Built by Las Vegas, for Las Vegas
Game Nest is a locally owned Las Vegas arcade — not a franchise or a chain. It was started by a husband and wife from the Las Vegas community, people who live here, love this city, and wanted to give it something it was missing.
For over a decade, Game Nest has been a neighborhood fixture in Las Vegas Chinatown — a place where locals bring their families, meet their friends, and come back week after week for the game floor and Kafe Nesto's food. Before Game Nest was known citywide, the Las Vegas community kept it going. That debt never leaves the Salumes.
A mechanic, a dream, and every last dollar
Abraham Salume didn't come from money. He came from El Salvador, landed in Las Vegas, became a mechanic, and spent years falling in love with Japanese arcade culture — the kind that existed everywhere in the world except in his own city.
Las Vegas had Strip arcades built for tourists: flashy, overpriced, gone the moment they stopped turning a profit. What it didn't have was a real neighborhood arcade — the kind you drive to on a Wednesday night with no occasion, the kind where the owner knows your face.
So Abraham built one. He took his life savings and started hunting for machines, repairing every broken cabinet himself — welding and rewiring them back to life the way a mechanic works on an engine. When he wanted Initial D Arcade Stage Version 8, a racing game Japan had while the US was still on Version 3, he found a way to import it and became the first arcade in America to have it. That one machine opened a direct pipeline of Japanese arcade imports that still defines Game Nest today.
His wife Julie Ann joined him in building the business from the ground up. Together, they grew Game Nest from a small corner of a Chinatown plaza into a 10,000-square-foot arcade that Las Vegas Weekly, 8 News Now, and Every Day Vegas have all called one of the city's hidden gems.
Abraham has the Game Nest logo tattooed on him. That's how serious this is.
"Everybody who comes here knows we're not here to make a crazy amount of money. We're here to give people the joy of arcade games."
Abraham Salume, Co-Founder — Las Vegas Weekly, 2023The Game Nest philosophy
Every decision at Game Nest comes back to the same question: does this make it better for the people who come here?
Unlimited hourly play
Abraham grew up watching his cousin pump quarters into machines just to keep playing with him. Game Nest runs on a flat hourly rate — about $12/hr — so nobody feels guilty trying something new.
Games worth playing
Abraham and Julie Ann refuse to fill the floor with ticket machines. Every game earns its spot, and the lineup rotates as Abraham personally drives to swap games in and out.
Everyone belongs here
Grandparents who've never held a controller, kids on their first arcade trip, and competitive rhythm players grinding for rankings all fit here. The hourly model removes the pressure of trying something new.
Authentic Japanese machines
Most US arcades never received the imports that define Japanese arcade culture. Game Nest orders full containers from Japan and takes buying trips to bring back machines you won't find elsewhere in the Southwest.
Something new
Corporate arcades let their lineups stagnate for years. Abraham personally sources and swaps games regularly, so regulars always have a reason to come back.
Rooted in Chinatown
Abraham and Julie Ann deliberated about staying in Chinatown when the arcade expanded. Japanese arcade culture belongs in an Asian cultural hub, and Las Vegas had never had that until Game Nest.
Why we stay in Chinatown
When Game Nest was ready to expand, Abraham had options — bigger plazas, higher-traffic areas, spaces that might have made more sense on paper. He chose to stay on West Spring Mountain Road, right in the heart of Las Vegas Chinatown.
It wasn't a difficult decision. Japanese arcade culture has deep roots in Asian communities around the world. In every Chinatown Abraham had visited across the US, some version of that culture lived there. Las Vegas, with one of the country's most vibrant Chinatown corridors, had nothing like it. Game Nest was built to fill that gap.
The neighborhood responded. Local artists created the Japanese-style graffiti murals lining the walls. The community spread the word when things were hard — and during COVID, when both Abraham and Julie Ann lost their jobs and the arcade went dark, it was the Las Vegas community that kept Game Nest alive, sharing, shouting out, and showing up the moment doors reopened.
"It makes me tear up a little bit, but I would also like to say thanks to Vegas for choosing us."
Abraham Salume, Co-FounderIn the spotlight
Featured as a genuine community institution, not a tourist novelty.
Las Vegas Weekly
Full feature on Abraham & Julie Ann Salume — the story behind Game Nest's founding.
Read →Every Day Vegas
Called "Vegas's arcade treasure" — one of the city's best off-Strip activities.
Read →Arcade Preservation
Documented as a notable US arcade in the international preservation database.
Read →Common questions
Who owns Game Nest Las Vegas?
Game Nest is owned and operated by Abraham and Julie Ann Salume, a husband-and-wife team who are Las Vegas locals. Abraham — a former mechanic originally from El Salvador — founded the arcade and spent his life savings building it into the city's first Japanese-style arcade in Chinatown.
Is Game Nest locally owned or a franchise?
Game Nest is 100% locally owned and operated, not a franchise or a corporate concept. The Salumes live in Las Vegas, work in the business daily, and have been part of the Chinatown community for over a decade.
How long has Game Nest been open in Las Vegas?
Game Nest has been a Las Vegas institution for over a decade, growing from a small arcade into a 10,000-square-foot destination at 4525 W Spring Mountain Rd in Chinatown. It survived the early years on determination, and COVID on community support.
Why is Game Nest located in Las Vegas Chinatown?
It was a deliberate choice. Abraham noticed that Japanese arcade culture naturally lives in Asian cultural corridors in other cities. Las Vegas had a thriving Chinatown but no Japanese-style arcade, so Game Nest was built to fill that gap as a neighborhood institution, not a tourist attraction.
Why does Game Nest use hourly play instead of tokens or credits?
Abraham grew up watching people he loved pump quarters into machines just to keep playing. The flat hourly rate — about $12 per hour — removes that pressure, letting you try any machine and play as many times as you want.
Where is Game Nest and when is it open?
4525 W Spring Mountain Rd #112, Las Vegas, NV 89103, in the Chinatown corridor a few minutes from the Strip. Open Monday through Thursday and Sunday 12pm to 12am, Friday and Saturday 12pm to 2am. Walk-ins always welcome; call (725) 780-4426 to confirm on holidays.
Experience one of the best arcades in Las Vegas
Walk in anytime, or plan your visit today — unlimited play and Kafe Nesto food are waiting either way.
come see what we built
Come experience one of the best arcades in Las Vegas. Walk in anytime or plan your visit today.