Thinking of Building Your Own Arcade? Here’s the Truth Behind DIY Builds

If you’re reading this, you’re probably thinking about building your own arcade — and honestly, that’s awesome. That’s exactly how we started too. There’s nothing like the idea of firing up a cabinet that you built with your own hands, loaded with your favorite games, and showing it off to friends and family.

If you already have the parts, tools, and the experience, you’re probably not here reading this. You already know what you’re doing. But if you’re here because you’re curious, weighing the cost, or wondering what’s really involved — this is for you.

Cutting a T-molding groove with a router — one of many precise steps in a DIY arcade build.

Two Kinds of DIY Builders

In our experience, there are two types of DIYers.

The first are the ones who just love the process. They want to build it for the fun of building it — and that’s great. You’ll get to cut, wire, program, sand, paint, and experiment. You’ll hit frustrations, but you’ll also get that feeling of pride when it’s finally done.

If that’s you, awesome. Just go in prepared. You’re going to need more than wood and buttons. You’ll need templates, tools, patience, and a lot of time. If you don’t have access to a CNC, you’ll be cutting by hand — and even small misalignments show up fast when you’re working with control panels and T-molding. You’ll need a router for that T-molding groove, good paint and prep work, and a clean place to spray or roll it.

On top of that comes the digital side — and that’s where most people underestimate the work. What system are you going to use? Raspberry Pi, a PC, or a JAMMA/Pandora’s board? Each one has trade-offs, setup steps, and quirks.

Then there’s the software: front-end menus, emulators, game files, metadata scraping, button configuration, controller mapping… and each system you add brings new menus and settings. It’s all do-able, but it’s work — and it takes time, trial, and patience.

If you’re doing it for the love of learning, you’ll have a blast. But if you’re doing it just to save money, it’s a different story.

The “DIY Arcade Build for Half the Price” Trap

We hear it all the time:

“I could build that for half of what you’re charging.”

And maybe you can. But we can’t — and we’re the ones with a $5,000 CNC machine, a $1,000 large-format printer, a $1,200 table saw, a paint booth, sanders, laminators, and about $10,000 worth of specialized tools sitting in our shop. We’ve spent thousands of hours designing, programming, tweaking, and re-engineering these builds since 2016.

So when someone says, “I can build it cheaper,” we say: Sure — but only if your tools, time, and mistakes are free.

Because every DIYer underestimates those costs. Maybe you can find cheaper materials. Maybe you can get close. But how many hours will you spend fixing a cut that’s off by a quarter inch? Repainting because the primer reacted weird? Debugging a controller mapping that won’t save?

Even if you do get it done — and it looks and works great — think about what it cost you in time and stress. It might be the most expensive “half-price” arcade you ever make.

The Real Value of Experience

When we say, “we can’t even build it for half the price we're charging,” that’s not sarcasm or us being defensive — it’s honesty. We’ve made every mistake you’re about to make. We’ve sanded through paint, wired things backward, blown speakers, lost weekends chasing random bugs in code, and rebuilt panels because they were off by millimeters.

But because of that, we now build them right. Clean, solid, and reliable. Inside and out.

That’s what our customers are paying for — not just the parts, but the experience behind the parts.

If you want to build your own, do it. We’ll never tell you not to. But if you just want to play — if you want to turn it on, hand your kid a joystick, and start playing — then we’ve already done the hard part for you.

The Bottom Line

DIY is rewarding. It’s also humbling. You’ll learn more than you expect, spend more time than you planned, and at some point, you’ll think, I should’ve just bought one.

But that’s okay. That’s part of the process.

If you love building, build it. If you love playing, we’ve already built it for you.

Either way, you’ll end up with something you can be proud of — whether it’s your own creation or one of ours.