To build an arcade cabinet, choose a cabinet type, get a plan (free to $37.08 in our listings) or a pre-cut kit ($223.99 to $880), build the box, then fit controls, a USB encoder, a screen and a small computer. Most of the decisions happen before you cut anything, so this guide covers the planning.
We have not built one of these cabinets. This is a planning guide drawn from what plan makers and kit sellers publish, with prices read September 30, 2026, or October 1, 2026 where the maker's store was re-read (each listing shows its date). For step-by-step instructions, follow your plan maker's own guide; we link to them below.
1. Pick a cabinet type and size
The type sets everything after it: how much wood, what size screen, how many players.
| Type | Typical height in our data | Players | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upright | About 66 to 72 in | 2 to 4 | The classic stand-up shape. Needs about 2 sheets of 3/4" MDF, per The Cabinet Craftsmen |
| Bartop | 28 in, or smaller for mini builds | 1 to 2 | Sits on a table or counter. About 1 sheet of MDF |
| Cocktail table | 28 in | 2, facing each other | Screen faces up. About 1.5 sheets |
| Cabaret | 54 in for one kit in our listings | 1 to 2 | A shorter upright with a smaller screen |
The heights come from published dimensions. The Cabinet Craftsmen plan draws its upright at 72 inches and its bartop and cocktail table at 28 inches. Flat-pack uprights in our listings run 168.5 cm (about 66 in) for Knockout Arcades to 69.38 in for Rec Room Masters. A LEP1Customs cabaret kit stands 54 inches. The smallest plan in our listings, a RetroPie mini bartop, finishes at 280 mm (about 11 in) tall.
Decide the player count now. A 4-player control panel makes the cabinet wider: the Rec Room Masters 4-player cabinet is 36.25 inches wide, and Game Room Solutions' control panel kit is 27.25 inches wide for 2 players and 37.75 inches for 4.
Browse finished examples by shape on the upright and bartop pages.
2. Plans or kit
Plans give you drawings and a cut list. You buy and cut the wood. They suit someone with a workshop.
- Free: A Super Easy Arcade Machine From 1 Sheet of Plywood (Instructables, 15 steps), plus plans from The Cabinet Craftsmen, Holbrook Tech and ArcadeCab.com.
- Paid: The Geek Pub Platinum Edition at $6.99 includes a materials list, drilling templates, an electronics parts list, wiring instructions and a SketchUp file. I Like To Make Stuff sells full-size plans at $24.99 and bartop plans at $9.99. A 4-player design plan on Etsy is $37.08.
- For laser cutters: two Etsy bartop plans at $7.18 and $10 are cutting files (SVG, DXF and similar), not drawings for a table saw.
Kits arrive pre-cut and usually pre-drilled. You assemble them. They suit someone without power tools. The Game Room Solutions kit ($749.99 on sale) says it needs only a screwdriver. Read the "includes" line on every kit: none of the seven we list includes a screen or a computer, and most leave out the controls.
Compare all of them on arcade cabinet plans and arcade cabinet kits. If you are still weighing cost, see build or buy.
3. MDF or plywood
Most plan makers in our data specify MDF.
- The Cabinet Craftsmen call for 3/4" MDF: "affordable, easy to cut, and takes paint beautifully." They allow 1/2" plywood for the back panel.
- Holbrook Tech's free plan uses 3/4" MDF.
- Flat-pack kits from Knockout Arcades and ExtremeHardware use 18 mm and 12 mm MDF, melamine-faced on the Knockout kit. Game Room Solutions uses melamine.
- The Instructables plan builds from a single sheet of plywood.
MDF is heavy and does not like water, and its cut edges need sealing before paint. Plywood is lighter and stronger at the screws but shows its grain. If your plan names a material, use it: the cut list and joints are designed around that thickness.
4. Controls: joysticks, buttons and the encoder
A control set has three parts.
- Joysticks. Most kits ship 8-way joysticks with a 5-pin connector. Japanese-style sticks such as the Sanwa JLF ($24.75) and the Seimitsu LS-32 ($31.95 at Paradise Arcade Shop) are sold on their own.
- Buttons. Usually 30 mm for play buttons and 24 mm for start and coin buttons. Check that your panel holes match the button size before you drill.
- Encoder. The board that turns button presses into a USB signal the computer understands. Budget kits use "zero-delay" USB encoders, which appear to the computer as a game controller. Keyboard encoders such as the Ultimarc I-PAC2 ($39) appear as a keyboard.
Complete control sets in our listings cost $19.99 to $24.99 for one player (Thunder Stick Studio, EG STARTS) and $41.99 to $44.99 for two (ArcadeModUp, Easyget). A one-player Sanwa set is $69.99. Trackballs and spinners are extra: Ultimarc lists the U-Trak trackball at $79 and the SpinTrak spinner at $62. See all of them under arcade controls.
5. Screen and computer
Screen. Choose it before you build. Kits are sized for a maximum screen: 27 inches for the Knockout Arcades and ExtremeHardware uprights, 32 inches for Rec Room Masters, Game Room Solutions and the LEP1Customs LVL32 bartop. A VESA mount (75 or 100 mm on the Knockout kit) holds a standard monitor or TV. Buy the screen first and measure it, bezel included.
Computer. Two common choices:
- A single-board computer, such as a Raspberry Pi. Small, cheap and low-power. Several plans and kits name it; the RetroPie mini bartop plan is sized around one.
- A small PC. More power for later and heavier games, at a higher price. Game Room Solutions sells one as a $499.99 add-on.
Software. A cabinet needs a front-end menu and the programs that run the games. MAME, the best-known arcade emulator, is free, open-source software; its developers state that game ROM images are copyrighted and need the copyright holder's permission to distribute (mamedev.org). For a DIY cabinet, supply games you own, or use licensed collections and free software, including homebrew games released by their authors. We do not link to game download sites. If you want licensed games included, look at prebuilt cabinets and their licensing labels.
6. Wiring overview
Arcade wiring for a modern build is mostly plug-in. In the control kits we list:
- Each joystick connects to the encoder with a 5-pin cable.
- Each button connects with a 2-pin cable. LED buttons use a second pair for the light.
- The encoder connects to the computer by USB.
- The computer connects to the screen by HDMI, and to the speakers.
- One power strip inside the cabinet feeds the screen, computer, speakers and marquee light, with a single switch outside.
Two control kits state that no soldering is needed: Maker Shed's, and Thunder Stick Studio's, which needs "no soldering, wire cutting, or other complex technical work." Some single joysticks are different: the Seimitsu LS-32 listing says its harness is sold separately. The Geek Pub plan includes wiring instructions.
7. Assembly order
Your plan's own instructions come first. A typical order:
- Buy the screen and controls, and confirm their sizes against the plan.
- Cut, or unpack and check, every panel against the cut list.
- Dry-fit the box with no glue.
- Drill the control panel. Test a button and the joystick in their holes.
- Glue and screw the cabinet together.
- Seal and paint, then fit T-molding if your design uses it.
- Mount the screen, computer, speakers and power strip.
- Wire the controls to the encoder and test every button on the computer.
- Fit the marquee, plexiglass and art last.
8. Planning mistakes to avoid
These are checks drawn from what plans and kits leave out, not lessons from our own build.
- Assuming "complete kit" means complete. Read the includes line. Knockout Arcades states its kit has no T-molding. No kit we list includes a screen.
- Buying the screen last. Every kit has a maximum size.
- Drilling before the controls arrive. Button sizes vary (24 mm, 28 mm, 30 mm).
- Ignoring the doorway. Check the assembled cabinet fits through your door and up your stairs. Flat packs ship in pieces for this reason.
- Skipping a dry fit. Glue makes mistakes permanent.
- Forgetting ventilation and access. The computer needs air, and you will need a way in. Rec Room Masters builds in a hinged front door; Knockout Arcades uses a hinged control panel.
- Leaving out the games budget. A DIY cabinet comes with no games.
Tools
Kits need the least: a screwdriver for Game Room Solutions, and wood glue and a screwdriver for the LEP1Customs cabaret kit, per each seller. Woodworking plans need tools to cut sheet goods; The Cabinet Craftsmen list a saw and basic woodworking tools to cut MDF per their cut list. Laser-cut plans need a laser cutter. The 8BitDo Arcade Stick, if you mod it, needs a Torx T10 screwdriver. Most other sellers do not state tools at all.
Where to go for step-by-step builds
- The Geek Pub arcade cabinet plans, with templates and wiring instructions.
- I Like To Make Stuff, whose free blog post documents a full-size build with tools and supplies per stage.
- Instructables: A Super Easy Arcade Machine From 1 Sheet of Plywood.
- The Cabinet Craftsmen blueprint, with a cut list for three styles.
- Your kit maker's assembly instructions. Rec Room Masters, Knockout Arcades and ExtremeHardware all state instructions are included.
Not sure building is for you? Answer a few questions in find your machine and compare kits with prebuilt cabinets.
Sources
- The Cabinet Craftsmen, DIY arcade cabinet blueprint: https://thecabinetcraftsmen.com/diy-arcade-cabinet-blueprint/ (checked September 30, 2026)
- Holbrook Tech, full-size arcade 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)
- MAME project, About MAME: https://www.mamedev.org/about.html (checked October 1, 2026)
- Ultimarc, U-Trak and SpinTrak: https://www.ultimarc.com/trackballs-and-spinners/trackballs/u-trak/ and https://www.ultimarc.com/trackballs-and-spinners/spinners/spintrak/ (checked September 30, 2026)
- Paradise Arcade Shop, Seimitsu LS-32-01: https://paradisearcadeshop.com/products/seimitsu-ls-32-01-joystick (checked September 30, 2026)
- Thunder Stick Studio, GRS LED DIY kit: https://thunderstickstudio.com/products/grs-led-single-player-arcade-diy-kit (checked September 30, 2026)
- Game Room Solutions, control panel builder: https://gameroomsolutions.com/shop/arcade-control-panel-builder/ (checked September 30, 2026)
- LEP1Customs, LVL23PC cabaret kit: https://store.lep1customs.com/products/54-tall-pandora-s-box-and-lvl2go-ready-cabaret-arcade-cabinet-kit-w-marquee-holder-flat-pack-mdf-easy-to-assemble-lvl23pc (checked September 30, 2026)
- I Like To Make Stuff, arcade cabinet build: https://iliketomakestuff.com/arcade-cabinet/ (checked September 30, 2026)
