Activate
10 January 2026
Activate Vauxhall
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Activate is an international chain of active gaming facilities, with four locations in London (and a fifth one coming soon) providing a new way to have fun with friends while playing physical games.
We visited the Vauxhall location, where we got a 20 minute taster session introduction in which staff member Ruby showed us around and explained how the concept works. It’s quite simple, each team member receives a wrist band with a chip that connects to player information, tracking each player’s stats like games played, points won, coins earned. Player profiles stay active for each repeat visit and offer rank increases and bonus points, which can be spent on rewards like personal wristbands, merchandise, and even larger items including Bose headphones and gaming consoles. There are leader boards for current session, current day, and all time top players, giving plenty of incentive to return to Activate over and over again.
After our taster session, we went straight in for a full hour slot. There are 10 game rooms, each with several different games, cooperative as well as competitive, with up to 10 difficulty levels, totalling over 800 different game options in total. Each game lasts between 1 and 3 minutes, and players can jump from room to room as they please. After logging in via wristband and selecting the desired game, the group gets to test themselves in a variety of gaming options, most of them quite physical.
From grid floors that have you chasing the green squares while avoiding red ones, to basketball hoops that incorporate trivia questions into the game, the sheer variety in gaming options is endless. Whether you want to work together to achieve the highest score as a team, or challenge each other to race to the top, Activate has physically challenging games aplenty, a whole new way to interact with friends and foes in an adrenaline pumping arena that doesn’t give boredom a chance! I would definitely recommend grabbing a few friends and giving it a go!
