National Videogame Museum - Gaming Heritage Destination - Sheffield Places
The National Videogame Museum is located in Sheffield, England and exhibits contemporary and historic video games. The UK's national cultural centre for videogames, The National Videogame Museum is on a mission to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret videogames for everyone.
The National Videogame Museum is located in Sheffield, England and exhibits contemporary and historic video games. The UK's national cultural centre for videogames, The National Videogame Museum is on a mission to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret videogames for everyone.
The museum, housed in Castle House, Sheffield, represents a significant cultural achievement in digital preservation and interactive entertainment education. The Museum houses 300 exhibits and 80 playable games spanning from the 1970s to the present day, including unreleased games still in development.
Historical Development and Mission
In 2015, the National Videogame Arcade opened in Nottingham, as the world's first cultural centre dedicated entirely to videogames. The NVA moved to Castle House in Sheffield where it established its permanent home as the National Videogame Museum. The facility operates as an interactive museum where visitors can play through the evolution of video games.
It is open Thursday to Sunday and every day during the Sheffield school holidays. The museum's approach combines historical preservation with hands-on engagement, allowing visitors to experience gaming history through direct interaction rather than passive observation.
Exhibition Scope and Educational Framework
The museum's comprehensive collection demonstrates the evolution of interactive entertainment technology and culture. Visitors can explore arcade classics, early console games and recent independent titles. Each exhibit provides context about its development, cultural impact and influence on the wider gaming industry. Interactive displays allow visitors to try rare and unusual games that are often unavailable elsewhere.
Visitors to the museum can also enjoy visiting The Lab – a section in the museum where you can learn more about building a new game and experience playing games that are currently in development. This forward-looking approach ensures the museum serves both as historical archive and contemporary gaming laboratory.
Regional Gaming Heritage Initiative
The museum maintains particular focus on local gaming development history through its dedicated regional exhibition. Sheffield has a rich videogame development history, and an innovative and exciting videogame development today with the likes of Sumo Digital, Boneloaf and newest developer Steel City Interactive. Spanning forty years of history that began with Gremlin Graphics, our Made In Sheffield exhibit shines a light on the city's legacy of videogame development through interactive games and unique objects.
This local emphasis establishes Sheffield's credentials as a significant centre for UK gaming development, connecting historical achievements with contemporary industry presence.
Technological Preservation and Cultural Impact
The museum's preservation mandate extends beyond entertainment value to encompass broader technological and cultural documentation. The collections include the iconic Space Invaders which features the classic 1978 original along with 13 other versions of the game including clones, sequels, and spin-offs. This comprehensive approach to single-title preservation demonstrates the museum's commitment to documenting gaming's iterative development processes.
Visitor Experience and Accessibility
With over 100 playable exhibits, it's also a lot of fun! The museum balances educational objectives with entertainment value, ensuring comprehensive engagement across diverse visitor demographics. An educational programme for young people to talk about what games mean and how they are made was created by the founders.
The National Videogame Museum represents a pioneering approach to digital culture preservation, combining historical documentation with active community engagement and educational programming. Its establishment in Sheffield reinforces the city's position as a significant node in UK gaming development and cultural preservation.
Most Popular Games at the National Videogame Museum
Based on visitor experiences and museum documentation, the following games represent the most frequently highlighted and played exhibits:
Classic Arcade Games:
- Space Invaders
- Pac-Man
- Donkey Kong
Console Classics:
- Super Mario 64
- Super Mario (various versions)
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Crash Bandicoot
- Tekken
Interactive and Multiplayer Experiences:
- Track & Field
- Rockband
- Dance Dance Revolution
- Sheffield's own party game (locally developed title)
Unique Exhibits:
- A game involving a bathtub, rubber ducks and a PS3
These games span multiple decades of gaming history, from 1970s arcade pioneers to contemporary console experiences, demonstrating the museum's comprehensive approach to interactive entertainment preservation and presentation.
