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
The League Is Coming
A franchised US competitive league for the classic arcade games we all grew up on.
The mission is simple: get fathers 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.
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. 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.
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.