Building an arcade cabinet is cheaper than buying one only if you already own a screen, a computer and the tools. Once you have to buy those too, a full-size build typically costs the same as a prebuilt cabinet, and a prebuilt machine like an Arcade1Up Deluxe ($499.99) also comes with games.
That is the short answer. The rest of this guide shows the numbers behind it, all taken from the listings we track. Each price links to its listing, where the date we read it is shown: maker store prices were re-read October 1, 2026, and the rest are from September 30, 2026. We have not built or owned these machines. Where time and difficulty come up, we report what the seller says, and most sellers say nothing.
The short answer, with numbers
| Path | What it costs in our listings | What you still need |
|---|---|---|
| Plans only | Free to $37.08 | Wood, controls, screen, computer, paint, tools, time |
| Controls only | $19.99 to $129.99 | A cabinet (or a box), screen, computer |
| Complete cabinet kit | $223.99 to $880, plus one UK kit at £472 | Controls (in most kits), screen, computer, sometimes T-molding |
| Prebuilt machine | $129.99 to $9,895 | Nothing for most; some ask you to bring the screen or the games |
For prebuilt prices by size and type, see how much an arcade machine costs. The prebuilt range is wide because it covers everything from a 7-inch countertop machine to a 40-inch, four-player cabinet. A fair comparison sets full-size against full-size. The cheapest full-size prebuilt cabinets in our listings are the Arcade1Up Deluxe line at $499.99, for example the Pac-Man Deluxe with a 17-inch screen and 14 named Bandai Namco games. It was available on Arcade1Up's store at $499.99 as of October 1, 2026.
The three DIY paths
1. Plans: free to $37.08
Plans are drawings, cut lists or laser-cutting files. You buy every part yourself. The ten plans in our listings:
- Four free plans: A Super Easy Arcade Machine From 1 Sheet of Plywood on Instructables, The Cabinet Craftsmen blueprint (upright, bartop and cocktail), the Holbrook Tech full-size plan and ArcadeCab.com's plans.
- The Geek Pub Arcade Cabinet Plans (Platinum Edition): $6.99 on sale. Includes a materials list, drilling templates, an electronics parts list and wiring instructions.
- RetroPie Mini Bartop CNC plans on Etsy: $7.18, for a laser cutter.
- I Like To Make Stuff Bartop Arcade plans: $9.99.
- Bartop lasercut files on Etsy: $10, for a laser cutter.
- I Like To Make Stuff full-size Arcade Cabinet plans: $24.99.
- 4-player cabinet design plans on Etsy: $37.08.
The plan is the cheapest line item. The parts are where the money goes. The Cabinet Craftsmen, a plan publisher, puts a "budget build" at $205 to $370 and a "quality build" at $550 to $930 in parts, before tools (their blueprint page, checked September 30, 2026). Their budget figure assumes a used monitor at $0 to $50 and a $50 to $80 computer.
2. Complete cabinet kits: $223.99 to $880
A kit is a pre-cut cabinet, usually flat-packed. You assemble it. "Complete" refers to the wood, not the machine. None of the seven kits we list includes a screen or a computer, and most leave out the joysticks and buttons.
| Kit | Price | Type | Screen it fits | Controls included? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEP1Customs LVL32 bartop | $223.99 (sale, Etsy) | Bartop, 2 players | Up to 32 in, yours | Not stated; cutouts only |
| LEP1Customs LVL32XP | $355.49 (Etsy) | Bartop, 2 players | Up to 32 in, yours | No; cut for a drop-in game console |
| LEP1Customs LVL23PC cabaret | $384.99 | Cabaret, players not stated | Up to 19 in square or 23 in widescreen, yours | No; cut for a drop-in game console |
| Knockout Arcades 4-player upright | £472 | Upright, 4 players | Up to 27 in, yours | No; no T-molding either |
| ExtremeHardware 2-player upright | From $669.37 (Etsy) | Upright, 2 players | Up to 27 in, yours | No |
| Game Room Solutions 32" kit | $749.99 (sale) | Upright | 32 in, sold separately | No; add-on bundles |
| Rec Room Masters Upright Xtension 4-player | $880 | Upright, 4 players | Up to 32 in, yours | No |
See every kit side by side in arcade cabinet kits.
3. Controls only: $19.99 to $129.99
If you already have a cabinet, an old arcade shell or a sturdy box, you can buy controls alone. A two-player set with joysticks, buttons and USB encoders costs $41.99 (ArcadeModUp) to $44.99 (Easyget). A one-player set with Sanwa parts is $69.99 at RetroArcadeCrafts. The cheapest set is a $19.99 one-player LED kit from Thunder Stick Studio, and a single Sanwa JLF joystick is $24.75 at Focus Attack. At the top, Game Room Solutions' control panel builder kit is $129.99 on sale. Compare them in arcade controls.
Three worked examples
These add up published prices. Shipping, tax and tools are left out.
A cheap bartop. LVL32 kit ($223.99) plus the ArcadeModUp two-player controls ($41.99) comes to $265.98. You still need a screen up to 32 inches and a computer. If a spare TV and a small computer are already in the house, this is far cheaper than any full-size prebuilt cabinet. If they are not, it is not.
A full-size kit, fully kitted out. Game Room Solutions lists its own add-ons for the $749.99 kit: a control kit from $59.99 to $349.99, a "Standard Arcade System or Performance PC" at $499.99, and a 32-inch monitor at $269.99. With the cheapest control kit, that is $1,579.96. With the most expensive, $1,869.96. Prebuilt cabinets in our listings from Rec Room Masters, Quality Arcades and Phantom Arcades sit at $1,095 to $2,199 for a 2-player cabinet. The $1,095 Rec Room Masters cabinet still needs your own monitor and computer.
Same maker, kit or assembled. Rec Room Masters sells the 4-player Upright Xtension both ways. The flat-pack kit is $880, with no controls. The assembled 4-player cabinet is $1,195, with its 4-player controller pre-wired. Neither includes a monitor or a computer. The $315 gap pays for assembly, the controls and the wiring.
The hidden costs
Price lists rarely show these. Budget for them before you compare.
- Screen. No kit includes one. The Game Room Solutions 32-inch monitor add-on is $269.99. The Cabinet Craftsmen budget assumes a used monitor.
- Computer. A small single-board computer or a PC. The Cabinet Craftsmen range is $50 to $80 (budget) and $150 to $300 (quality). Game Room Solutions sells a PC add-on at $499.99.
- Speakers, power strip and cables. The Cabinet Craftsmen allow $15 to $60 for speakers.
- Paint or finish and T-molding. $30 to $100 for paint per The Cabinet Craftsmen. The Knockout Arcades kit states T-molding is not included.
- Tools. The Cabinet Craftsmen plan calls for a saw and basic woodworking tools to cut MDF. The two Etsy bartop plans are cutting files for a laser cutter. Kits need far less: Game Room Solutions says its kit needs a screwdriver only.
- Games. A DIY cabinet comes with no games. You supply games you own, or use licensed and free software. A prebuilt cabinet with a "Licensed, licensor named" label comes with its games included. See how to read our licensing labels.
Time and skill: mostly not stated
This is the honest gap in every price comparison. Most sellers do not state skill level, tools or build time. Of the ten plans and seven kits we list:
- Game Room Solutions states basic skill: "If you can do Ikea style, you can easily do this."
- LEP1Customs' LVL23PC cabaret kit is listed as basic, needing wood glue and a screwdriver.
- Rec Room Masters lists its 4-player kit as intermediate, and the three free full-size plans (The Cabinet Craftsmen, Holbrook Tech, ArcadeCab.com) are listed as intermediate.
- The free Instructables plan describes itself as "extremely easy to build."
- I Like To Make Stuff's own blog build took about three months. That is the maker's project timeline, not an estimate for a buyer.
- Everyone else: not stated.
A kit is an assembly job. A plan is a woodworking project. If you have to buy a table saw or a router to start, the savings are gone.
When buying wins
- You want one specific game, licensed, and working the day it arrives. Pac-Man, Street Fighter II and Sonic cabinets come with named licensed games for $499.99 to $649.99 in our listings.
- You do not own a screen, a computer or power tools.
- You have little time or no space to cut and paint.
- You want a small machine. Countertop models start at $129.99, below the price of most kits.
When building wins
- You already own a screen and a computer, or can reuse a TV.
- You want a size, layout or player count that no prebuilt cabinet offers, such as a 4-player upright for £472 in wood.
- You enjoy the project itself. Many builders do, and that is worth something no price table shows.
- You already own the games you want to play, or plan to use licensed and free software.
Still deciding? The find your machine tool asks about budget, space and players, and shows both prebuilt machines and kits that fit. For the build itself, start with our arcade cabinet planning guide.
Sources
- The Cabinet Craftsmen, DIY arcade cabinet blueprint and budget tiers: https://thecabinetcraftsmen.com/diy-arcade-cabinet-blueprint/ (checked September 30, 2026)
- Game Room Solutions, 32" arcade cabinet kit and add-on prices: https://gameroomsolutions.com/shop/32-arcade-cabinet-kit/ (checked September 30, 2026)
- Rec Room Masters, Upright Xtension 4-player kit: https://recroommasters.com/product/upright-4-player-diy-arcade-cabinet/ and assembled cabinets: https://recroommasters.com/product-category/arcade-machines/ (checked September 30, 2026)
- Arcade1Up, Pac-Man Deluxe: https://arcade1up.com/products/pac-man-deluxe-arcade-game-1 (price read October 1, 2026)
- Holbrook Tech, free full-size cabinet plan: https://holbrooktech.weebly.com/full-size-arcade-cabinet.html (checked September 30, 2026)
- ArcadeCab.com, free MAME cabinet plans: https://www.arcadecab.com/ (checked September 30, 2026)
