How Much Does Dave and Busters Cost Per Person?


Written by:  Howmuchisit.org Staff

Dave and Busters is an American restaurant and arcade with more than 80 locations in the United States and Canada.

Dave & Buster’s, Manchester, CT 2/2015, by JeepersMedia, on Flickr
Dave & Buster’s, Manchester, CT 2/2015,” (CC BY 2.0) by JeepersMedia

How much does Dave and Busters cost per person?

In the restaurant, Dave and Busters has a large selection of meals that cost an average of $12 to $17 per person, but with a lot of these meals, you can receive a free $10 to $20 Power Card on top of the meal.  Like most restaurants, the prices will depend on what you order.  You can check out their menu here to see what it may cost you.

Those who want to play billiards will have to pay about $10 per hour.

As for games, most games are going to vary anywhere from $1 to as much as $5, and all games being played will require a Dave and Buster’s Power Card.  Refer to our table below to see what the tokens can cost.

Number of ChipsAverage Cost
48$10
100$20
135$25
200$35
300$50
550$75
750$100

NOTE:  There may be exceptions to this cost depending on the current promotion being held.  Use this as an estimate and assume each game will cost $1 to $4 each.

Dave and Busters overview

Typical locations have a full-service restaurant/bar area, a billiard room, a bar surrounding the arcade, large arcade room and ticket redemption room, which is known as the Winner’s Circle.  Some locations also have bowling alleys. Some of their newest games include Zombie Snatcher, Super Shot, Star Trek, Typhoon, Ghostbusters Arcade, Star Wars Battle Pod, Candy Crush Saga, Fishbowl Frenzy, Angry Birds, Big Bass Wheel, Time Crisis 5, Dark Escape 4D, Skee-ball, Mario and Sonic at the Rio Games, Quick Drop, Crossy Road, Grand Piano Keys and Speed of Light.

What are the extra costs?

If you don’t have a Power Card, they will charge $2 to get one; however, they will load the card with 10 chips to make up for the cost.  In some cases, they may offer a card for free during certain promotions.

Billiards or shuffleboard, depending on when you go, are going to cost you around $10 per hour to play, and this is paid for separately.  This fee will depend on the location, time of the day and day of the week.

All the games at Dave and Busters accept their game card in place of coins. Game cards can be loaded using credits at a recharge station, and every game, as mentioned, has its own specific fee to play.  Most games are in the $2 to $5 range, but the newest games and the games that offer the most tickets will typically be the highest cost, often as much as 10 “chips” a play.

At some locations, you may have to pay for parking.

Tips to know:

In order to play the games, you will need to buy a Power Card.  This card can be purchased at the front desk when you enter the Dave and Buster’s location.  This card, when activated, will be tied to your personal information and you can load any chips to this card at any time via a kiosk inside of the game rooms.  Referred to as “chips,” these are the credits that allow you to swipe the card in order to play the games.

Bear in mind that Dave and Buster’s has very strict policies regarding individuals under the age of 18. Their policy requires the under 18 be accompanied by an adult older than 25. All under 18 are required to leave by 10 p.m. unless they are eating a meal.

How can I save money?

Consider buying discounted gift cards at Raise.com to save a few dollars or consider buying Power Cards on eBay.

Some locations do offer deals on Groupon.com from time to time.  Check out this daily deal website before going to see if you can save.

Sign up for the D&B Rewards on their official website to get $10 in free gameplay.

The best deal, in most people’s opinion, is the Power Hour™, a time when you can play unlimited games for 60 minutes for $10.  Valid at participating locations, this deal is often held Monday through Friday, 4:30 until 7:30 p.m.  Some locations also have half-off Wednesday from open to close.  Check out the website for current promotions since they are always changing.

The more chips you purchase at once, the more you’re going to save.  Seeing these chips never expire, consider buying some for the future to bring down the costs or splitting it with your party.  Also, look for the “Supercharge” promotions where you can get additional chips added when you spend a certain amount.

If you plan on having a meal, there is almost always a deal where you can get bonus chips with your meal.  This is often referred to as the “eat and play” package.


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Average Reported Cost: $38.5

100 %
0 %
Less Expensive $1 $1.5K $3K $5K $6.5K More Expensive $8k

How much did you spend?

Was it worth it?  

  1. Susan. U Evans (Midlothian va ,  Virginia) paid $ and said:

    20 bucks

    Was it worth it? Yes

  2. Leigha (Kingman,  Arizona) paid $55 and said:

    It was worth it because it was my sons birthday

    Was it worth it? Yes

  3. Jeff (Phoenix,  Arizona) paid $20 and said:

    Fun

    Was it worth it? Yes

  4. yesennia (philadelfia,  Pennsylvania) paid $35 and said:

    how much money does a party cost in dave & busters

    Was it worth it? Yes

  5. Bela paid $10 and said: said:

    Not worth it

    Was it worth it? Yes

  6. Christopher Anderson (Madison,  Wisconsin) paid $111 and said:

    It cost about $66 for 1 1/2 to 2 hours for 2 kids to play games (this was with a discount using the app to recharge one of the cards, it would have been even more expensive otherwise. The website says $2 to turn on a card but they charged us $3 for each card on a Saturday night)

    Another $30 total for a meal with my girlfriend, we had a $10 Margarita, a soda, and a meal of 3 cheaply made chicken tacos with nacho chips.

    The kids wanted to go on the VR ride which costs $5 for each person, so me and the 2 kids rode on that which was another $15.

    It was fun but overly expensive, and not really worth it. I thought the VR ride was fun but for $5 a person it felt really short. Our waitress was nice but we had no silverware or napkins (she didn’t seem to notice we had none the entire time we were there), didn’t bring out any plates so my girlfriend and I could share our meal since we only ordered one entree, and didn’t refill my soda or ask if I wanted it refilled. She was a nice waitress and answered our questions about the food and the game points, but didn’t seem like she knew how to do her job well so my girlfriend was NOT happy at all.

    Was it worth it? Yes

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