# FREE PLAY ARLINGTON **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2024-03-13 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2024/03/13/free-play-arlington --- ## Analysis Pinball News visits Free Play Arlington, a five-location Dallas-area arcade chain featuring 28 playable pinball machines in a pay-per-entry ($12.99) free-play format. The venue combines classic and modern pinball titles with arcade video games, food service, and a full bar across two gaming areas. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Free Play is a chain of five arcades located around the Dallas area, with the first being set up in Richardson in 2015 — _Direct statement about company founding and location history_ - [HIGH] The Arlington location at 400 E. South Street opened in 2017 — _Specific venue history provided by review author_ - [HIGH] Entry costs $12+tax ($12.99 inc. tax) per person with all games set on free play — _Pricing structure explicitly stated in review_ - [HIGH] Free Play Arlington features 28 pinball machines — _Complete inventory list provided with exact count_ - [HIGH] Firepower is the oldest machine available at the venue — _Direct statement in review text_ - [HIGH] Jaws is the latest game from Stern Pinball available at the location — _Review notes 'latest game from Stern Pinball' is Jaws in Pro version_ ### Notable Quotes > "All the pinballs we played worked well and without any faults." > — **Pinball News reviewer**, Review body, maintenance section > _Positive assessment of machine maintenance quality at the venue_ > "The $12 (+tax) entry fee is certainly good value if you have a couple of hours or more to spend at Free Play." > — **Pinball News reviewer**, Closing paragraph > _Value assessment of the venue's pricing model for consumers_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Free Play Arlington | organization | Pay-per-entry arcade venue in Arlington, Texas featuring 28 pinball machines and video arcade games | | Free Play (chain) | company | Dallas-area arcade chain with five locations, founded 2015 in Richardson | | Stern Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer; Jaws and The Munsters are among their games available at Free Play Arlington | | Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer; Pirates of the Caribbean is a JJP title available at the venue | | Jaws | game | Latest Stern Pinball title, Pro version available at Free Play Arlington | | The Munsters | game | Stern Pinball Premium model available at Free Play Arlington | | Firepower | game | Oldest pinball machine available at Free Play Arlington | | Texas Pinball Festival | event | Annual event; reviewers visited Free Play Arlington on the way to attend it | | Pirates of the Caribbean (JJP) | game | Jersey Jack Pinball game available at Free Play Arlington | | Monster Bash | game | Classic pinball title available at Free Play Arlington | ### Topics - **Primary:** Arcade venue review and tour, Pinball machine collection and availability, Pay-to-play arcade business model - **Secondary:** Machine maintenance quality, Venue amenities (food, drinks, seating) ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.85) — Review is favorable throughout, highlighting good machine condition, diverse game selection, reasonable pricing, and quality amenities. Only minor criticism is the lack of standardized game restart configuration on some machines. ### Signals - **[community_signal]** Free Play Arlington maintains diverse pinball collection spanning multiple eras and manufacturers (Williams classics, Stern modern, JJP boutique), suggesting curator strategy to appeal to broad player demographics (confidence: medium) — 28-machine collection includes Firepower (1976) through Jaws (2024) and features both Pro and Premium tier variants - **[market_signal]** Jaws positioned as latest Stern release and available in location play within months of publication (March 2024), indicating successful distribution and market penetration of recent Stern titles (confidence: high) — Review states 'We were pleased to see the latest game from Stern Pinball, Jaws, was available to play' and notes it was Pro version --- ## Transcript **Date:** 12th March 2024 **Location:** 400 E South St, Arlington, TX 76010, USA We’re here in Texas for the annual Texas Pinball Festival, but before that we found time to visit a couple of prime pinball locations in the area, which meant a trip to see Free Play in Arlington was a must. [![Free Play in Arlington, Texas](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/016-free-play-arlington-1024x553.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/016-free-play-arlington.jpg) Free Play in Arlington, Texas [Free Play](https://freeplayinc.com/) is a chain of five arcades located around the Dallas area, with the first being set up in Richardson in 2015. This Arlington location at 400 E. South Street was their second, opening in 2017. There is plenty of parking right outside, or you can use one of the nearby parking lots. The pricing structure is a simple pay-on-entry one. It costs $12+tax ($12.99 inc. tax) per person to get your wristband and enter, after which all games are set on free play. [![The entry desk](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/014-free-play-arlington-1024x504.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/014-free-play-arlington.jpg) The entry desk The arcade is split into two areas. The ‘lobby’ for want of a better word is where you enter, while a larger side room contains the majority of the arcade games. The Lobby has multiple video games up against the walls, as well as a full-service bar and a seating area. [![The view inside the lobby](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/015-free-play-arlington-1024x461.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/015-free-play-arlington.jpg) The view inside the lobby [![Games in the Lobby area](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/012-free-play-arlington-1024x527.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/012-free-play-arlington.jpg) Games in the Lobby area The range of drinks available at the bar is pretty comprehensive, including eight draft taps, a good selection of cans and bottles, plus numerous spirits. [![Free Play Arlington's bar](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/001-free-play-arlington-1024x554.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/001-free-play-arlington.jpg) Free Play Arlington’s bar There is a [food menu](https://freeplayinc.com/arlington/food/) available too, selling items such as sandwiches, hot dogs, pizzas and other hot snacks. Orders are taken at the bar and delivered through a separate serving hatch. [![Get your hot food here](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/011-free-play-arlington-572x1024.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/011-free-play-arlington.jpg) Get your hot food here [![The eating area](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/013-free-play-arlington-1024x494.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/013-free-play-arlington.jpg) The eating area [![More of the games in the Lobby](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/017-free-play-arlington-1024x461.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/017-free-play-arlington.jpg) More of the games in the Lobby If the Carl Weathers allows, there are also outside covered tables where you can eat, drink or just take a break from all the gaming action. Nice as this all is though, we’re here for the pinball. All the machines are in the second area – let’s call it the Games Room – where the pinballs make up two rows at the back. [![One of the rows of pinball machines](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/003-free-play-arlington-1024x461.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/003-free-play-arlington.jpg) One of the rows of pinball machines We were pleased to see the latest game from Stern Pinball, *Jaws*, was available to play. *Jaws*, like several of the recent Stern titles in the line-up, was the Pro version. They weren’t all Pros though. The adjacent *The Munsters*, for example, was a Premium model. [![We spent some time with Jaws](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/004-free-play-arlington-1024x602.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/004-free-play-arlington.jpg) We spent some time with Jaws There is a good mix of the newest and older classic titles available, with *Firepower* being the oldest. [![The end of the first row of pinballs](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/007-free-play-arlington-1024x470.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/007-free-play-arlington.jpg) The end of the first row of pinballs The second row of pinballs faces the first and includes the *Firepower* and *Cyclone* games. [![The second pinball row](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/005-free-play-arlington-1024x461.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/005-free-play-arlington.jpg) The second pinball row [![The other end of the second row of pinballs](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/006-free-play-arlington-1024x461.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/006-free-play-arlington.jpg) The far end of the second row of pinballs Here’s the full list of the 28 pinballs available at Free Play Arlington: | Row 1 | Row 2 | | --- | --- | | Monster Bash The Munsters Jaws The Mandalorian Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Rollergames Iron Man Medieval Madness Black Knight: Sword of Rage Pirates of the Caribbean (JJP) Dialed In! Creature from the Black Lagoon | Deadpool Guardians of the Galaxy Star Wars (Stern) Tron Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends AC/DC Attack from Mars Godzilla Cactus Canyon Rush Family Guy Firepower Checkpoint The Avengers: Infinity Quest Whirlwind Cyclone | | | | All the pinballs we played worked well and without any faults. The only annoyance was a familiar one, where a previous player had started a multiplayer game and then walked away. Not all the machines were configured to let you to press and hold the start button to restart a game, meaning – since we wouldn’t normally switch off and on a location machine – we had to plunge and drain multiple balls from the previous game just to be able to play *our* game. Of course, there are far more than just pinballs in the Games Room. There are numerous stand-up and sit-down arcade video games, basketball games and Skee-Ball lanes. [![Some of the arcade video games in the Games Room](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/008-free-play-arlington-1024x458.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/008-free-play-arlington.jpg) Some of the arcade video games in the Games Room [![Basketball and Skee-Ball games](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/009-free-play-arlington-1024x497.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/009-free-play-arlington.jpg) Basketball and Skee-Ball games [![More arcade videos](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/010-free-play-arlington-1024x461.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/free-play-arlington/010-free-play-arlington.jpg) More arcade videos The $12 (+tax) entry fee is certainly good value if you have a couple of hours or more to spend at Free Play. The selection of well-maintained new and classic games provides plenty of entertainment, while the food and drinks options mean you can happily sail through lunch or dinner without having to leave. If you do choose to step away for a break though, there are plenty of assorted dining and drinking options just a short walk away on E. Abram St. _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 7c34dbd8-7355-449c-b620-99edcb02800a*