3 September 2023
Eat, drink and race in a world’s first F1 experience at F1 Arcade London. Embark on a journey from rookie to elite in a true F1 experience where beginners can race alongside the pros in a true simulated environment, where everyone has a chance to become a F1 champion.
Whether you wish to take on one of the 69 full motion simulators, grab some of food or get a drink with a friend, F1 Arcade London has you covered in a true social gaming environment. Time to buckle up and get in the fast lane as you can take on one of the many game modes with other competitors or friends & family to see who can be the true victor.
This all new experience can only be found in London currently but with the popular venue taking off, you will soon be able to see this in Birmingham later in 2023 and reaching Bostin in 2024! Until then, you have to head over to the City of London, located near St Paul’s Cathedral and in a busy, classy shopping centre.
We found the venue easy by using the tube system in London and Google Maps, with it fitting in with the sleak shopping centre. Experiences can be booked at the venue but as always with any experience in London, you are always best to book online to get the best value and options.
At F1 Arcade London, there is plenty to do. From the side games, to food & drink to of course the main event, the F1 simulators.
First impressions & Options
When entering the venue, the first thing you notice is how much space they have and how big the venue actually is. They have more than enough seating here, regardless if your party is 2 or 20, they have you covered. You have a large bar, a reception desk to check in, 69 simulators spread out as well as other minigames you can check out.
Other key points to note is when the F1 is on the TV, F1 Arcade comes alive as they host Watch Parties. This allows you to watch the race at the venue with it having an electric atmosphere. With large screens and everything F1 related, we can’t think of a more perfect place to watch the main event than right here, with a bar and venue dedicated to the sport.
With an F1 Arcade, soon to have 4 racing modes on the F1 Simulators and DJ’s and other events happening pretty regularly, this London venue is the place for any F1 fan and driving fan to visit.
The main event – F1 Simulators
Getting into the main event, which is of course the F1 Simulators, the venue hosts 69 of these in several different rooms. There are a few options that come with these, which we will get into.
You can get into a team racing session, which is perfect for groups of 6 and more. Groups are then split depending on the amount of players with each team getting their own simulator. You can then race, score points and whilst the driver does everything they can, the rest of the team can cheer alongside them whilst enjoying food & drink!
The next mode is the head to head racing, this is perfect for teams for 5 drivers and under. You can opt in for 3 races that last 30 minutes of 5 races that last around 45 minutes, as you battle it out to see who is the best driver after all. Except the computers, it’s just you and your friends on the track, so everything is to play for in this intense match up.
The next two modes are brand new and have yet to be released to the public. These being the All Venue racing and the Grand Prix session. The All Venue racing will put you into a grade depending on your skill and rating between 1-9 and put you up against similar skilled drivers as you battle it out with them. Where the Grand Prix mode is a 25 minute session where you have a qualifier before the main event, seeing who can make strategery work out and if you can achieve a podium finish. Both these modes will be time & date restricted, so more on these modes can be found on the website.
Our F1 Experience
Our experience was to race in the head to head mode. We had a team of 4 of us which fit perfectly for this style and upon entering the building, we reported to reception who then advised us the next steps, You are then told your zone and which simulators you will be racing on and at the time of your booking, a QR code will show up on the screens and you would need to scan this to get setup.
Here you make an account with the F1 Arcade and setup your driving profile. Once everybody is ready, you are all allocated a random seat within the simulators you have been allocated and need to prepare and get in the racing seat. There is a range of difficulty modes, ranging from beginners through to expert, where it can help you with the breaking through to you being able to use all of the different buttons on the steering wheel. After each race, you can change your difficulty level.
The seats are super comfortable and get you ready for racing. They can move forward & back from the pedals and each seat has speakers in the seat so you can have a true audio experience whilst racing. The racing itself was super intense, every minute you had to be alert as anything could happen with your friends and the computers filling in the empty spaces. The first race took some adjusting to but by our last race, everybody was giving it 100% to try and finish in the top 3, and trust us, it’s not easy. With how intense the full on the experience is, you get fully immersed into the race and get stuck into the racing world, well for the 6 minute race anyway!
Food & Drink
With any social gaming venue, food & drink plays a big part as much as the main event. F1 Arcade do not disappoint and have a lot on offer, from snacks and classic drinks through to signature cocktails and a full tasty menu. Food & drink can be ordered at the bar but you can also use the QR code which is on every table to get in delivered to your table if you so wish. They also have a team walking around taking orders.
With the food, they have a range of sharing plates, tacos, flatbreads, burgers, salads and much more. Everything on the food menu is priced reasonable with a meal costing anywhere around £10-£15, with the most expensive menu choice being the wagyu beef burger. With the wide range, you will find something for everyone and even if you don’t fancy a big meal, they have snacks on offer too.
For the drinks, there is a large selection on offer and will again settle everyone’s request for whatever occasion you are trying to have here. They have a range of signature cocktails with great F1 names and puns, such as Undertake & Box Box Box, all created by professional bartenders and served up pretty quickly from order to delivery. Prices fall in line with similar social gaming venues and other London bars.
F1 Arcade is a premium social gaming experience which is perfect for anyone who is competitive through to an F1 fans dream. The venue is dedicated to the F1 sport and everywhere you look, it has fresh styling and features which gives homage to the F1 life. If it isn’t the food & drink that would be perfect to have during one of the watch parties they host, through to just a great casual stop off after work or on the weekend, the simulators really add that thrilling element and a wish to come back.
We really enjoyed our time to the F1 Arcade and on our visit, we caught the end of the Hungarian event, meaning they still had a DJ on playing music across the whole venue giving it a lively atmosphere. All of the team were super helpful during our visit and whilst it was lively, there was still more than enough seating and no queues.
A huge thank you to the team at F1 Arcade who worked with us during our visit and provided us a complimentary experience in return of our review & content. This has not changed our opinion of the experience and all opinions above are our own.
Prices start from £15.95 per person for 3 races and there is different options available, such as the 5 race package. They do take large group and private event bookings and have exclusive spaces for this, which looked premium and would be perfect for a work outing. During the summer, they are opening 7 days a week from 10am till late, usually 11pm most days or 1am on Thursdays through to Saturday.
Is F1 Arcade sound something like you’d like to experience? Let us know over on our socials.
@thrillnation A paradise for formula one fans… do you want to go!? #f1arcade #formula1 #racing #simulator #london #uk #challenge ♬ Formula 1 Theme - Brian Tyler
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