Press Starton Bourke Street
A neon-drenched gaming lounge on 53 Bourke Street — RTX battlestations, console pods, VR bays and a Friday-night LAN arena, all wrapped in warm CRT static.
Seats fill fast on tournament nights.
Battlestations
VR Bays
Retro CornerFrom a Flinders Lane basement to Bourke Street
We started with four hand-built rigs and a milk crate of controllers. A decade later we run one of Melbourne's busiest gaming floors — still tuned by the same crew who care about frame times.
- 2016
The basement build
Four PCs, a CRT, and a taped-up projector in a Flinders Lane cellar. Word spread through the laneways within a month.
- 2019
Moved to Bourke Street
We took the 53 Bourke Street space, doubled to 24 stations and added the first dedicated console pods.
- 2022
The Arena opened
A soundproofed 10-seat LAN room for tournament nights, casters' desk and a big-screen wall for the crowd.
- 2025
VR + Retro wing
Added Quest 3 bays and a CRT retro corner stacked with original cartridges from the 8- and 16-bit eras.
Six ways to play
Walk-ins welcome, seats bookable. All prices in AUD and include a locker, filtered water and as many respawns as you need.
Battlestation PCs
RTX 4080 rigs, 240Hz OLED panels and low-latency peripherals, tuned weekly by the crew.
from AU$12 / hour
Console Pods
PS5 & Xbox Series X in soundproofed 4-player couch pods — perfect for split-screen nights.
from AU$9 / hour
VR Bays
Meta Quest 3 and tethered PCVR in 3m padded bays, with a guide for first-timers.
from AU$25 / 30 min
The Arena
10-seat soundproofed LAN room with a casters' desk. Booked out for Friday tournament nights.
AU$180 / night hire
Retro Corner
CRT televisions and original cartridges — Mega Drive, SNES, N64 and a two-player arcade cab.
from AU$8 / hour
Fuel Bar
Barista coffee, cold-brew, energy tins and loaded fries delivered straight to your station.
snacks from AU$5
Before the neon, after the neon
We keep receipts. Slide through the corners of the lounge we've rebuilt — drag your eyes from the raw fit-out to the finished, glowing floor.
Before · Empty shell, 2019
Before · Storage room
Before · Old stockroom
Before · Back cornerWhat the regulars say
Five-star average across 900+ sessions. A few words from the crowd on the floor.
“Booked the Arena for our clan's birthday LAN. Zero lag all night, the casters' desk was a huge touch, and the fries kept coming. Best night we've had.”
“The 240Hz rigs are dialled in properly — my aim finally matches home. Staff swapped my mouse the second I asked. Now my Tuesday ritual.”
“Took my two kids for the retro corner and they lost their minds over the N64. Real cartridges, real CRTs. We stayed three hours.”
“First time in VR and the guide walked me through everything. Beat Saber on the big rig is dangerously fun. Booked again for Saturday.”
“Rolled in solo after work, left with a squad. The vibe on the floor is unmatched in the CBD and the coffee is genuinely good.”
“Ran a 16-player Smash bracket in the Arena. Setup was ready when we arrived and the crew handled the projector wall flawlessly.”
Get the tournament drops
One email a week: bracket sign-ups, new-release nights and members-only happy-hour rates. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
Come find the glow
Questions, group bookings or Arena hire — send us a message or call the desk. We usually reply within a couple of hours during opening times.
- Phone+61 3 9650 3182
- Email[email protected]
- Address53 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
- Mon – Thu
- 10:00 – 23:00
- Fri – Sat
- 10:00 – 02:00
- Sunday
- 11:00 – 22:00