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Power Up London: retro games, consoles and family play
A playable history of games at the Science Museum, with a different appeal for children, teenagers and nostalgic adults.
What is on offer
Power Up brings together 160 consoles spanning five decades of gaming.
The operator recommends it for ages five and over, with an accompanying adult for under-16s. It is an indoor, hands-on experience rather than an exhibition of objects you can only look at.
The overall recommendation is not a rating for each game: the venue says its selection includes titles rated up to 12 and one multiplayer game rated 16. Walk through the choices together before the youngest player settles at a station.
A child’s familiarity with one game at home is useful context, but it does not establish that every neighbouring game has similar content or controls.
LONNOW PLANNING DESK
Choose the pass, game mix and pace separately
Power Up is a paid hands-on gallery within a museum that also has free galleries. The best family choice depends on who wants to play, how long they want to stay and whether a return visit is realistic.
| Decision | Operator’s recorded rule | How to use it | Sources and last checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ages and game selection | Power Up is recommended for ages 5+; under-16s must be accompanied by an adult. The game mix includes ratings up to 12 and one multiplayer game rated 16. | An overall age recommendation does not make every game suitable for the youngest child. An adult should help choose individual games. | Checked . |
| One paid visit | Day-pass prices vary. The museum’s general admission is free, but Power Up requires its own paid ticket before arrival. | Compare the full household price for your date, including adults who accompany children. Do not assume free museum entry means free gaming. | Checked . |
| A likely return visit | Annual passes are available. Pass holders still need both a free museum admission booking and a Power Up entry timeslot. | Count realistic return visits before comparing products. A pass is not a reason to arrive without completing the stated booking steps. | Checked . |
| A flexible gaming block | The operator suggests around 90 minutes and permits day-pass visitors to stay all day. Re-entry at peak times may require waiting for the next available timeslot. | Use 90 minutes as a planning allowance, not an enforced session length. If you leave for lunch, do not promise the family immediate re-entry. | Checked . |
| Family daytime or adult evening | The regular gallery and the separately listed adults-only evening sessions are different offers; evenings include games not available in daytime sessions. | Check the product name before buying. A child’s interest in a game does not make an adults-only evening a family booking. | Checked . |
- Location
- South Kensington
- Age guidance
- 5+; under-16s with an adult
- Tickets
- Paid experience
- Location in museum
- Level -1
- Visit allowance
- Around 90 minutes suggested; day-pass stay can be longer
- Re-entry
- Peak-time wait for the next available timeslot may apply
On this page
Make it a shared visit
Pair an older game with a newer one and talk about how the controls, graphics and rules differ.
Take turns choosing rather than allowing the fastest player to decide everything. Cooperative play can be a better starting point than a tournament when siblings have very different experience levels.
Pick a short challenge both players can understand, then swap roles or consoles. For a mixed-age group, agree in advance how a turn ends: finishing a race is clearer than an indefinite promise of “five more minutes”.
Use the historical range to compare design choices, not just scores; an older game can be demanding even when its graphics look simple.
Passes and museum admission
Day-pass prices vary and annual passes are available.
Check the family total against the date-specific booking screen and book general museum admission as required. An annual pass makes sense only if you expect to return; do not compare it with one-person admission when paying for a whole household.
Annual-pass holders must still book free general museum admission and a Power Up entry timeslot. For either product, compare the full party and the actual date in the official checkout rather than multiplying a headline starting price.
Keep the two entry arrangements together, and do not buy an annual pass on the assumption that it removes timeslot requirements.
Balance the screen time
Plan a screen-free break elsewhere in the museum.
If your child finds crowded gaming areas overstimulating, ask the venue about access arrangements before choosing a slot. Keep the visit flexible: a child who enjoys games at home may react differently to a busy shared space.
The gallery is on Level -1, so identify your next meeting point before children spread between consoles. Agree a clear check-in and finish signal rather than trying to call everybody away in the middle of different games.
For a split group, make sure the under-16s remain with an accompanying adult; “we are elsewhere in the museum” is not the same plan as playing together.
Use the duration as an allowance, not a deadline
The operator suggests about 90 minutes for exploring Power Up and says day-pass visitors are welcome to stay all day.
That is a planning reference, not a fixed 90-minute session or a guarantee that a particular console will be free. Leave the next booking loose enough for the group’s energy.
A family with one enthusiastic player and one reluctant player may be better served by a shorter shared block and a free gallery afterwards.
A lunch break may change re-entry
The venue warns that, at peak times, visitors who leave and return may have to wait for the next available timeslot.
Build a break because the family needs it, but do not promise an immediate return to the same game or station. Before leaving the gallery, ask staff how re-entry is working that day.
Avoid buying a tightly timed second attraction on the assumption that the day pass behaves like a reserved console throughout the afternoon.
Do not confuse daytime with an evening session
Power Up’s monthly adults-only evening sessions are a separate offer and include horror and first-person-shooter games not available during daytime sessions.
Check the event or product title as carefully as the date when following a search result. A nostalgic adult outing can be a good reason to choose that format, but it is not an alternative family slot when daytime admission is full.
For a child-led day, stay with the daytime product and its stated accompaniment rule.
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