Whether it’s video gaming, board gaming, or even playing sports like golf, there are lots of entertainment possibilities for a night with friends. And, thanks to Sheffield’s ties to the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield has a young population, which tends to favour activity-based evenings. You don’t have to travel far to find a licensed board gaming café, a video game arcade pub, or an indoor crazy golf centre with a bar.
Gaming Nights
Gaming nights are popular with people of all ages and with different tastes. They allow friends to socialise, chat, and meet up while offering activities to keep everybody entertained. Options include staying home to play board games or to enjoy friendly but competitive poker nights. If you can’t all get together, online poker rooms and casinos can be a good alternative, including casinos not on Gamstop.
These sites offer easier access as well as improved privacy for players, while offering a huge selection of games for players to choose from.
1. Boom Battle Bar
Boom Battle Bar is open Thursday to Sunday nights and has a wide variety of games and activities that are ideal for friends or dates. Options include axe throwing and beer pong, crazy golf, pool, and shuffleboard.
Digital game lovers will appreciate the augmented reality darts while digital beer pong can even include a pitcher of beer or prosecco for the table to share. Prices vary according to the games you want to play, but all options are reasonably priced, so you can enjoy a fun-packed evening without breaking the bank.
2. Cheap Dates
Cheap Dates happily bills itself as a dive bar. It has a late license so is open until 2AM every weekend night, and as well as very reasonably priced drinks, the venue also has a good selection of bar games for people to choose from.
Alternatively, your group can take its own table games to play while enjoying the atmosphere.
3. Extra Life Gaming Lounge
Extra Life Gaming Lounge isn’t strictly a pub, it is a lounge, but it does offer beer, so it definitely counts. Visitors can also enjoy milkshakes and burgers while enjoying access to modern games consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X, as well as some classic retro consoles.
Prices are reasonable, and if you’re planning a special event, you can hire the whole venue and all of its games for a night.
4. Firepit Rocks
Firepit Rocks offers pretty much everything. There’s barbecued food, low-priced cocktails, and a dance floor. And, there are gaming booths that have in-built consoles featuring more than 8,500 classic gaming titles. There are regular gaming events and promotions, including Friday night FIFA tournaments, too.
Visitors should book gaming booths to make sure they’re not disappointed but, once booked, you can enjoy cocktails, wings, and gaming all night long.
5. Gameshow Allstars
Gameshow Allstars has cocktails and a well-stocked bar, as well as gaming. However, it is a little different from the usual arcade bar or board gaming café. The games on offer are based on gameshow-style games and are included in the feature bar.
This venue is less about private game competitions and more about performing, as most of the games draw crowds of people waiting for their turns. If you’re competitive, and enjoy a drink while playing classic gameshow games, you won’t find a better place to spend an evening.
6. Picture House Social
Picture House Social has everything from a unique venue to a dedicated ping pong hall and a stocked bar. The venue is in an underground ballroom, which gives the whole place the feel of a speakeasy.
There’s music and food, as well as regular entertainment, but for the gamers, enjoying a few drinks and taking on friends at the ping pong table is going to be a major draw.
7. Shuffle Shack
Shuffle Shack is also found in the old ballroom, and rather than table tennis tables, it has full-sized shuffleboard courts. Commonly seen on cruise ships, shuffleboard should be enjoying a resurgence in popularity and effectively plays like curling but without the ice.
The company says shuffleboard is easy to learn but difficult to master, even without considering cocktail consumption. With ping pong and shuffleboard, the ballroom is a great place to spend an evening.
8. Roxy Ball Room
Roxy promises booze and ball games which makes it a good choice for a night of gaming and socialising. Obviously, it features pool, but you’ll also find crazy pool, which combines crazy golf and pool.
There’s also shuffleboard, basketball, ice-free curling, ping pong, bowling, and beer pong. If you’ve had your fill of games for the night, Roxy Ball Room also has karaoke, and there’s a good selection of food and drinks available for visitors. Roxy Ball Room, which opened in Sheffield a couple of years ago, is part of a chain that also has venues in Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, and other UK cities.
9. Golf Fang
Golf Fang is an indoor gold centre. There are different courses available, but all of them are surrounded by incredible art. There’s also a DJ and cocktails, to help ensure you have a memorable night, even if your golf game isn’t on par.
10. The Great Escape Game
The Great Escape Game might not sound like a gaming pub, but not only does it feature a host of different escape rooms, in different genres and styles, but it also has an on-site bar and kitchen. And, the Great Escape Game is close to the city centre so the fun doesn’t have to finish once you manage to escape.
Escape rooms are exciting and offer plenty of entertainment, but you can typically only play a room once – fortunately, The Great Escape Game does change up its games regularly enough to keep it unique and entertaining.
11. The Treehouse Board Game Café
The Treehouse Board Game Café claims to be Sheffield’s first board gaming café. It has more than 800 board games, including some classics as well as modern board gaming titles. Staff are happy to help visitors choose games and even give a quick teach on some of the simpler games.
The café serves ice cream and snacks, and it is licensed, offering draught craft beer and cocktails to adult gamers. If you find a game you enjoy, you might also be able to buy a copy from the café before you leave.
