Portland Pinbrawl XI T-Shirt (& Hoodie!) Pre-Orders Open! Portland Pinbrawl XI is nearly upon us, and it's finally time to reveal this year's artwork - available for the first time in both t-shirt and full-zip hooded sweatshirt form! This Portland-themed-pinball mash-up was illustrated by Vo Minh McBurney and colored by Lee Zeman, who've been responsible for several awesome collaborations. The t-shirts…
Ready to upgrade your evening? We’re excited to announce our latest innovation! As pioneers in the arcade world, we've spent nearly two decades creating and refining the template for the increasingly popular "bar/arcade". When it's time for us to find inspiration, we have to look elsewhere, such as the extremely profitable nightclub industry. After months of research and an incredible…
We're extremely excited to announce a brand-new lineup of arcade games, exclusive to Ground Kontrol! Keeping up with current trends can be tough when your focus is on classic gaming, so we partnered with an expensive market research firm to develop fresh takes on old favorites. Over the past year, they have analyzed every single social media profile in the…
Portland Pinbrawl X Ground Kontrol’s TENTH Annual Pinball Tournament!
On Sunday, April 15th 2018, 128 of the best pinball players from Portland and beyond will once again gather at Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade for Portland’s biggest pinball tournament!
Portland Pinbrawl X takes place Sunday, April 15th. On-site registration (if any slots are available) begins at 10:00am.…
What do seventy-thousand-plus gaming fans have in common with your favorite classic arcade? We're all going to PAX West this weekend! For the fourth year in a row, Ground Kontrol will be bringing the "arcade" to Penny Arcade Expo at Washington State Convention Center in Seattle for the entire Labor Day weekend, giving you one more reason to cherish your…
2 Towns Ciderhouse takes over Ground Kontrol during a special Cider Conference event! We'll be serving five distinctly delicious 2 Towns Ciderhouse craft-brewed ciders including limited and seasonal options, so hardcore cider fans and those more casual or curious can both find something to suit their tastes. Grab a drink and head over to compete in the hourly mini-tournaments on…
While the Cold War chilled American culture, a video game about a missile defense system captivated players in the country’s then-widespread arcades. Using simple graphics and gameplay mechanics, Missile Command brilliantly captured the existential tension of the times. Basic gameplay consists of the player using a large trackball and three buttons to launch air strike defenses against a battalion…
Every Last Thursday, Indie Game Night invites you to play and preview new and unreleased independently-developed video games in Ground Kontrol's lounge. These games are made by small teams (often just a few people) and are usually retro-inspired with refined game play that's easy to pick up in just a couple of rounds. This month, Indie Game Night features the…
The biggest fighting game franchise ever, Street Fighter, picks up the pace with Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting. Choose from twelve unique challengers and take a trip around the world with one ultimate goal: Conquer the World Warrior tournament!
Capcom didn’t have much need for a deep story when it came to producing the Street Fighter series, but…
Two classic pinball tables inspired by the recently revitalized Star Wars film franchise return to Ground Kontrol, better than ever! Longtime Ground Kontrol patrons will recall the Data East Star Wars table as part of our selection way back in 2006, until it succumbed to the dark side and was removed for extensive repairs. More recently, Star Wars Episode I has rotated in and out…