The Mirage Amusement Arcade Mablethorpe

The Mirage Amusement Arcade in Mablethorpe is a real heavyweight of seaside entertainment. Alongside its large arcade floor, the venue packs in plenty more to keep visitors entertained, including a kids’ soft play area, an eight-lane bowling alley, and a fully licensed bar and restaurant serving a solid range of food and drinks, plus Costa Coffee. There is also a virtual-reality darts area within the bar and a digital bingo lounge in the adult section, offering real cash prizes.

For families looking for the best value, The Mirage also currently offers a Play & Save card system, which provides unlimited play for 90 minutes for just £20. They have a great selection of machines in this deal, with the current list provided later in this review. 

The Mirage is an entirely indoor venue and can be accessed via several entrances along the High Street. Upon entering, visitors are greeted by an impressively large space with high ceilings and a huge number of arcade machines. The adult gaming centre is located at the front right of the building and also has its own dedicated entrance. 

Towards the rear of the venue, close to the bowling area, the extensive prize shop runs along much of the right-hand wall. The Mirage is pet-friendly and accessible for mobility scooters and wheelchairs, with customer toilets also located at the rear of the venue. The décor is matt black-themed with colourful arcade carpet and modern overhead LED lighting, giving a low light effect that makes the arcade and its games feel like they are glowing. Very similar in size, layout and appearance to the Walton Pier Arcade. 

Children’s Arcade Games

Near the main entrances on the high street, visitors will find a fun selection of kiddie rides, including mini spinning teacups, an aeroplane and a hot air balloon, all perfect for a quick photo opportunity.

There is also a four-player Hungry Hungry Hippos game, where children can sit on the hippos and gobble up the balls to score points and win ticket prizes. Toward the rear of the venue, a Monopoly Go car offers a playful extra for budding Monopoly fans.

Claw Machines

The Mirage Arcade has a fun range of different claw machines, including classic E-Claw, Toy Box, Prize Zone, Crazy Toy and Winfall Revolution. Tickety Boo offers players the chance to win reels of tickets, while Sweetland Premia and Shining Cube are ideal for younger children.

There is also a High Five claw machine, which allows players to control a row of five grabbers at the same time to launch them into the teddy stack for a chance to win up to five prizes at once!

Every crane machine here is filled with quality branded plushies, including Steven the Seagull, Winnie the Pooh characters, Wombats, Care Bears, Lilo & Stitch, Mickey Mouse characters, Highland Cows and many more.

Coin Pushers

This amusements venue has an impressive range of coin pushers that all appear to pay out ticket prizes. They have a range of the latest closed-loop coin and ball pushers, including Tower Island, SpongeBob SquarePants, Pineapple Arcade, Wizard of Oz, Ocean Party and Pearl Fishery.

In the centre of the venue, there are rows of ticket-paying coin pushers, including several Monopoly and Looney Tunes machines featuring different characters such as Bugs Bunny and Sylvester the Cat. There are also multiple Cops & Robbers machines with upper feature boards. Both the Monopoly and Looney Tunes pushers include bonus wheel features for extra ticket wins.

Classic Arcade Games

An area where Mirage Amusements excels is in the classic arcade gaming category, and it is in this section that many of the Play & Save Card machines are located. It appears that the line-up may change frequently, though be sure to check with the staff to find out which arcade machines are included in the card deal. If in doubt look for a small screen with a bright LED border lower on the machine to determine whether or not it is part of the game card deal.  

There is a huge range of classic arcade racing games, and these include Superbikes 3, Moto Blitz Asphalt, NFS Heat Takedown, and an impressive four-player Outrun 2 cabinet array from the early 2000’s.

Fans of classic arcade will also enjoy the Step Mania X and Dancing Stage dance machines, and also the fast-paced X-treme Air FX air hockey table. Those who like a mental challenge will do well to seek out the Deal or No Deal quiz machine and even the giant Connect Four game that tests players under the spotlight. No real arcade venue would be complete without pinball tables, and Mirage has both Willy Wonka and Guns & Roses pinball machines, as well as the classic ‘Pull My Finger’ comedy roll-down game. 

There is a great selection of arcade shooting games here, and these include Walking Dead, Jurassic Park, Terminator Salvation and Aliens Armageddon. There are further adventure shooters, including Deadstorm Pirates Special Edition, Luigi’s Mansion, Nerf Arcade, Injustice Arcade and Minecraft Dungeons.

If extreme sports are more your thing, then check out the Dragon Punch and Double Hit Gift which are two arcade boxing machines that can be found at the front of the venue, as well as X-Games Snow Boarder by Raw Thrills.

Fairground Games

Another area where this venue excels is ticket redemption fairground games. They have basketball arcade machines, including NBA Hoops, and an American Football game called Goal Line Rush. Other ticket-paying machines that require timing skill include Fireball, Let’s Bounce, Piano Keys, and there is also the legendary Kung Foo Panda Dojo Mojo, where players have to hit the pads to keep baddies at bay! Sink it is also a fun beer pong game that awards tickets for cup shots.

Big Arcade Machines

The best thing about big arcades is the fact that they can literally fit in machines that are too big or too tall for average local venues. The Mirage is a great example of this, having an awesome selection of giant and rare arcade machines. 

These include a giant four-player Outrun 2 cabinet array from the early 2000’s that allows friends to race against each other in cars that move. For fans of shooting games, they have the full-sized Halo Fireteam Raven, allowing four people to team up and face the Covenant. Fans of Mission Impossible will love the rarely seen full-sized Mission Impossible Arcade pod with red and blue teams. 

Other large machines include All In, Space Invaders Frenzy, a Giant Connect Four and Dodgeball Ultimate Arena, where players have to throw balls at changing targets. For fans of glass cabinets, check out the Power Drop X-Treme and ‘The Big One’ X-Treme, which is quite possibly the largest claw machine in the world, where players can win giant plush prizes as big as people!

High Strikers

There is a classic tall Whack-N-Win high striker located in this arcade. Timing each hit, with the right amount of force is how to hit the jackpot on this addictive game!

Wheel Spinners

The Mirage has a great range of wheel spinners, perfect for those who enjoy the all-or-nothing fun of a winning spin. They have an impressive row of four Big Bass Wheels close to the bowling alley, meaning four friends can spin at once to see who can win with the highest score! There is also a Crank It, which is a similar game and the rarely seen All Abroad, which is perfect for younger fans of choo choo trains.

Arcade explorers might also spot the dual Monopoly Go with mega bonus or the Treasure Quest and Wheel of Fortune spinners offering big ticket jackpots.

VR Machines

Virtual reality is becoming a mainstay in larger UK arcades. VR fans can enjoy the triple-screen Super Speed Racing simulator, along with two VR pods featuring a jukebox-style touchscreen. There is also the Sailors Quest VR game and the Mini Rider 2 simulator.

Ticket Slot Machines

Dotted around, close to the adult gaming section, there are several ticket slot machines and these are all triple row games, including Cops & Robbers, Ticket Raider, Temple of Tickets, Count Dracula, Stop the Clock and Pieces of Eight. If the kids are collecting tickets, why not have a spin on a ticket fruity? They often seem to pay out more favourable than their cash equivalents!

£5 Jackpot Fruit Machines

One of the strongest sections in this arcade is the Cat D £5 jackpot fruit machines. Located around the entrance to the adult gaming slots lounge, the fruit machines are dotted about with standalone cabinets, triple-rows and several quad sit-down games. Fruity fans can find machines from various decades, and these include many popular titles.

Standalone games include several Monopoly and Deal or No Deal variants, multiple Crazy Fruits machines and rows of T7’s, alongside popular titles such as Pac-Man, Indiana Jones, Space Raiders, Snakez & Ladderz, Cops & Robbers, Phil the Power, The Addams Family, Sub Zero and Pink Panther, plus plenty more.

Triple-row fruit machines include Lucky Ladders, Gold Run, Rainbow King, Over the Rainbow, Bullion Bars, Party Time Arena and more. Quad-row fruit machines include Party Time, Monopoly, Adders & Ladders, Gold Rush and Hokey Cokey, with these being a mixture of sit-down, low-boy and full-sized machines. 

It also should be noted that there are several low-stakes fruit machines inside the adult gaming centre, and these include a row of four retro Electrocoin Bar-X with upper Flutter Box feature.

Slot Machines

The adult gaming slots lounge at The Mirage Amusements is very impressive. The space is large, dimly lit and has the right atmosphere that keen players expect. There are several different areas and rooms, including a VIP area exclusively with £500 big jackpot digital terminals and a separate seating area. Most of the digital slot terminals are grouped together in one section, and these come with the latest cabinets from the likes of Blueprint Gaming with most slot machines having £100 and £500 jackpots. 

In the main room, there are many different analogue fruit machines dotted around these include many £25 jackpots as well. Standalone cabinets include Psycho Cash Beast, Bar-X Sevens, King Cash, Clockwork Oranges and several other arch-top machines, including Gold Bars. 

Triple-row games with bigger jackpots include Bullion Bars, Hot X, Oxo variants, Creepy Cash, Lady Luck Moonstruck, Party Games, Luck O’ the Irish, Party Time Arena, Golden Game, Golden Game Streak and a Bullion Bars sit-down array. 

Four-player community slots include Astras Community Party, Rainbow Riches Community Cash, Bullion Bars, Treasury, Party Time and the rarely seen, yet visually stunning ‘Elvis’ machine with digital reels. There is also an ATM here and attendants who can assist with refreshments and food.

As with all our reviews, there are plenty more machines that we have not featured so be sure to explore this arcade in person!

Venue Verdict

The Mirage is a true all-in-one entertainment destination for the whole family, delivering fun and excitement whatever the weather and whatever the season. There is a huge amount to keep children entertained, while adults are just as well catered for, thanks to the lively Tiki Bar and well-sized slots area, making it a great choice for a relaxed afternoon or a fun night out at the weekend. While nearby resorts like Skegness and Ingoldmells often steal the spotlight, venues like this show that Mablethorpe should not be overlooked. If big, high-energy attractions are your thing, The Mirage Amusements delivers in style, offering a brilliant mix of games, prizes and atmosphere. Easily one of the best amusement arcades in the UK.

Featured Machine: Luigi's Mansion Arcade