Ottawa just got a new spot for a cheap, all-day outing: Boss Battle Games, an arcade inside St. Laurent Shopping Centre, next to Sports Chek.
What it costs to get in
Admission runs $20 before tax for a wristband that covers unlimited play until the arcade closes for the day. The official Boss Battle Games site confirms the same deal, describing it as a $20 + HST wristband that "unlocks unlimited arcade play for the entire day." There's no per-game cost once you're in, and no time limit pushing you out the door.
Who's behind it
The arcade was opened by Phylicia Burd and her husband, Dustin. The couple moved to Ottawa from Indianapolis two years ago, bringing with them a collection of machines built up over roughly twelve years of hunting through barns and auctions across the American Midwest, supplemented by imports. That long runway of collecting is part of what makes the lineup at Boss Battle Games feel less like a standard mall arcade and more like a curated set of finds.
Why unlimited play matters
Phylicia Burd has described the unlimited-play model as a deliberate choice: "It's unlimited play, so you try and you try and you try again until you understand it." For anyone who's dropped a pocketful of quarters into a machine only to lose in thirty seconds, that's the whole appeal. A flat admission fee means there's no pressure to master a game on the first attempt, and no reason to stop after one bad run. It also makes the arcade a realistic spot to settle in for a few hours rather than a quick stop between errands.
The Ottawa angle
That's a useful detail for anyone planning a visit: it's not a standalone storefront tucked away somewhere, it's inside a mall most Ottawa shoppers already know how to get to. It also adds another low-cost, indoor option to the city's roster of things to do as the weather turns, at a flat price that doesn't creep up the longer you stay.
Hours and planning a visit
The arcade's posted hours are Monday to Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. That's a wide window for a mall-based attraction, leaving room for an after-school stop, a weekend afternoon, or a longer evening session before close. Given the twelve years that went into building the machine collection, and the fact that the Burds moved across the border specifically to open it here, Boss Battle Games reads as a long-term bet on Ottawa rather than a pop-up novelty.
Whether it's a rainy-day plan or a full afternoon commitment, the pitch is straightforward: pay once, play as much as you want, and leave whenever you're actually done.
Sources: Ottawa Citizen (via Yahoo News Canada), Boss Battle Games (official site)
