Top 5 Best Great Yarmouth Amusements

Great Yarmouth is home to a huge selection of amusements and entertainment centres. For day-trippers, travelling by train or car is straightforward, there are plenty of parking options at the seafront and walking from the train station makes for an enjoyable stroll through the town centre down to Marine Parade.

Approaching the seafront from the town centre, most visitors walk down the famous Regents Road, which is a great introduction for a day of fun and excitement. Here, visitors will find bargain shops, casino slots venues and even a Wetherspoons pub. Even before reaching beach, there is a huge range of attractions and food options to suit all tastes.

In the wider local area and within reach of Great Yarmouth are Gorleston, Hopton and Hemsby. Just a short car journey away, where arcade fans can find more exciting amusement arcade options to keep the family entertained.

Great Yarmouth Marine Parade

Starting where Regent Road meets the beach, an exciting stretch of amusement arcades and entertainment venues runs parallel to the beach, all the way south to the iconic Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach. This is the Golden Mile - a walkable adventure, perfect for adults. For families with young children, the Great Yarmouth train offers a fun and convenient alternative, traveling safely along its own dedicated, traffic-free path. There are also traditional horse drawn carriage rides, which have been operating there for over a century.

Between Britannia Pier and the Pleasure Beach, there are more than ten amusement arcades including the Wellington Pier and Grosvenor Casino. With such a wide range of fun venues to explore, there will no doubt be lots of favourite arcade games and machines with photos taken of the enjoyment shared by all. 

Top 5 Best Great Yarmouth Amusements

Our top arcade picks are selected using the ‘Venue Verdict’ rating system, designed to offer accurate and balanced insights for fans of amusement arcades and seaside entertainment. Each review is based on first-hand visits and reflects the unique appeal of every venue.

For those chasing tickets or hoping to win a plush prize from the claw machines, the ‘Venue Verdict’ breaks down arcade performance across five key categories: Family Fun, Atmosphere, Tickets for Prizes, Fruit Machines, and Casino Gaming. Ratings are scored out of five stars and can be found at the bottom of each venue listing, follow the links below to explore the full reviews.

5) Gold Rush Amusements Arcade

Gold Rush is a large amusements venue with a great range of games, machines and ticket prizes. The casino gaming area is large, and they have a great balance of ticket machines for the family. They also have a good range of classic arcade machines, including air hockey, motorbike racing games and a dance machine. 

4) Caesars Palace Amusements Arcade

A wide-open venue with a huge range of arcade classic and modern coin pushers and ticket machines. The selection of machines here is really great for families, and they also have an internal connection to the extended arcade at the rear of the prize bingo hall next door. 

3) Circus Circus / Flamingo / Golden Nugget Amusements Arcades

While these amusements are separate on the outside, they are open plan on the inside and the ticket redemption is valid across all three venues. Whilst we have reviewed each venue separately, it is clear to us that this row of arcades counts as one of the best individual amusements venues in Great Yarmouth.

2) Britannia Pier

Britannia Pier is a new entry to this list, added in 2025 after the piers extensive renovations. The Pier boasts a lower arcade with some great classic arcade games and an extended and revamped upper arcade, with rows of new arcade machines. The new arcade is very large and the layout is convenient, offering internal and external boardwalks that lead to many more attractions that are worth exploring.

1) Wellington Pier Amusements Arcade

In terms of having everything under one roof, it is hard to beat the Wellington Pier. It has a huge range of the latest and greatest machines and is a well-balanced family entertainment centre. Ideal for both summer and winter, they have toilets, bowlingo, ten-pin bowling and a bar and food options all available. Even on busy days, the venue has high ceilings, so one doesn’t really feel crowded. They keep everything very clean and new and have super high standards.

Day or night?

If one has enjoyed a daytime visit in the past, then why not plan a night-time excursion in the autumn or winter? Getting darker early is beneficial in this case as the whole family can experience the magical feeling of the seaside lights, dazzling arcade machines and fountain displays in all their glory (at a time that suits the younger ones' bedtimes). 

Perfect for Summer and Winter

In the summer heat, the layout of Great Yarmouth is really helpful as so many of the great venues on offer are inside or have joint access so you can avoid the blistering sun when it is at its strongest. Then the same goes for the not-so-good weather days with rain and wind very much avoidable as you hop from venue to venue or hang around to avoid the worst of a downpour. 

Though it is always best to call ahead or message to ensure a particular venue is open during low season, one will find that a decent percentage of places will still be open right up until Christmas. Visiting in the off-season also has huge benefits in the fact that it will be half as busy as the summer months and your favourite games and machines will not have big queues. Visiting during summer holidays can be manic, and for those who brave autumn and winter, a more peaceful day out with a hot chocolate shall be your prize. 

Seaside Resort Verdict

The Great Yarmouth town centre has suffered from negative press in recent years, though it should be known that this certainly is not a reflection of the magic that can be found on the seafront. There has been a huge amount of investment in the seafront in recent years, including the redevelopment of the Marina Centre, the building of the (third) Herring Bridge and also the complete renovation of the Venetian waterways, which are truly stunning. 

With work just getting underway to recommission the Winter Gardens (which is the large glass venue next to the Wellington Pier) and also plans to update the heritage-listed Great Yarmouth Gas Holder, this seaside resort has a solid roadmap and is going from strength to strength.

There is a huge range of accommodation options to suit all budgets, including caravans and cabins, traditional seaside hotels and also a Premier Inn right on the beach. With so much on offer, Great Yarmouth really is hard to beat in terms of quality and value for a day trip or extended weekend or week away, even in winter!