Arcade game payback calculator: which games earn their floor space? Free, private

Which games earn their floor space, and which should you move or cut?

List each game with what it cost, credits per play, plays per week and tickets paid per play. You get weekly profit, payback, break-even plays, the plays a week needed to hit your payback target and a keep, watch or cut verdict for every game, plus what happens to the whole floor if you change credit prices or prize cost.

It works from your own figures. It does not know how popular a game will be, what your card system reports, or what the same game earns in another venue.

Your floor

What one credit earns you, dollars (average after bonuses and discounts)

Prize cost per ticket, dollars (what the prize case costs you per ticket paid)

Card and platform fees, % of revenue

Rent per square foot per year, dollars

Power per game per month, dollars

Repairs and parts per year, % of game cost

Target payback, months

Default floor space per game, square feet

Prize cost limit, % of a game's revenue (blank for none)

Games, one per line: name, game cost, credits per play, plays per week, tickets per play (0 if none), square feet (optional)

Fill in your floor and games, then click Work out the games. Only what a credit earns and at least one game are required; the rest default to zero.

Result

Every game, best first

Game	Profit per week	Payback, months	Break-even plays	Plays for target	Per sq ft per year	Verdict

If credits earn more or less

Credit price change	Floor profit per week	Per year	Margin

If prizes cost more or less

Prize cost change	Floor profit per week	Per year

What it does, and what it leaves to you

Revenue: plays per week times credits per play times what a credit earns you. Card and platform fees come off it.
Prizes: plays times tickets per play times your prize cost per ticket. The ticket value is your own cost, not the price printed on a prize.
Floor cost: each game's square feet times rent, plus the power figure spread over weeks, plus repairs and parts as a share of the game's cost per year. Staff, insurance and the venue's other costs are not allocated.
Payback: game cost divided by weekly profit. Verdicts: keep if it pays back within your target, watch if it makes money but slower, cut if it loses money each week.
Not decided: how many plays a game will really get, how a game affects the games beside it, resale value, financing, income tax and depreciation, licences and local amusement rules, and whether prizes in your venue count as gambling where you are.

Common questions

Which arcade games make the most money?

It depends on what each game costs, how often it is played, what it pays out and how much floor it takes. Enter each game once and the page ranks them by weekly profit, payback and profit per square foot, using only your figures.

How do I work out whether a redemption game pays for itself?

Revenue per play is credits times what a credit earns you. Take off card fees and the prize cost of the tickets it pays, then the game's share of rent, power and upkeep. What is left per week, divided into the game's cost, is its payback.

How many plays a week does a game need to break even?

The page shows two numbers per game: the plays that cover its floor, power and upkeep, and the plays that also reach your payback target. Both are exact for your inputs.

Should I raise prices or cut tickets?

The tables show total weekly profit if every credit earns 10 or 20 percent more or less, and if the prize cost per ticket rises or falls. Compare them to see which lever moves your floor most.

Does this tell me which games players will like?

No. It works only from the plays you enter. A new game has no history, so enter a play count you believe and check it against your own card-system reports.

Is my data uploaded anywhere?

No. Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing is sent; a test in the code asserts there are no network calls.