Central Pier Amusement Arcade Blackpool

Blackpool Central Pier is located at the heart of the Blackpool Golden Mile and has been in operation since 1868. Close to Silcock’s Fun Palace and Madame Tussauds, the Central Pier boasts stunning views to both the north and south beaches, which can be admired from the Piers iconic Big Wheel.

The Central Pier boasts two arcades, a range of food and drink kiosks, side show games and several cafes. It also has many other fairground rides including vertical coasters, Flying Bobs, Dodgems bumper cars, Helter Skelter and a merry-go-round carousel.

Heading past the theme park rides, visitors can find the second (Deck) amusement arcade and the Pirates Bay family bar. Both of these indoor areas have fabulous Pirate Themed décor that makes one feel like they are a movie and should not be missed! There are also toilets and a wide range of indoor and outdoor seating options available at the end of the pier with stunning views over the water. 

Arcade Entrance

At the front of the building on the Promenade, the Central Pier has some impressive signage, which is of the same pirate-themed design as the Pirate Bay Family Bar and Deck Arcade. 

As with the North and South Piers, visitors from the Promenade have the choice to enter the Central Pier main entrance, which opens up into the main arcade or walk along the outside boardwalk (weather permitting). There is also an entrance to the Show Bar, which is the large theatre complex that can be found on the first floor directly above the main amusement arcade. 

Entering the main entrance, visitors can find a foyer area with several different arcade games and also the large ‘Racing Knights’ Derby Racer Game. Similar to the South Pier, there are a couple of steps up to the main arcade area. Disabled access is found via a side entrance, that is located on the outside boardwalk a little further down the pier.

The main arcade does not have the same fancy pirate-themed décor as the rest of the pier, though it makes up for this with a huge selection of arcade games and different amenities. There is a large shooting gallery called ‘Scarface’s Genuine Auto Repairs’, which can accommodate up to twelve players at once! 

There is also a fully stocked prize shop, kiddies racetrack for the little ones to enjoy and also pool tables and guest toilets. All of the machines in both the main and deck amusement arcades are all mixed together including many £5 jackpot fruit machines. There does not appear to be an adult casino gaming area.

Coin Pushers

The Central Pier Arcade has a great range of coin pushers from seaside classics to modern hybrids with many machines paying out tickets, coins and great shelf prizes. 

Classic Coin Pushers

Fans of the classics can play Rock-n-roll, Casino Lights, Pharaohs Treasure, Caribbean gold, Jazz, Route 66, Electrocoin Bar-X, Coronation Street, Clown Around and a licenced retro Monopoly coin pusher. 

There are also some Bionic Bunch mini coin pushers, perfect for smaller children to enjoy and also a couple of the much-admired Elvis fruit machine coin pusher hybrids.

Ticket Coin Pushers 

There are many different coin pushers paying out tickets in the central pier and these include large rectangular Bingo, Scooby Doo and Rainbow Riches machines. 

Closed Loop / Ball Pushers

Fans of ultra-modern closed loop coin pushers will love the SpongeBob SquarePants Pineapple Arcade machine and also the 3 x Pearl Fisheries ball pusher, both paying out big tickets prizes. 

Crane Claw Machines

Central Pier Amusements has a huge range of different claw machines, and these include many classics such as the Elaut Ex-1’s & Quattro EX-1s, E-Claw grabbers and ‘The Big One’ in both arcade areas.

Claw machine fans with a sweet tooth will love the Namco Clean-Flex Cadbury Drop and the Sweet Land 4 plus the Sweetland Premia, which all pay out wins in sweets, lollies and chocolate.

There are also some Skill Cut machines and variants including Barber Cut and also some smaller machines such as the Toy Box cubes, Mini Lolly Shop and Tickety Boo. 

Classic Arcade Games 

There is no shortage of classic  and retro arcade machines on the Central Pier, and these include a wide array of different game types.

Arcade Racing Games

Fans of racing games will love the two-player Need for Speed Carbon, Nascar Racing, Typhoon Simulator, Grid Racing and a one-player flying game called Blazing Angels. They also have a Paradise Lost shoot-em-up and Sharpshooter Arcade machine. 

Other Classic Games

There are several air hockey tables throughout both arcades and these include Pac-Man Smash, Fire Storm and Air Fix tables. Other interesting games found in this arcade include the classic Zoltar Fortune Teller, a large Dance Machine and an interesting machine made by Whittakers called New Orleans Roulette, which is an absolute classic.

Fairground Arcade Machines

Both Central Pier Arcades have no shortage of modern ticket paying fairground games. Some of the types of games found in the amusements arcade are also available to play on the Side Shows so why not also try the real-life versions too!

Fans of sideshow games will love Down the Clown, Gold Fishin, Milk Jug Toss, Fast Gunman, Iceball (skee ball) and Shoot It Win It by Sega which is an arcade shooting gallery fit snugly into an arcade machine.

Another type of fairground style machine that used to be popular at summer fetes is the roll-down game and there are some great options here including Snakes and Ladders Roll-down, Swings and Roundabouts Roll Down and Greed Gobs all paying tickets or coins as prizes. 

There are also some aiming and shooting games including Sonic All Stars and All Stars basketball, Zombie Outbreak / Robot Storm and Monster Drop where players have to aim the ball into the targets from above to win big ticket prizes. 

Big Arcade Machines

Go big or go home! Always try to play on at least one humongous arcade machine and the Central Pier can certainly help by offering Space Invaders Frenzy, which is a ticket paying remake of this arcade classic. There is Nitro Speed, which is similar to Bump-n-Smash and also the two-player Bullseye Crack shot game.

In the Deck Arcade, players will notice a centrally positioned giant Monster Drop Extreme, which is a giant version of the smaller game that is present in the main arcade.

Wheel Spinners

Keen arcade eyes will notice the cute selection of wheel spinner ticket redemption games that are available to play in this amusement park and these include Crank It, Big Bass Reel Fishing and the colourful Magicians Wheel.  

High Striker

There are two high strikers in the Central Pier Amusements venue and these include Whack-n-win and the smaller version of king of the hammer. 

Ticket Slot Machines

Players who enjoy ticket slots will be happy to know that there are many examples available at the Central Pier and these include the standalone machines Tower of Terror, Aladdin, Adders and Ladders and Pieces of Eight.

There are also sever triple row ticket slot machines and these include Pieces of Eight and Lara Jones Ticket (tomb) Raider. 

£5 Jackpot Fruit Machines

One of the standouts of this arcade venue is the huge range of five-pound fruit machines that are available to play and these include classic from the eighties all the way to present day. There is also a working vintage penny slot here so see if you can find it!

£5 jackpot fruit machines include Each-way Nudger, Cops & Robbers, Deal or no Deal, Cash Attack, Magic Circle, Cluedo, Super Cash Climber, Classic Big 5, Psycho Cash Beast and many more.

They also have some modern triple row fruit machines including Batman Begins and Bullion Bars, Party Time Arena, Monopoly Wheel of Wealth and regular Party Time. Skill Ball fans will be happy to note that there are Skill Ball Deluxe and Zingy Skill Ball machines available to play and win a top prize of £50.

Casino Gaming Area

There does not appear to be a casino gaming area within the amusement arcades on the Central Pier. It may be the case that one of the bars or theatre has some adult gaming machines, though we shall leave that up to patrons to explore. 

Venue Verdict

All three of Blackpool’s Piers are iconic and they each have different strengths and are a huge amount of fun for visitors and arcade enthusiasts to visit. Central Pier excels with two great arcades that both offer a wide variety of games. With the sideshows, bright lights of the fun park rides and the pirate-themed areas, this really does make for a fully immersive experience that goes far beyond a standard seaside amusements arcade. When planning a trip to Blackpool ensure that there is enough time to explore each Pier. 

Featured Machine: Monster Drop Extreme Ticket Redemption Game