flat-out refused to honor it. No apology, no attempt to resolve it—just, “It’s not our problem. Contact Groupon.” And yet, the exact same deal I purchased is still live and active on Groupon’s site as I write this review. This is misleading, unethical, and incredibly frustrating.

Let me break it down for those searching: • ✅ The Groupon for Octo Zone is still listed and available to buy. • ❌ Octo Zone does NOT accept the Groupon, even if it’s valid and paid for. • ❌ Staff took no responsibility for the issue. • ❌ I was told to “deal with it myself.” • ❌ No effort was made to provide a solution or alternate experience.

🚫 Warning to Anyone Considering Octo Zone:

If you’re planning to visit Octo Zone based on a Groupon deal – don’t waste your money. You’ll likely be turned away and left to deal with the hassle of chasing down a refund through Groupon support.

📉 Poor Customer Service & Shady Business Practice:

This type of behavior shows a lack of professionalism and integrity. If Octo Zone no longer wants to honor Groupon deals, they should remove the listing instead of letting people spend their money and be disappointed at the door.

🔎 Searchers Beware – Relevant Keywords: • Octo Zone Groupon scam • Octo Zone Groupon not accepted • Groupon deal refused Octo Zone • Octo Zone review • Bad Groupon experience at Octo Zone • Octo Zone customer service issue • Octo Zone refund policy

⸻

Final Verdict: ⭐ 1 out of 5. I would leave -10 stars if possible. Octo Zone has lost my trust completely. This experience was disappointing and unnecessary. Until they fix their Groupon situation and start treating customers with respect, I highly recommend avoiding...

genuinely upsetting.

my partner and i went in not expecting much and was really excited to just have fun and maybe win a few things. we aren’t from toronto and live 1-2 hours out so we thought maybe octozone would be a fun place to have fun, and maybe win something while we’re at it.

despite my high hopes, i was slapped in the face with disappointment and unapologetic attitude to my partner and i.

the claws give out easily and a lot of the machines take 4 coins each (it is $20 for 25 tokens, which is pretty average); however it wasn’t the price i was displeased with.

the problem came to the big cutting machines that cost 5 coins to play. my partner and i thought at the time we would give the machines a chance in hopes to win the plushies to trade in! we used almost all of our tokens to win two big plush because we thought the payout would be worth it. after all, there were no signs saying they couldn’t be traded in… so surely we can do that (like with everything else in the whole building), right?

nope!

after spending all of our tokens and asking if there was ANYTHING we can do to even get our money’s worth, they showed no sympathy and just said “no”. i’ve been to octozone before, and this isn’t my first time, but after this experience, there definitely won’t be a next time.

my partner and i ended up leaving one of the big plush there because there is simply no way we can carry that thing all the way back to our house when we live so far away.

do NOT go here. the staff don’t care, even when we give them business. we spent money and walked out with two things.

if you don’t mind travelling, don’t waste your money here, just go a bit further and go to Claw and...