Video Game Museum in Karpacz
The Video Game Museum (Muzeum Gier Video) in Karpacz is a private museum of retro consoles and games, open since 2016 on the top floor of the building at ul. Mickiewicza 11. It is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, and the entrance is from ul. Konstytucji 3 Maja.
This is our second museum — Magda and I opened it about a year after the Brick Museum, as the first permanent video game console museum in Poland and the third in Europe. Below you will find answers to what visitors ask us most often.
What will you see at the Video Game Museum?
The display cases hold 127 consoles and computers from the history of gaming since 1972, surrounded by controllers, joysticks, cassettes, cartridges and curiosities from the era. The exhibits have descriptions with the name, country of origin and year — also in English, German and Czech.
- The Magnavox Odyssey from 1972, brought over from the USA — the oldest home console in history.
- The UNITRA Tele-Set GTV 881 from 1977 — the first Polish Pong-type console.
- The Pegasus IQ-502, Atari, Game Boy and the Vectrex with its own vector screen.
Can you play games at the Video Game Museum?
Yes. Next to the display cases there are 30 stations where you pick up a controller and play standing up. Visitors most often choose Tekken 3, Super Mario and Tetris, and in pairs — Street Fighter and Contra. There is no guide and no set tasks: here you simply play, at your own pace.
Who is the museum for?
For adults who want to see the hardware of their childhood again — it is like opening a drawer of forgotten treasures. And for children who want to find out how their parents used to play. The youngest, who cannot handle a controller yet, have walls for building with LEGO bricks.
How much time should you plan?
About 45 minutes, although it is easy to stay longer at your favourite game. The Brick Museum occupies the lower floors of the same building — both museums together take about 1.5 hours. The “Two Museums” ticket can be used on two different days.
What should you know before your visit?
- The Video Game Museum has its own door — opposite the Brick Museum entrance, from ul. Konstytucji 3 Maja.
- Individual visitors do not need to book — tickets are sold on site, by card or in cash.
- Children up to 90 cm tall enter free.
- Organised groups (16 people or more) book their visit by phone.
- It is quietest in the morning, and outside the high season for most of the day.
