Startle Arcade is here: a new way to fill quieter nights in your pub

The screen has become one of the most valuable things in the modern pub. On match days it fills the room. On bingo nights it's the centre of the action. The rest of the time it promotes the menu, the drinks offer and what's coming up next week.

Pub operators have learned that a well-used screen does more than fill wall space. It gives guests a reason to come in, to stay and to come back. That's why we've spent years helping pub groups get more from theirs, from live sport with Startle Arena to entertainment nights with Rock and Roll Bingo.

Introducing Startle Arcade: interactive pub games that can entertain guests and extend their visit and spend any day of the week.

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Pub entertainment for every night of the week.

Operators know the pattern. Fixtures, bingo and quiz nights bring people in. But not every night has a big match or a booked host, and that's where it gets harder: smaller groups, earlier exits, and guests who come in for one drink and leave.

We wanted to give pubs something in between. Startle Arcade is:

• Easy enough for any shift to run, with no host or specialist staff needed
• Fun enough that people stay for another round, with live leaderboards and quick-fire games
• Simple enough for anyone to take part, with guests joining instantly from their phone - no app to download

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How Startle Arcade works.

Startle Arcade turns your venue screen into a live game show. Guests join from their own phones, while the pub TV shows the action, live leaderboards and results.

Staff can host each game themselves, moving rounds on with one click, or switch on auto mode and let games run without anyone on hand. Players stake points rather than money, so the competition stays playful rather than pressured.

A running venue leaderboard gives regulars a reason to come back and defend their spot. And every extra round is more time spent in your venue.

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The games.

There are ten games at launch, and we’re already working on more:

• Higher or Lower: quick-fire rounds with pub-quiz energy
• Spin the Wheel: party-style prize wheels
• Rock Paper Scissors: familiar rules, two play styles
• Roulette: casino-night fun with a chip-count leaderboard
• Code Breaker: brain teasers and speed challenges
• Battleboats: a head-to-head strategic guessing game
• Bingo: the traditional game, calling balls for a line then a full house
• Thumbathon: a thumb-scrolling race on the big screen
• Horse Derby: pick your horse and stake your points
• Hot Potato: pass the potato before the fuse blows

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No extra kit, no extra systems.

Startle Arcade runs on the same Startle Player that already powers our background music and digital signage, and it's managed in Studio alongside everything else. When a game starts, it takes over the screen automatically. When it finishes, the screen goes back to your usual signage.

You set your own rounds, timers and point stakes, so a session can suit a couple of tables or a packed room. For multi-site operators who work with Startle, that means one platform for music, screens, sport and entertainment across the whole estate.

Startle Arcade is already running in some of the UK's biggest pub chains, and the feedback from teams and guests has been very positive.

Pubs are always looking for ways to make a quieter Tuesday feel like a busier Friday without adding cost or complexity for their teams. Startle Arcade gives them a ready-made game show they can launch in seconds from the platform they already use for their music and screens.

Adam Castleton, CEO, Startle