Illinois is Home to the Worlds Largest Arcade, And It’s Only Getting Bigger

As I had previously written, I recently had the chance to visit an awesome game creator by the name of Brian Colin. He's the guy who created games like the Rampage series, Spy Hunter, Pigskin, and many other popular arcade games. And we met in an amazing place, the Galloping Ghost Arcade.

Galloping Ghost Arcade is known as the largest arcade in the world. Read that again: the ENTIRE world. Now that I've been there, I can see how no one could come close to the epic dose of nostalgia this place provides to gamers. By the way, the place just keeps growing.

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Well, seeing as I had made the gaming equivalent of a "pilgrimage," I just had to find out and speak with the person who ran the place. Enter Doc Mack, a man so inspired by his early gaming years that he became the true arcade master with over 1,000 arcade games and pinball machines, plus he's even created his own games. Even better, I got to chat with him about all things Galloping Ghost Arcade before losing myself in all of my favorite arcade classics.

The Vision Behind the Ghost

When I sat down with Doc, it was immediately clear that this wasn’t just a business for him: it was a calling. He told me his earliest memory was playing Pong. By the age of five, he was already hooked, grinding away on an Atari 2600 challenge set by his dad and brother to "flip/roll over" the score. That obsession never faded. “There was no other option for me but to work in the gaming field,” he said. After a chance encounter with Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon in the early ’90s, Doc realized how tough breaking into the game industry could be. Instead of letting that discourage him, he decided to learn everything he could. That mindset eventually led to Galloping Ghost Productions, his own development studio, and later the Galloping Ghost Arcade, which opened on Friday the 13th of August, 2010 with 130 rescued machines. Today, the number has exploded past 1,050.

More Than Just an Arcade

Walking through Galloping Ghost is unlike any other gaming experience I’ve ever had. Sure, you’ll find the classics: games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Mario, and Space Invaders. But you’ll also stumble upon rare gems you’ve probably never even seen before, like Primal Rage II, Hammer Away, and a massive Sega R360 cabinet, one of only about a hundred ever made. The kicker? It’s all on free play. Pay your $25 entry fee, and you’re set for the entire day. No tokens. No quarters. No budgeting your fun. Just a sea of machines, humming and glowing, waiting to be played. And here’s the wild part: since opening, the team has added a new game to the floor every single Monday, without fail, for nearly a decade. Some are quick fixes. Others take years of restoration. Some are even prototypes that were never officially released, entrusted to Galloping Ghost by the very developers who made them. Now that's cool!

A Living Museum With Industry Legends

What makes Galloping Ghost even more special is its connection to the very people who built the arcade era. Chicago was home to giants like Williams, Midway, and Gottlieb, and many of the designers who created the games we grew up on still live nearby. As Doc told me, “Larry DeMar was one of the first guys to stop by, and that kind of tipped over the first domino to get Eugene Jarvis out here, then Ed Boon, and it just kept going.” Now, legends like Brian Colin, Jeff Lee (Qbert*), and many others regularly visit to see their games on display, and to watch people continue to play them decades later. For many, it’s the first time they’ve gotten that kind of recognition. Doc makes sure those creators get the spotlight they deserve, too. Their photos and stories line the walls, so when you step into Galloping Ghost, you’re not just playing, you’re connecting with gaming history.

The Ghost Keeps Growing

Even with multiple buildings, separate businesses, and more games than anyone can count in one sitting, Doc isn’t slowing down. Beyond the main arcade, there’s Galloping Ghost Pinball, with 50+ machines not found in the arcade, and Galloping Ghost Productions, where Doc and his team make original arcade games like Dark Presence and Conquering Light. And the mission isn’t just about one location in Brookfield, Illinois. It’s about preserving arcade culture and showing the world that these machines, and the people who made them, still matter. “It just keeps giving,” Doc said, smiling. “We fix a game that hasn’t run in 20 years, put it out, and within minutes someone’s playing it and loving it again.” Check out the full interview with Doc Mack below:

If you grew up spending quarters at your local pizza joint or mall arcade, Galloping Ghost is the ultimate pilgrimage. It’s a living, breathing monument to the golden age of gaming. It's also proof that arcades still have a place in the present. Now, before I get completely lost retelling my own adventures with Asteroids, Mortal Kombat II, and Area 51, let’s dive into what you came here for: a massive gallery of the Galloping Ghost’s machines in all their glory. No, there aren't 1,000 pictures here, but I've picked out some of my favorites and a few rarities to entice you.

If you're an avid video game fan like me, I encourage you to take the trip to Brookfield, IL. Meet Doc Mack if you can and enjoy all the hard work and effort he's put into the Galloping Ghost Arcade. Spend the day and relive those old gaming favorites that time forgot, but Galloping Ghost never did.