4-player arcade machines

Updated Oct 1, 2026 · By Retro Field Guide research team

Seventeen listings in our catalog state 4 players. Full-size arcade cabinets run from a £472 flat-pack kit to a $3,699 prebuilt, and complete machines with a screen and games start at $2,299 (one sold-out $895 cabinet from The Arcade Guys is the exception). Assembled cabinets without a screen or games start at $1,195 from Rec Room Masters.

No mass-market maker in our listings sells a full-size 4-player cabinet. Arcade1Up's machines state 1 or 2 players where they state a count, and Numskull's 4-player machines are quarter-scale collectibles. Four players at full size means a custom builder, a premium maker, or a kit.

4-player arcade machines compared

"Starting at" means the price rises with options. "Bring your own games" means no games or computer are included. The date is when we read the price.

The other three listings that state 4 players are not full-size arcade cabinets:

• 4-player cabinet design plans on Etsy: $37.08, a digital download, as listed on September 30, 2026 (moderate confidence).
• Numskull's quarter-scale TMNT and Turtles in Time Quarter Arcades, £249.99 each on Numskull's UK site on September 30, 2026. These are small collectibles.
• The VPCabs Ultra VP, a virtual pinball cabinet with a 48-inch OLED playfield, $9,895 at Game Room Shop on September 30, 2026.

How the prices split

• £472 to $880: kits. You assemble the cabinet and supply the screen, controls (Knockout) or controls and computer.
• $1,195: assembled, bring your own screen and games. The Rec Room Masters 4P comes with a pre-wired controller with IL competition joysticks and Cherry or ZF microswitches, per its page.
• $2,299 to $3,699: complete machines. Screen, computer and a game library included. The sold-out $895 Basic Arcade is the one cheaper complete machine in the list.

Upright, cocktail or detachable panel for four

Four players need a wide control panel, and the cabinet shape decides where everyone stands or sits.

• Upright. Twelve of the fourteen full-size machines, counting the two kits. Four players stand shoulder to shoulder at one wide panel facing one screen. This is the arcade layout of four-player brawlers and sports games. See upright cabinets.
• Cocktail table. One machine, the Dream Arcades Cocktail 20. Players sit around a table with the screen facing up. Its page lists a flush-mounted trackball and lighted utility buttons; check the seating layout with the maker. See cocktail tables.
• Detachable module. The Polycade Sente uses a slim cabinet with a swappable 4-player control module (four 8-way joysticks, 32 play buttons, 12 function buttons and 4 cupholders, per Polycade). The module is 44.75 inches wide and weighs 38 pounds on its own.

None of the listings that state 4 players is a pedestal.

Control panel width and room size

For four players, panel width is the number that matters most, and many pages do not state it separately. Here is what the listings give:

Metric sizes are converted from the maker's figures. If you are building your own panel, Game Room Solutions sells a control panel builder kit whose 4-player size is 37.75 inches wide, against 27.25 inches for its 2-player size. That gap, about 10 inches, is roughly what two extra players add.

Room planning, step by step:

1. Take the panel or cabinet width and add space at each end so the outside players are not against a wall.
2. Add standing room behind the panel for four people side by side.
3. Check depth. The Creative Arcades 4P is 43.75 inches deep; the Arcade Guys and Quality Arcades cabinets are 23 to 24 inches.
4. Check height against your ceiling and doorways. The TAG 55" is 79 inches tall.

Licensing on 4-player machines

Most complete 4-player machines in our catalog, the VPCabs pinball cabinet included, show "Game licensing not stated": they ship with a game library and make no licensing statement. The two Dream Arcades machines are the exceptions. The Vision 40 shows "Licensed, per the maker", and its listing says its over 300 licensed games come on original discs. The Cocktail 20 shows "Official titles named, licensor not stated". The Numskull Quarter Arcades show "Official titles named, licensor not stated". The kits, the plans and the assembled Rec Room Masters cabinet include no games, so they show "Bring your own games".

These labels report what each product page says. We do not judge them beyond that. See how we label game licensing.

Which 4-player machine fits

Based on the stated specs:

• Lowest cost, and you like building: the Knockout Arcades kit at £472, or the Rec Room Masters kit at $880 with a 32-inch screen limit.
• Assembled, with your own screen and computer: the Rec Room Masters 4P at $1,195.
• Complete and seated: the Dream Arcades Cocktail 20 at $2,299.
• The biggest screen: The Arcade Guys TAG 55", with a 55-inch TV, light guns and a trackball per its page.
• A licensing statement from the maker: the Dream Arcades Vision 40.
• A small footprint when not in use: the Polycade Sente, whose cabinet is 14.5 inches deep.

Narrow it down by budget and room: find your machine. Building instead? See arcade cabinet kits and arcade controls.

Sources

• Maker and seller pages for each listing, as linked from its profile; dates as shown in the table.

Related

• Upright (stand-up) arcade machines
• Cocktail arcade tables
• Arcade cabinet kits
• Arcade joysticks, buttons and encoders
• Rec Room Masters
• The Arcade Guys
• Find your machine