Show up and play
$40 entry per night. Play both games. Points are awarded pyramid-style: 15 for 1st, 12 for 2nd, 10 for 3rd, 9 for 4th, 8 for 5th, plus 5 points just for playing. Your best 4 of 6 weeks count.
The competitive league
Season One Is Rolling
A US competitive league for the classic arcade games we all grew up on.
The mission is simple: get parents and children playing against each other, enjoying the same arcade battles we all loved as kids. Season play runs through three separate roads — online qualifiers, bar qualifier nights, and partner events — each feeding regional championships, and then one national final, where a $25,000 prize pool is on the line.
$200 in prizes, guaranteed — paid that night. The night runs when 12 players are in; under 12, the night doesn't run.
The format
Six weeks. One night a week. Two games a night.
Each season runs six weeks at every host venue. One qualifier night per week. Two games per night — one head-to-head, one high-score — rotating so every game plays twice a season.
Top 8 to regionals
After six weeks, the top 8 players at each venue advance to the regionals. Regions feed one national final. Already-qualified players pass their spot to the next finisher — nobody holds two regional slots.
Where the $40 goes
$200 in guaranteed prizes every night: $100 for 1st, $60 for 2nd, $40 for 3rd. Paid out no matter how many players show up. 12-player minimum per night. $15 of every entry feeds the $25,000 finals prize pool. The rest keeps the league running. The venue keeps 100% of food and drink.
The Contender is the league's tournament box, shipped to every host venue with all six games loaded. We run the night through our own systems — signups, brackets, scoring, and payouts are handled by the National Arcade Championship, not by venue staff. Nobody from our team comes out unless the venue is local to Charlotte or Greenville, SC — everywhere else, the night runs through our systems with the gear on site.
Three roads to the final
Pick your road. Every road ends at regionals.
Online qualifiers, bar qualifier nights, and partner events are three separate paths. Each one feeds the regional championships directly — none of them feeds into another.
Bar qualifier nights
Six-week seasons at host venues. $40 entry per night, $200 in guaranteed prizes every night, top 8 at each venue advance to regionals. This is the road the prize pool is built on — $15 of every entry goes straight into the finals pool.
Online qualifiers
Free to enter, played from home on start.gg. One game a week, all six games in a row: Street Fighter 2 (Oct 26–Nov 1), Mortal Kombat II (Nov 2–8), NBA Jam TE (Nov 9–15), Ms. Pac-Man (Nov 16–22), Galaga (Nov 23–29), and Frogger (Nov 30–Dec 6). Top finishers advance to regionals. Because online entry is free, players who advance owe regional dues of $160 — the same cost as a bar season — payable when they reach regionals.
Partner events
Qualifiers hosted inside partner shows and events across the country. Play there, place there, and your road runs to the same regionals and the same national final.
Regionals
Three regionals. Real arcade machines.
Season One regionals run at host shows across the country, played on real arcade machines. The top 8 players from each venue's season advance to a regional, and the road ends at one national final after October 2027.
Pick your road to regionals.
Fire & Ice RGX
Sacramento, California · June 2027. A locked Season One regional host.
Southern-Fried Gaming Expo
Atlanta, Georgia · July 16–18, 2027. The confirmed Southeast Regional.
Youmacon
Detroit, Michigan · October 2027. A committed Season One regional host.
Open qualifier at every regional
The day before each regional, the host show runs an open qualifier on the show floor — $40 entry, open to anyone at the show, and spots are limited. The top 2 finishers in each game advance into the regional the next day.
The finals prize pool
$25,000 on the line at the national final.
No sponsor bankrolls this pool — the players build it themselves. $15 of every $40 bar entry goes into the pool. Online players who reach regionals pay $160 in regional dues into it. The running total will be posted here as it climbs, fed by entries all season long, and paid out at one national final.
Licensing partners
Your games, played the way they were meant to be.
The National Arcade Championship is a family tournament built around classic arcade games. We only run a title with the publisher's written permission. Nothing goes on our schedule without it.
What publishers get
Your game in front of parents who grew up on it and kids discovering it for the first time, playing side by side. Your name and artwork used only the way you approve. A published entry structure with league-paid prizes — full terms shared up front, nothing hidden.
Venues
Fill a night with players who stay and spend.
The box ships to your location and connects to your TVs, and we run the tournament night through our systems — registration, brackets, scoring, and payouts. Works for bars, arcades, and under-21 venues. No nightly fees, and you keep 100% of food and drink.
Sponsors
Be the name on the machine.
The league puts your brand in front of families, with parents and kids playing each other at the same cabinet. Sponsorship starts when the league opens.
Contact
Talk to us
nationalarcadechampionship@gmail.com
Not competing? We bring the same arcade to arcade birthday parties, company events and bar nights — hosted at your place, within 3 hours of Fletcher, NC.