Ever since Tom Hanks in Big, with the pinball machine in his bedroom, I always wanted a luxury games room in my house. After that movie, in fact, so did everyone I knew! I always thought whatever way my life had panned out if I had a room in my house where me and the boys could shoot some pool and watch the footy, no hassles, that things would have turned out pretty well.

Either I was an exuberant 'playboy'- I’m thinking, Clooney, before he grew the beard and started watching the news - or I had an amazingly supportive and understanding spouse. Either way: winner winner, chicken dinner.

I finally got there, and as I considered my own I came across some fantastic modern games rooms in my search for inspiration. Some inventive. Some luxury. Some just plain genius.

I’m going to show you my five favorite games room ideas, a mixture of different themes and styles, and hopefully give some food for thought if you are considering making the same move! But before we do that, we need to quickly point out a few things you need to consider. It’s not quite as simple as telling the Amazon prime guy to “plonk the pool table in the middle, basketball hoop in the corner, and close the door on the way out”.

Things to consider? 

First and foremost, you need to consider what you’ll be mainly using the room for, before designing it. 

Is it a gaming room where you’ll be at the PC, headset glued on, so you only need to cater for yourself? Or will you be hosting poker night with the gang, and need plenty of seats and wipe-clean floors?

These factors will be crucial in the ambience and décor you go for. You need to consider the functionality as well as the comfort. 

• What gaming options to include

Is yours all about computer games or pub games? Or a mixture of the two? 

What would you get the most value from, ping pong or air hockey? What about putting green in the corner?

Believe me, these are some fun questions to run through your mind's eye.

• Consider the space you have available

Work with what you got. Tight space? Go for an immersive vibe, where the screens and sounds dominate the room and shape the experience. If it’s a bigger area, you’ll not want to feel like you’re rattling around in it, so how do you fill it? Foosball or air hockey? The eternal question.

• What sound and visual experience are you going for?

‘Shock and awe’ from the 60 inches and those speakers that cost more than your first car? Or more discreet, with emphasis on the pool and ping pong?

• Do you need soundproofing?

How isolated are you from the considerations of the outside world? Luckily, there are a variety of ways to DIY sound-proof if you don’t want to call in the professionals!

• What kind of lighting do you want?

Like the audio-visuals, the lighting plays a large part in the ambience of your room. Subtle? Ambient? Big and bright?!

• The wall décor

It can be a real friend here with design, storage, and sound-proofing possibilities. 

• Seating

A LazyBoy like Joey and Chandler had in Friends? A big-ass sofa stretched out in front of the widescreen? Close your eyes and picture it.

• What style are you going for?

Minimalist? Modern? Retro? Futuristic? 

• What theme?

American bar-room style: pool, pinball, and the corner bar? Have a retro Pacman thing going on? You’re limited here only by the edges of your imagination!

Top 5 luxury games rooms

Here are the favorites I picked out for you. So without further ado…

5. The Immersive Option

Just get a look at THAT! It’s an audio-visual extravaganza. A veritable feast for the senses. This place is more computer game-centric than I was going for personally, but I didn’t admire it any less. How cool it would be to kick back in there with Forza and a few cans.

Doesn’t look cheap mind.

4. The Collector's Item(s)

“The geek shall inherit the earth”. And this is heaven on earth for computer geeks the world over. Want a showcase for your passion? A tribute to how you love to spend your time and get your pleasure.

It’s so fun and yet so practical. You could have twelve people all in there at the same time, and there’d be lots of options and no trodden on toes.

Love it!

3. Pool and Sports

This is actually closest to the one I went for myself. The pool table was a must. It was the one constant I had pictured all these years. The putting green and the basketball hoop ideas came and went. It was always about the pool and the sports. It was what I could reasonably afford and worked with the space I had.

This guy's room was an inspiration. Uncluttered and classy. And I loved the framed sports memorabilia idea too. It opens up a different direction with the décor, showcasing the owner's passions and personality.

2. Party-Game Central

Look at this one! This has a real college bar feel to it. The screen is there, but it’s background; it's all about the games here. The options. Air hockey, foosball, arcades. The bar. Awesome!

1. The Daddy!

If I had the money to make this vision come true. I’d know something, somewhere along the line, had gone really really right.

I’d wake up every day with a pain in my jaw from the goofy grin I couldn’t get off my face. This guy has got everything.

“I’ll see your foosball table, pool table, pinball, and bar, and raise you an old-school vegas slot”.

This is just plain ridiculous. Let’s just pause briefly to admire it one last time before I wind this thing down.

You can also check our article on the 6 Game Room Ideas for the Ultimate Entertaining Space.

Conclusion

And there you have it. The five very best games room ideas I have ever seen. I hope you got a kick out of them too! If you are still working on your room and need some more ideas and options, check ours out now at The Game Room Plus. We make those dreams happen!