Anyone living in the Canton of Zurich or the neighboring regions appreciates the enormous variety of the local landscape and cultural offerings. From the picturesque lakes to the green, hilly landscapes, there is an infinite amount to discover. But at some point, you’ve seen every hiking trail, visited every zoo, and you find yourself looking for new, innovative experiences for the weekend. If you are looking for truly unique day trips Zurich and surroundings, then we at GamePlaza have exactly what you need.
Located at Badenerstrasse 569 in Zurich, we not only attract immediate city residents but have long since developed into one of the most fascinating destinations for the entire region. In this article, we’ll tell you why the journey from the Zurich Oberland, the Unterland, or the neighboring cantons is definitely worth it and what makes our video game museum so incomparable.
More than just a local tip: A must-see destination Canton Zurich
Families, couples, or groups of friends are often looking for exciting excursions near Zurich that fall a bit outside the usual box. A standard museum visit or an ordinary afternoon at the cinema often offer little room for real interaction. This is exactly where GamePlaza comes in. As an innovative destination Canton Zurich, we offer an interactive walk through the turbulent history of video games.
Instead of passively viewing old exhibits behind thick glass panes, we invite our guests to become an active part of history themselves. For us, this means: touch, try out, and play along! Regardless of whether you come from one of the surrounding rural communities or are planning a day trip to the city anyway, our museum offers you a completely new perspective on entertainment. We bring people together, let different generations play together on a single console, and create lasting memories.
A journey through design and technology: For true enthusiasts
However, our museum is much more than just a place for pure gaming fun; it is a true treasure trove for technology and design lovers. If you are traveling from the region, a deep dive into the visual and technical evolution of pop culture awaits you. For creative minds, our exhibition is a massive source of inspiration. You can witness the development of digital design firsthand—from the charming vector illustrations of the very first arcade cabinets to the highly complex, three-dimensional worlds of today’s VR games.
Looking at the physical game packaging from the 80s and 90s is particularly fascinating. It is impressive to see how lovingly crafted custom typography and detailed artworks adorned the covers of these retro products, telling exciting stories long before the game even started on the screen.
Furthermore, tech enthusiasts can dive deep into the historical hardware specifications here. We present not only the casings of the consoles but also the technical blueprints and revolutionary concepts behind them. Discover the fascinating, rudimentary architecture of the Magnavox Odyssey, the very first commercial home console, or marvel at the revolutionary performance of the Commodore 64, which ushered in the home computer wave in the 80s. The 32-bit era is also detailed through icons like the Sega Saturn, whose then-unique and highly complex dual-CPU structure presented game developers with enormous technical challenges.
Activities Zurich Oberland: Why the short journey is so relaxing
For visitors specifically looking for activities Zurich Oberland or other more rural areas, driving into the city of Zurich might at first sound like stress, traffic jams, and searching for a parking space. But we can reassure you: GamePlaza is extremely conveniently located in District 9 (Altstetten). This means that you do not have to fight your way through the sluggish traffic of the innermost old town or around the lake basin.
The connection is optimally solved for both drivers and public transport users. This turns the short trip from the surrounding area into a relaxed start to an eventful day. This is exactly why GamePlaza has established itself as the perfect anchor point for excursions. Making the trip from every corner of the canton pays off because this immersive “offline” experience is simply unique in all of Switzerland.
A fair concept for all visitors from the region
Another compelling reason why we are now one of the most popular day trips Zurich and surroundings is our fair and 100% transparent pricing model. Who isn’t familiar with this problem? You visit a classic arcade or a large leisure center, and on top of the already high admission price, there are constant additional costs for tokens, coins, or time-limited game rounds.
At GamePlaza, we follow a completely different philosophy that saves your budget and maximizes the fun: You only pay the entrance fee once (22 CHF for adults, 19 CHF for children between 6 and 15 years, 5 CHF for 5-year-olds, under 5s enter for free) and can then use all arcade machines, consoles, PC games, and virtual reality experiences indefinitely. There are no hidden fees and no premature “Game Over” just because you ran out of change. You buy your ticket, come in, and press START—two full hours of pure freedom.
Important Summer Updates 2026 for your trip planning
For all those spending their holidays or weekends in Switzerland in the near future and looking for the best excursions near Zurich, we have extremely important updates regarding our opening hours in the current summer of 2026.
To guarantee you the maximum holiday fun during the school-free time, we have massively expanded our operating hours on short notice. From Monday, July 13th to Sunday, July 26th, 2026, we are open continuously for you the entire week! So you do not have to align your excursion planning with specific days of the week, but can organize your visit completely flexibly.
However, please strictly note for your further holiday planning: Immediately afterwards, our museum will go into a short but important summer break for urgently needed maintenance work on the historical exhibits. From Monday, July 27, 2026, up to and including Sunday, August 9, 2026, the doors of GamePlaza will remain completely closed. So make absolutely sure you take advantage of the extra-long opening hours in the days prior!
Practical information for your journey
If you now want to put your trip to the most interactive destination Canton Zurich into practice, here are the most important logistical details for you:
You will find GamePlaza at Badenerstrasse 569, 8048 Zurich on the 1st floor. If you are traveling by car from the surrounding area, it is best to park in the nearby “Parkhaus Letzipark”. There you can park for free for up to 3 hours from Monday to Saturday during the shopping center’s opening hours (on Sundays and public holidays it costs 3 CHF/hour). An alternative in the immediate vicinity is the “Buckhauserstrasse 36 Parking”. Travelers using the bus and train simply get off at the “Kappeli” stop (accessible by Tram 2 or Bus 89) and reach us after a short, 5-minute walk.
Important note: In order to avoid long waiting times and since our space capacity per time slot is strictly limited to exactly 60 people, we strongly recommend that you reserve your tickets for the excursion in advance on our website gameplaza.ch. We look forward to welcoming you to the controllers very soon!
