Game Room Cost by Game: What Each One Actually Costs
A dartboard is the cheapest real game at about $105 for a complete cabinet set. A three-piece slate pool table starts around $2,100 plus $300 to $600 for delivery and professional levelling. A full size four-player arcade cabinet is about $3,200 and a new pinball machine about $7,000. The costs that never appear on a listing are installation, a stair surcharge, day one accessories and a dedicated circuit.
Every figure here is what the equipment costs, followed by what it costs to actually use it. The second number is the one people miss: a slate pool table has an installation line, an arcade cabinet has a delivery access problem, and almost everything has a day one accessory bill that the listing does not mention.
Anchor games
| Game | Entry | Sensible | High | Extras on day one | Installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dartboard and throw line | $30 | $105 | $240 | $50 to $130 for darts and a surround | None |
| Home arcade cabinet | $150 | $500 | $950 | $70 for a riser | None |
| Poker table | $70 | $250 | $710 | $90 to $150 for chips | None |
| Foosball table | $280 | $500 | $3,100 | Nothing required | None |
| Air hockey table | $600 | $730 | $1,100 | Spare pucks and paddles | None |
| Table tennis table | $330 | $430 | $575 | $30 for paddles and balls | None |
| Bumper pool table | $730 | $730 | $910 | Short cues, often included | None |
| Shuffleboard, 9 to 12 ft | $650 | $1,390 | $2,180 | $70 to $110 for powder and pucks | None |
| Pool table, MDF | $560 | $600 | $800 | $150 to $250 for accessories | Self assembly |
| Pool table, three-piece slate | $2,100 | $2,300 | $3,500 | $150 to $400 for accessories | $300 to $600, plus stairs |
| Arcade cabinet, full size 4-player | $3,200 | $3,200 | $4,050 | $420 for a riser pedestal | Delivery access |
| Alley roller (Skee-Ball) | $1,800 | $1,800 | $4,700 | Nothing required | Delivery access |
| Pinball machine | $990 | $7,000 | $9,700 | Rubbers and bulbs annually | Delivery access |
| Golf simulator bay | $900 | $1,900 | $6,000 | Annual software subscription | 10 ft ceiling |
The listing price is not the price. A three-piece slate table at $2,300 plus $300 to $600 installation plus a stair surcharge plus $150 to $400 of accessories is a $3,000 project. That is not a criticism of slate, it is what the number actually is, and knowing it in advance is the difference between a budget and a surprise.
The supporting cast
A room is not an anchor game. These are the costs that turn one into the other, and the first two are the ones people cut and regret.
| Item | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Table light over a pool table | $120 to $220 |
| Room lighting, recessed cans | $40 to $130 |
| Flooring, per 150 sq ft | $130 to $520 |
| Four bar stools | $100 to $280 |
| Seating for the screen corner | $130 to $800 |
| Soundbar and treatment | $140 to $380 |
| Kegerator or beverage fridge | $190 to $915 |
| Dehumidifier, below grade | $150 to $350 |
| Storage and cue racks | $40 to $240 |
The costs that are not on any product page
| Cost | Typical range | Why it exists |
|---|---|---|
| Slate table delivery and professional setup | $300 to $600 | A three-piece slate table is assembled and levelled in the room. This is not optional and not a DIY job. |
| Stairs or tight-turn surcharge | $50 to $200 | Most installers charge extra per flight, and slate sections run 150 to 250 lb each. |
| Re-cloth at install (colour change) | $300 to $500 | Cheaper to do while the table is already apart than as a separate visit later. |
| Room-to-room or house move of an existing table | $250 to $500 | Dismantle, move, reassemble, re-level. Dragging a slate table across a floor cracks slate. |
| Dedicated 20 A circuit for arcade and bar equipment | $200 to $600 | A kegerator, two cabinets and a projector on one basement circuit will trip it. |
| Basement dehumidification | $150 to $350 | Cloth, hardwood cradles and slate shims all move with humidity. This protects the expensive things. |
Complete rooms, for comparison
| Build | Equipment total | Anchor game | Installation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $1,399 | Cabinet dartboard and a 7 ft MDF table | None |
| Small room | $2,635 | Foosball, darts, bartop arcade | None |
| Mid-range | $4,425 | 7 ft three-piece slate | $300 to $600 |
| Family | $4,721 | Air hockey and folding table tennis | None |
| Basement | $5,746 | 7 ft slate, sequenced for below grade | $300 to $600 plus stairs |
| Full buildout | $15,656 | 8 ft slate, shuffleboard, arcade, pinball, bar | $300 to $600 plus $200 to $600 electrical |
Where to spend and where to save
- Spend on the anchor game's bed. Three-piece slate against MDF is the single largest quality decision in this hobby and the one that cannot be upgraded later. Same logic applies to a foosball table's rods and an air hockey table's blower.
- Spend on the light over it. A proper table fixture costs a twentieth of the table and changes how it plays. This is the most common false economy in a game room budget.
- Spend on the floor. It goes down before the table and it is disruptive to change afterwards. See the flooring roundup.
- Save on the second and third games. An arcade cabinet, a dartboard and a folding poker top can all be added later with zero disruption, because none of them needs floor preparation or a clearance band carved out of the plan.
- Save on decor, mostly. A rug, perimeter strip light and a neon sign are under two hundred dollars combined and do most of the work. Past that, decor is decor.
Related
The full narrative version of this is in what a game room actually costs. To price your own combination rather than ours, use the budget planner. The space each of these games needs is in how much space each game needs, since a 7 ft pool table wants 13 ft 6 in by 16 ft 9 in and a 12 ft shuffleboard wants 5 ft 6 in by 16 ft, and cost is only half the decision.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a game room cost?
A complete starter room with a dartboard, a modest table, lighting, flooring and seating is about $1,400 with no installer involved. A mid-range room built around a three-piece slate pool table is about $4,400 plus $300 to $600 for delivery and professional levelling. A full buildout with two anchor games, an arcade cabinet, pinball and a kegerator bar is about $15,700 plus installation and a dedicated circuit.
What is the cheapest game to put in a game room?
A dartboard, and it is not close on any measure. A regulation sisal board is around thirty dollars, a complete cabinet set with darts and a scoreboard is about a hundred, and the whole installation is two anchors and a strip of tape. It also needs a wall rather than a floor, which means it costs nothing in room area, and it gets played more often than anything else in most houses.
What costs are hidden when buying a pool table?
Delivery and professional levelling at $300 to $600, a stairs or tight turn surcharge at $50 to $200, and accessories on day one at $150 to $400 unless the table ships with a genuine kit. If the room is below grade, add a dehumidifier at $150 to $350. None of those appear on a product page and all of them are real, which is why a $2,300 table is a $3,000 project.
Which game gives the most play per dollar?
Darts by a wide margin, then a home arcade cabinet, then table tennis. All three are cheap relative to a table game, all three are played casually rather than requiring a whole evening, and all three work with a wide range of ages and abilities. The most expensive per hour of play is pinball, which is also the most fun per hour, which is the sort of tension this hobby is full of.
Do I need a dedicated electrical circuit for a game room?
Only if refrigeration and arcade equipment are both in the plan. A pool table, a light and a dehumidifier run happily on an existing 15 A basement circuit. Add a kegerator, a beverage fridge and two cabinets and it will trip, because compressors draw a large starting surge. Budget $200 to $600 for a dedicated 20 A circuit and run it while the ceiling is open.
Where should I spend and where should I save in a game room?
Spend on the anchor game bed, the light over it, and the floor, because none of those can be upgraded cheaply later. Save on the accessories, the decor and the second and third games, all of which can be added at any time with no disruption. The most common expensive mistake is spending everything on the table and nothing on the light over it, since an unlit slate table plays worse than a well lit budget one.
Measuring your own room before anything is delivered? The Game Room Layout Planner is the paid version of these pages: 8 printable worksheets you fill in with your own numbers, plus the full PDF, $29.
How we work: we compare published manufacturer dimensions, the governing playing standards for each game, and reviews from owners who live with the equipment. We do not test games in person, and we say so on every page. Clearance figures here are researched guidance for planning a room, not professional advice: measure your own space, and have a slate table delivered, assembled and levelled by an installer rather than moving it yourself.