Many people go to Dave and Buster’s to play games for fun. They are casual players; just looking for the most entertaining arcade games and leaving with a few thousand tickets if they are lucky.
Another group of people want to win as many tickets as they can so they can exchange them for an expensive prize.
When I first started playing arcade games, I got serious and wanted to know the best strategies to win tickets because I wanted a Nintendo Switch from the prize room. Now, I try to be an arcade advantage player and see how many tickets I can win while spending the least amount of chips.
There are so many ticket redemption games at Dave and Buster’s. It can be difficult to choose which ones to play in order to win the most tickets.
I have researched and played for years at Dave and Buster’s. Here is my list of top games to play to win tickets. These arcade games give the most tickets for the least amount of money spent.
Each arcade game will have a link that explains the tips and tricks in more detail.
What are the Top Skill-Based Arcade Games to Win Tickets?
1. Down the Clown
How much does it cost?
6.8 chips
How many tickets can you win?
500 tickets
Down the Clown is a classic carnival-like arcade game that has been around for years. It is one of the most skill-based arcade games.
Throw the red balls in order to knock down the clowns to score enough points to win the jackpot.
It sounds easy enough, but it will take a lot of practice to be able to throw consistently to be able to win.
There is a strategy of prioritizing which clowns you hit to maximize the amount of points that you can win in the 20 seconds that the game gives you.
Skilled players can win the 500 ticket jackpot multiple times in a row everyday. This makes Down the Clown a must-play if you are talented enough to get over 500 points consistently.
2. Two Minute Drill
How much does it cost?
5.6 chips
How many tickets can you win?
250 tickets
Two Minute Drill is another classic skill-based arcade game. You get a bunch of footballs and you need to be accurate with your throws to hit the targets. There are three targets in the back of the arcade machine, along with additional targets you can hit that pop up randomly.
This football arcade game costs a little less than the average game at Dave and Buster’s. Though, the jackpot is only 250 tickets.
The usual score to beat starts at 500 points. Like Down the Clown, Two Minute Drill lets you win the jackpot multiple times in a row if you are skilled enough.
There are videos of really talented players who can score 20 jackpots in a row. That is a whopping 5000 tickets for not that many chips!
Of course, it still takes a lot of practice and experience to consistently get the jackpot on Two Minute Drill. But it makes the list of one of the best ticket redemption arcade games because there is hardly any luck involved. If you play well enough, you can win a ton of tickets on this game.
Two Minute Drill Strategy Guide
3. Tailgate Toss
How much does it cost?
6.8 chips
How many tickets can you win?
500 tickets
If you are good at bean bag toss then you should have a good start playing Tailgate Toss. Your goal is to score enough points to win the jackpot by throwing bean bags into three rotating holes.
The main strategy is to not just score as much as you can, though. You need to hit the same color hole three times in a row and then aim for another color. This will maximize the amount of points you can get in the 22 seconds that you have.
Another quick tip for Tailgate Toss is to be on the lookout for lower high scores. The high score resets in the morning so it should be easier to win then.
Like all the other throwing arcade games on this list, it will take practice and muscle memory to win the jackpot.
Skilled players can stack the jackpot and win multiple times in a row. The stacking of jackpots is an important factor in these games, making them high on the list of best games to play for tickets.
4. Hyper Pitch
How much does it cost?
7.0 chips
How many tickets can you win?
Minimum of 500 tickets
The goal of Hyper Pitch is to not only be accurate, but also throw as fast as you can. The game records how fast you throw in miles per hour. It is super entertaining to see your speed and try to throw faster the next time.
You get three throws to get above the high score in order to win the jackpot. The jackpot starts at 500 tickets but increases throughout the day so it can be higher.
Again, these skill-based games are the best to win tickets, but you will have to put in the work to get good at them.
Hyper Pitch is especially nice for people who have played baseball and already have the skills to throw super fast and hit a target.
Another thing that makes this game perfect to win tickets is that you can stack jackpots and get a few in a row.
5. Milk Jug Toss
How much does it cost?
6.8 chips
How many tickets can you win?
500 tickets
You need to throw 5 out of 5 balls into the milk jug to win the 500 ticket jackpot. Winning this arcade game sounds and looks easier than it actually is.
Milk Jug Toss is one of the most difficult skill-based arcade games to win tickets. It is hard to consistently get all five balls into the jug. Luck is involved more with how the ball will bounce off the back wall or the floor of the machine.
There are throwing strategies that can help you win, though.
Of course, the reason Milk Jug Toss is on the list is because it is possible that you can keep winning jackpots one after the other if you throw perfectly. There are videos of players doing this that you can easily find online.
What are the Easiest Timing Arcade Games to Win Tickets?
These games take a little bit more luck to win than the skill-based arcade games from above. I will explain for each game how much luck is involved.
The trick for a lot of these games is to know the perfect timing so that you can win the jackpot. If you just know when to press the button at the right time then you can win tons of tickets pretty consistently.
Some of these arcade games require you to know when it is ready to payout a jackpot. The arcade machines have a setting that makes it close to impossible to win unless enough money has been paid into it. If enough money has been spent on the arcade game then it goes into an easier mode. By having this knowledge you can play when the game is easier and win the jackpot before anyone else does.
6. Tower of Tickets
How much does it cost?
6.8 chips
How many tickets can you win?
1000 tickets
The jackpot on Tower of Tickets is one of the biggest, with a whopping 1000 ticket puck that you can swipe. It is also pretty consistent to win if you know the right timing. That makes it one of the better arcade games to get tickets from.
My Dave and Buster’s location recently got rid of their Tower of Tickets game. I am not sure if they still have it at other Dave and Buster’s locations or not. I have seen Tower of Tickets at local arcades besides Dave and Buster’s, though.
There are a ton of pucks in the machine with different ticket values. The next biggest ticket amounts are 750 and 500 ticket pucks. It may seem like this game needs a lot of luck in order to win.
Check out the guide below to know when to press the button to sweep the arm down at just the right time to get whatever ticket amount you want.
Usually you can only win once per visit as the machine changes the timing up after you score the first puck.
Tower of Tickets Strategy Guide
7. Quik Drop
How much does it cost?
6.8 chips
How many tickets can you win?
500 – 1000 tickets
The point of Quik Drop is to drop all 50 red balls into the rotating buckets without any missing.
This is one of my favorite arcade games to play at Dave and Buster’s. The timing needs to be perfect and there is the potential to win a ton of tickets.
Quik Drop does take a bit of skill to beat. Though, as you can read in the guide below, there is a trick where the game gets easier to win if the jackpot is above a certain ticket amount.
When the game is in this easy mode, you can drop 4 balls into each bucket and win. Compared to having to try to make 5 balls, which is extremely difficult.
You can win the jackpot every time by knowing the right timing pattern and when the game is on an easier setting.
The problem is that you can really only get the jackpot once. Then you will have to wait until it gets easier to beat again.
Also, if your goal is to win the jackpot you can only really play Quik Drop when it is in easy mode so it might not be ready that day that you decide to go to Dave and Buster’s.
8. Gear It Up
How much does it cost?
6.8 chips
How many tickets can you win?
100 – 500 tickets
Gear It Up is an arcade game where you have to time your button presses to move a ball up a set of gears. If you can get it to the top of the machine you can time a wheel spin to have a chance to win the jackpot.
This is an underrated ticket redemption game to get a consistent amount of tickets.
It is possible to win at least 100 tickets every play.
The jackpot has a maximum ticket amount of 500. The jackpot can be won pretty easily when it is ready if you know the right tips.
Like other arcade games on this list, Gear It Up has timing tricks that allows you to always beat the first three gears and get the ball to the top of the machine. Once there you can again time your button press perfectly to win tons of tickets.
9. Monster Drop
How much does it cost?
6.8 chips
How many tickets can you win?
100 – 2000 tickets
Monster Drop is so much fun to play! There is the potential to win so many more tickets than any other arcade game. It also takes a lot more luck. Just having the chance to win the monster jackpot is what makes it so addicting to watch your ball bounce everywhere inside the machine.
A bouncy ball drops from the top of the machine, while holes spin around at the bottom that have different ticket values. There is even a chance to release multiple balls at once with the bonus ball slot.
The monster jackpot hole, which starts at 1000 tickets, sits in the middle on a raised pedestal. It is almost impossible to aim for this spot or get the ball to roll on top of it. Though, the monster jackpot is the most tickets you can win at the arcade.
Getting the normal jackpot on Monster Drop is much more realistic. Especially with another timing “hack” that helps you drop the ball right into the jackpot slot. This trick can be found in the guide below, along with other tips to give you the best shot to win.
10. Spin Out
How much does it cost?
10 chips
How many tickets can you win?
100 – 1000 tickets
Spin Out is a spin the wheel game where you get however many tickets that the arrow lands on. It seems similar to Big Bass Wheel or another game that is completely random. But there are ways to time your button press in Spin Out so that you can get more tickets than average.
Having knowledge of this timing trick lets you always land one arrow on the 100 tickets. The multiplier arrow is almost impossible to control where it lands. So you can get at least 100 tickets on every play with the possibility of getting the multiplier higher. You even have a chance of landing on the 10x multiplier and winning 1000 tickets.
This is another game that is underrated. You can consistently get at least 100 tickets. Though, it does have a higher cost at 10 chips, compared to the average cost of 6.8 at Dave and Buster’s. It is a good idea to play Spin Out on Half-Off Wednesday to make it more worth it.
11. Crossy Road
How much does it cost?
6.8 chips
How many tickets can you win?
At least 250 tickets
This Frogger-like game is surprisingly addictive. It only has one button. You press it to move your character forward while trying to avoid cars, trains, and water. Get far enough and you can beat the high score and win the jackpot.
The jackpot has been lowered to starting at 250 tickets. It does not give the most tickets but there are other benefits to Crossy Road that make it a worthwhile ticket redemption game.
You can check Crossy Road regularly for when the high score is lower. If it is low then it can be an easy win for quick tickets.
Another reason Crossy Road is so good for tickets is that you can win multiple jackpots in a row. This one takes a decent amount of skill and knowledge to beat. Once you are confident that you can dodge traffic and hop on logs, then you can start going for higher scores and lots of jackpots.
12. Spider-Man: Homecoming
How much does it cost?
6.8 chips
How many tickets can you win?
500 tickets
This Spider-Man arcade game is very simple. Press a button when you get your “spidey sense” on the screen. You need to do this quickly and with precise timing to beat the game. You will win the 500 ticket jackpot if you defeat the Vulture at the end of the game.
It is tougher than it seems to win because you need to have really perfect button presses, as one miss will cause you to lose and start all over.
Spider-Man: Homecoming makes the list of best arcade games for tickets because of a few tricks that help you know if you can win easily.
Like a decent amount of other arcade games, Spider-Man: Homecoming has a rigged payout system. It will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to win if not enough money has been spent on the machine. Though, if the payout threshold is met, then the game will go to an easier mode that allows players to win without too much effort.
See the full guide below to know when the game is in this easy mode. At that point it becomes an arcade game where you can win a relatively easy 500 tickets. Of course, you can only do this once, as right after you win the game will go back to hard mode for a while.
Spider-Man: Homecoming Strategy Guide
13. Gold Fishin’
How much does it cost?
6.8 chips
How many tickets can you win?
500 tickets
Gold Fishin’ takes a lot more luck than a lot of the games on this list. The ping pong balls that you throw bounce everywhere. It seems like all you can do is pray that they’ll land in enough fish bowls to win the jackpot.
There are some tips for throwing that can give you the best shot of landing in the center bowls for the most points. It also helps to play when the score to beat to win the jackpot is at its lowest, which is usually pretty often.
You get above average tickets (500) for winning the jackpot.
Gold Fishin’ is a fun arcade game that I like to throw into my rotation when I go to Dave and Buster’s. I’ll play it a couple times to try and get lucky.
What are the Best Coin Pushers to Win Tickets?
The top coin pusher machines that can be found at Dave and Buster’s are listed below.
Coin pushers are not the best arcade games to win tickets. That is why they are at the bottom of this list.
It is possible to win the most tickets but it will also cost you a lot of chips and take a long time to collect all the cards that you need to redeem.
There are tips and tricks for each coin pusher to help reduce the cost it will take to win tickets. A lot of card collecting coin pushers will have one card in the set that is a lot more rare than the rest. If you know the rare card, then you can check the coin pusher for it and only play when you see it.
I will provide links below that have more detail of the strategies to win tickets for each coin pusher machine, along with which cards are the rare ones to look out for.
14. Despicable Me Jelly Lab
How much does it cost?
6.8 chips
How many tickets can you win for turning in the full set of cards?
2000 tickets
While not technically a coin pusher, Despicable Me Jelly Lab plays very similarly and has collectible cards that you can turn in for tickets.
Despicable Me is the highest on the coin pusher list for tickets because it is almost all skill instead of mostly luck like the others.
You can time when you release a coin on the conveyor belt. If you know the timing trick (which is explained in the guide below) you can land the coin on the card slot every time.
Winning cards is easy on Jelly Lab. The difficult part is finding all the collectible minion cards in the set.
All of these arcade card sets have one card that is way more rare than the rest. The tip for every coin pusher is to figure out which card is rare and look for that within the machine.
Despicable Me Jelly Lab’s rare card is the Evil Minion. If you see this card you should play to win it and then the rest of the cards will be easier to get from there.
Despicable Me Jelly Lab Strategy Guide
15. Star Trek Coin Pusher
How much does it cost?
6.8 chips
How many tickets can you win for turning in the full set of cards?
2500 tickets
The Star Trek coin pusher is one of the most popular coin pushers at Dave and Buster’s. It has the same addicting gameplay where you drop a bunch of coins on the coin shelf to push them off the edge. Collectible cards and tokens move off the edge as well.
The Star Trek card sets have changed over the years. Check out the guide below to see exactly what Star Trek characters are available right now.
The rare card also changes depending on what set is available. Again, it is important to know what card is super rare so that you can be on the lookout for it and snag it when you see it is close to the edge.
Star Trek Coin Pusher Strategy Guide
16. Wizard of Oz Coin Pusher
How much does it cost?
6.8 chips
How many tickets can you win for turning in the full set of cards?
2500 tickets
The Wizard of Oz coin pusher has the same gameplay and tips as the Star Trek one. This coin pusher just gives you another set of cards to collect and turn in for a ton of tickets.
The Toto card is the rare card in the set. Make sure to play Wizard of Oz when you see this card at your arcade.
These coin pushers can be relaxing, but also really addicting. You are always chasing that next card that drops onto the shelf. Be careful. Make sure you do not spend all your money to play these coin pushers.
Wizard of Oz Coin Pusher Strategy Guide
17. SpongeBob Coin Pusher
How much does it cost?
6.8 chips
How many tickets can you win for turning in the full set of cards?
3000 tickets
SpongeBob Pineapple arcade has the highest amount of tickets that can be won. Does that mean that it is the best game to play for tickets? Not necessarily, as you need to collect all 9 cards and it is more difficult to get the cards to drop off of the coin shelf.
The coins in the SpongeBob coin pusher are hard to control and they get shoved to the corners of the machine. It takes so long to push anything in the middle off the edge. Because of this, it will cost you a lot of chips at Dave and Buster’s to get the cards you need.
There are tips and tricks to help you win as fast as you can. The rare card on the SpongeBob coin pusher is the Gary card.
Like some of the other coin pushers on this list, SpongeBob occasionally updates the card sets within the machines. Check the guide for the new cards that are available.
SpongeBob Coin Pusher Strategy Guide
This is my complete list of best ticket arcade games. There will be games that some people are better at or know more about the tricks to win. Try out new games and enjoy your time at the arcade.
I will update this list if need be as Dave and Buster’s adds and takes away games regularly.
Do not abuse the arcades you play at. They need to make money in order to stay in business. There have been many instances of Dave and Buster’s changing settings on games or even completely getting rid of some that have been too easily won for tickets.
This arcade advantage player guide will help you learn the rules to seriously playing at the arcade to win tickets.
If you need help saving money at Dave and Buster’s, check out this coupons and deals guide.