Cabinet plans · category illustration$7.18List priceModerate confidence
- Bring your own games
- In stock
- Players
- 1
- Cabinet
- Bartop
Checked Sep 30, 2026
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A bartop arcade machine is the top half of an arcade cabinet, screen, marquee and control panel, built to sit on a counter, bar or table. In our catalog, prebuilt bartops run from $599 to $1,399.50, or €499 to €2,249 from the European maker Tiny Arcade Machines. Flat-pack kits run $223.99 to $355.49 and plans $7.18 to $10, read September 30, 2026.
This page puts all three kinds side by side, labeled by kind, then covers how much counter you need and what the licensing labels mean.
Bartop, tabletop or countertop?
People use these words loosely. Here is how we sort them:
- Bartop. A proper cabinet top with an arcade-style control panel. Most in our catalog have a 19- to 32-inch screen and weigh 15 to 65 pounds. This page.
- Countertop (Countercade). A small, light unit with a 7- or 8-inch screen, such as Arcade1Up's Countercades at about 13 inches tall. These have their own page: countertop arcade machines.
- Tabletop. A search term people use for both. If you want something small and cheap, start with countertops. If you want arcade-size controls on a counter, stay here.
Prebuilt bartops compared
Ready to plug in. "Starting at" means the price rises with options. Tiny Arcade Machines prices in euros; we show them as listed rather than convert. The date is when we read the price.
| Machine | Size (H x W x D) | Screen | Players | Games | Licensing label | Price, seller, date read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny Arcade Machines Premium Bartop Plug and Play | 52 x 47 x 41 cm (about 20.5 x 18.5 x 16 in), 18 kg | 19" | 2 | 5,000 | Game licensing not stated | €499 starting at, Tiny Arcade Machines, Oct 1, 2026 |
| Dream Arcades Bartop Minicade | 15 x 11 x 12.75 in, 15 lbs | 8" | Not stated | 250 | Licensed, licensor named | $599 sale, Dream Arcades, Sep 30, 2026 |
| Tiny Arcade Machines Elite 3-XVM | 596 x 298 x 312 mm (about 23.5 x 11.7 x 12.3 in), about 7 kg | 22" | 1 | 1,895 | Game licensing not stated | €989 starting at, Tiny Arcade Machines, Sep 30, 2026 |
| Arcade Imagination 32" Bartop | 30 x 32 x 24 in, about 65 lbs | 32" | Not stated | 10,000 | Game licensing not stated | $1,399.50 list, Arcade Imagination, Oct 1, 2026 |
| Tiny Arcade Machines Elite 127 RAC Plus | 576 x 477 x 415 mm (about 22.7 x 18.8 x 16.3 in), 17.2 kg | 19" | 2 | Not stated | Game licensing not stated | €2,249 starting at, Tiny Arcade Machines, Oct 1, 2026 |
The Dream Arcades Minicade is the outlier. It is much smaller than the others, with an 8-inch screen, and it is the only bartop whose page names its game sources (Atari, Midway, Namco and Digital Leisure game packs). Its page calls it a limited edition of 25.
Two similar machines are filed under other shapes because their pages do not call them bartops: the Creative Arcades 2P Mini 19" LCD (from $1,499 on October 1, 2026, 22"W x 19.5"D x 25.5"H, 37 lbs, 2 players) and the briefcase-style Phantom Arcades Portable Arcade Case ($1,999 starting at on October 1, 2026, 27-inch monitor, 2 players).
Build one: bartop kits and plans
A bartop needs less material and a smaller screen than a full upright, which makes it a smaller first project. Kits ship the cut panels. Plans give you the drawings or cutting files. Either way you supply the screen, controls and computer, so every one here is labeled "Bring your own games".
Kits
| Kit | Kind | Players | Screen supported | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEP1Customs LVL32 Bartop Kit | Cabinet kit, CNC-cut MDF flat-pack | 2 | Up to 32" | $223.99, sale, Etsy |
| LEP1Customs LVL32XP Pandora's Box-Ready Kit | Cabinet kit, cut for a drop-in console | 2 | Up to 32" | $355.49, list, Etsy |
The LVL32 has HAPP-style control cutouts; joysticks and buttons are not included. The LVL32XP is cut to take a 24 x 7.5 inch Pandora's Box-style joystick console, which you buy separately. Neither listing states skill level, tools or build time. See all arcade cabinet kits and controls.
Plans
| Plan | Format | Finished size | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| RetroPie mini bartop CNC plans (Etsy) | PDF instructions and SVG cutting files for 3 mm material | 280 x 200 x 180 mm (about 11 x 7.9 x 7.1 in) | $7.18, Etsy |
| I Like To Make Stuff bartop arcade plans | Digital plans, format not confirmed | Not stated | $9.99, I Like To Make Stuff |
| Bartop laser-cut files (Etsy) | DXF, PDF, EPS and CorelDraw files for 6 mm and 3 mm material | Not stated | $10, Etsy |
Two of the three plans are for laser or CNC cutting, so check you have access to a cutter before you buy. More plans, including full-size uprights, are on the arcade cabinet plans page.
Size on a counter
A bartop's footprint is its width times its depth. Here are the ones with stated dimensions:
| Machine | Width x depth | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Dream Arcades Bartop Minicade | 11 x 12.75 in | 15 in |
| Tiny Arcade Elite 3-XVM | about 11.7 x 12.3 in | about 23.5 in |
| Tiny Arcade Premium Bartop | about 18.5 x 16 in | about 20.5 in |
| Tiny Arcade Elite 127 RAC Plus | about 18.8 x 16.3 in | about 22.7 in |
| Arcade Imagination 32" Bartop | 32 x 24 in | 30 in |
Metric sizes are converted from the maker's figures. Before you buy:
- Measure the counter's depth and compare it with the bartop's. Leave room in front of the control panel for your hands and forearms.
- Check the height under any wall cabinets above the counter.
- Count players. Two people stand shoulder to shoulder at a 2-player panel, so the wider 2-player units suit pairs better. The 1-player Elite 3-XVM is the narrowest here at about 11.7 inches.
- Check the weight, 15 to 65 pounds in this list, against your shelf or table.
If you have floor space instead of counter space, see upright cabinets.
Licensing on bartops
Most bartops in our catalog show "Game licensing not stated": they advertise thousands of games without saying whether those games are licensed. The Dream Arcades Minicade shows "Licensed, licensor named" because its page names the game-pack brands. Kits and plans include no games at all.
These labels report what each product page says and nothing more. See how we label game licensing.
Which bartop fits
Based on the stated specs:
- Smallest footprint with licensed games: Dream Arcades Bartop Minicade.
- Lowest-price prebuilt with a 19-inch screen and 2 players: Tiny Arcade Machines Premium Bartop at a €499 starting price, before shipping.
- Largest screen: Arcade Imagination 32" Bartop, or build an LEP1Customs kit around a monitor up to 32 inches.
- Lowest cost overall: a $7 to $10 plan, if you have the tools and a cutter.
Weighing a kit against a prebuilt? Find your machine by budget, space and players.
Sources
- Tiny Arcade Machines, Arcade Imagination, Creative Arcades and Phantom Arcades product pages, prices read October 1, 2026 (the Elite 3-XVM September 30), as linked from each listing profile.
- Dream Arcades, LEP1Customs (Etsy), I Like To Make Stuff and Etsy plan pages, checked September 30, 2026, as linked from each listing profile.