The Coin Game

I jumped into The Coin Game expecting a cute arcade sandbox and found a surprisingly deep little island full of ticket grabbers, animatronics and an embarrassing love for cheesy poofs. devotid has built a world that feels like someone's childhood memory of a mall-carnival hybrid, with more mini-games than I had time for. It's easy to pick up and plug away at coin pushers, UFO catchers and goofy laser tag rounds, but don't be fooled—under all that nostalgia there's a patchwork of ambitious systems that sometimes hiccup. If you grew up on coin-op machines or like cozy sims with a hint of chaos, this one will tug at your heartstrings (and your spare change).

Arcade Island: Your Playground of Tickets and Tiny Victories

The Coin Game plays like a love letter to coin-op arcades, but stretched across an open island full of attractions. You’ll wander from Larry’s Arcade to a '90s-style mall, hop into a waterpark, try mini-golf, race RC boats and even tackle indoor go-karts. The core loop is wonderfully simple: play machines to win tickets, trade tickets for prizes, sell duplicates or scavenge to keep your funds afloat. Two main modes shape how you approach it—Survivor, where money and energy matter, and Birthday Mode, which is the pure joyous sandbox with unlimited cash. Delivery jobs, bike routes and the pawn shop give you more to do than just chain coin pushes; there’s actual economy and a tiny bit of survival wrapped into the arcade fun. I spent hours just chasing high scores on a handful of machines, then wandering off to throw robots around and discover hidden corners.

Animatronics, Minions and the Little Things That Hook You

What makes The Coin Game stand out is the personality poured into the attractions: animatronics like Teddy and the Ticket Eaters steal scenes, minions populate laser tag battles, and the carnival brings a rotating set of classic booths. Each arcade machine feels distinct—some are modern takes on jackpot pushers, others capture that frustrating-but-satisfying timing of skill games. There’s surprising depth in progression: prize collection, leaderboard bragging, jobs that reward practice, and small emergent moments (accidentally launching a robot across the floor is inexplicably funny). The developer’s sense of humor shows in snack texts, NPC lines and that delightful sticky-finger aesthetic. A few reviewers also floated that the game would be a natural fit for VR, and I can see why: the tactile joy of dropping a coin is practically begging for immersion.

Glitches, Performance and Presentation—A Mixed Bag

Graphically, the game opts for a cozy, slightly cartoony realism that nails the arcade ambiance—neon lights, cluttered prize counters and greasy-finger textures. Sound design is playful: jingles, machine clanks and a jaunty soundtrack sell the mood well. But this is where the game’s ambitions clash with reality for some players: menu stability, occasional crashes and stutters pop up in community reports and my own sessions on different PCs. There’s no autosave in places, which makes some crashes sting more than they should. Controls and input mapping are flexible and support controllers well, and traversal options (bike, golf cart, bus) add flavor, even if traffic and collisions can be fiddly. The result is a delightful, lively package that still feels like it’s being actively polished—full of heart, occasionally hampered by rough edges.

The Coin Game is a heartfelt arcade sim—equal parts nostalgia and small-system ambition. If you can forgive occasional instability, there’s a hugely satisfying playground here for collectors, score-chasers and cozy sim fans. Buy it for the atmosphere and charming machines; consider waiting for a patch if stability is a dealbreaker.