Funlab’s newest social games venue is taking over The Social Quarter with arcade games, VHS nostalgia, deep-cut 90s soundtracks and a whole lot of friendly competition.
If your idea of a good night out involves a bit of nostalgia, a healthy dose of competition and wondering how you ever survived the dial-up era, a new venue is about to land at Chadstone.
Funlab, the team behind Holey Moley, Hijinx Hotel, Archie Brothers and Strike Bowling, is opening Playback96, a new social games venue built around the best bits of the 1990s.
Opening to the public on Thursday 27 August, Playback96 will take over a space in Chadstone’s Social Quarter, next to Holey Moley Golf Club.
And rather than simply covering the walls in old movie posters and calling it retro, Funlab has gone all-in on the decade.
Think VHS tapes, cult movie posters, glowing Furbys, a stand-up N64, dial-up modem phones, retro brick phones and life-size 90s movie cutouts. There’s even a retro hairdresser-inspired corner called Shazza’s, where you can test your ability to name songs while sitting underneath the hairdryers.
The main attraction, though, is the games.
Guests get an hour of unlimited play across nine physical challenge games, with the experience designed to work as a free-roaming social competition rather than a traditional arcade.
There’s Total Recall, a 90s pop-culture memory test; Stop Hammer Time, which puts your reaction speed to the test; a wall of retro brick phones where players race to match patterns; and Pong Time, which turns beer pong into an arcade-style game without the beer.
There’s also Line Master, an oversized Etch A Sketch-style drawing and guessing game, and Ready Player Run, where players have to dodge swinging pendulums through a candy-coloured tunnel.
The soundtrack gets the same treatment. Rather than relying entirely on the obvious 90s hits, Playback96 says it will lean into deeper cuts and cult favourites from the likes of Massive Attack, Outkast, Moby, Portishead and Blur.
Naturally, there’s a bar to match.
The launch cocktail is Screen Burn, Funlab’s twist on a Sex on the Beach, which comes with a playable Pixel Pet, while selected cocktails will get surprise Troll Doll straw toppers.
The whole thing is being pitched as a place for date nights, catch-ups, birthdays, work socials and those increasingly valuable nights where someone simply asks, “What are we doing tonight?”
Playback96 can accommodate up to 48 people on the games floor each hour, with party packages available for kids, teenagers and adults. There are also hybrid packages allowing groups to combine Playback96 with neighbouring Funlab venues including Holey Moley, Hijinx Hotel and Archie Brothers.
Funlab CEO Blaise Witnish says the concept is designed to bring back the social side of the decade.
“Playback96 brings back the best bits of the 90s. The games, the music and the great company that made the decade unforgettable in the first place.”
For anyone who remembers renting a VHS, blowing into an N64 cartridge or waiting for the internet to connect one painfully slow second at a time, Playback96 is essentially an entire night built around the things that used to make hanging out with friends fun.
And thankfully, there are no late fees.
Playback96 at Chadstone
Where: Level 1, The Social Quarter, Chadstone Shopping Centre
Opening: Thursday 27 August 2026
Hours: Monday to Thursday & Sunday, 9:30am to 10pm; Friday & Saturday, 9:30am to 11pm
Capacity: Up to 48 people per hour on the games floor
Suitable for: Kids, teens, adults, parties, dates, work socials and group events
Note: Minors are not permitted after 8pm
Bookings: Playback96
Playback96 is the latest concept from Funlab, which operates more than 80 venues across eight brands in Australia.
