Andretti vs. Main Event vs. Dave & Buster's: Picking Your Orlando I-Drive Play Night

You've got a free evening on International Drive, everyone wants games and a meal in one stop, and the decision is down to three heavy hitters within a mile or so of the Orange County Convention Center. The differences between go-karts, bowling-and-arcade, and sports-bar mega arcades sound obvious until you're standing under the neon with a group that ranges from a four-year-old to a conference badge holder who wants late-night hours and a real bar. Here is how Andretti Indoor Karting & Games (9299 Universal Blvd), Main Event Orlando (9101 International Dr., Suite 1032 at Pointe Orlando), and Dave & Buster's Orlando (8986 International Dr.) actually play in Orlando this season, with real prices, hours, and crowd patterns to help you plan.

Three I-Drive stops with very different rhythms

Andretti Indoor Karting & Games is the adrenaline pick. It sits across from the Orange County Convention Center on Universal Boulevard with free on-site parking and a multi-level indoor track. Prices are posted and straightforward. A Single Adult Race is $29, the Adult 3-Pack is $69, and a Single Junior Race is $19. There's also a Mini Mario Race for $15 targeted to ages 4-6. Beyond the track you can stack a night with add-ons: Laser Tag is $15 for a 10-minute game, the 7D Xperience is $15, and both Hologate and Hyperdeck VR list height minimums (48 inches and 54 inches, respectively). Bowling is per lane, per hour - $35 Monday-Friday and $45 Saturday-Sunday - capped at six people. Arcade game cards use a points model: $10 loads 50 points, $25 loads 150 points, $50 loads 300 points, and $100 loads 625 points. There is no general admission fee; it's pay-as-you-go across attractions, and anyone under 18 needs a waiver on file for karting and laser tag.

Main Event Orlando anchors Pointe Orlando with bowling, an arcade, multi-story laser tag and ropes, billiards, and VR. If you're trying to control spend, corporate specials often make it the budget-friendly swing: Monday Night Madness typically prices All You Can Play activities or games at $12.99 after 4 pm, and many weeks you'll also see All You Can Play after 9 pm for $14.99. Food-and-game combos start around $19.99 for an entrée plus game play. The Orlando center is sized for groups, with roughly 48,000 square feet on the site plan, and sits in the same garage stack as the Pointe's restaurants and Regal theater. Hours usually run noon-midnight on weekdays, 10 am-midnight Saturday, and 11 am-midnight Sunday, which matches most visitors' pre- or post-dinner windows.

Dave & Buster's Orlando is the sports-bar-plus-arcade option with one of the latest clocks on I-Drive. As of this month, the Orlando store posts 10 am-midnight Sunday, Monday, Tuesday; 10 am-1 am Wednesday and Thursday; and 10 am-2 am Friday and Saturday. Game nights stack deals on top of those hours. Half-price arcade play runs on Sundays and Wednesdays, and if you're starting from zero, a new Power Card typically carries a $3 activation fee that includes a small chip bonus. The location's free surface lot is a perk if you want to hop in, play, and hop back out without dealing with a garage. One Orlando-specific quirk worth flagging: the company's "Unlimited Game Play" upgrade is not offered at this Orlando store, which matters if you're used to buying that add-on in other cities.

What are the real prices and hours in Orlando right now?

Here are the headline figures and logistics a planner in your group will actually use. Prices referenced below are the venues' posted or ongoing offer rates for the Orlando locations, not an aggregator's live coupon or a resale snapshot.

A couple of small-print items make a big difference for families. At Andretti, karting and laser tag require a signed waiver; if the participant is under 18, a parent or legal guardian has to complete it. Height matters for some attractions: Hologate VR lists a 48-inch minimum and Hyperdeck VR lists 54 inches. For bowlers at Andretti, lanes rent by the hour only, with six guests per lane max. At Dave & Buster's, corporate house policies cap one guardian at six underage guests; some locations also impose a curfew requiring guests under 21 to exit by 11 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, so bring an ID and a backup plan if your teens want a late slot. Main Event's specials are the price play, but read the signage in-store; "All You Can Play" often excludes crane, redemption, and some premium VR machines.

When do these places get crowded, and how long are you really waiting?

On I-Drive, volume swings with the convention calendar and school breaks. For Andretti, the biggest choke point is race scheduling. There are no reservations for walk-ins, and on peak nights the track queue moves in heats. Expect easy access on weekday mornings and early afternoons. On Friday and Saturday evenings, the wait from check-in to green flag can be long enough that bundling a race with an attraction combo makes the time feel better spent. If you want multiple races without a full boardroom buyout, the 3-Pack for $69 keeps your per-race cost down and gives you a reason to hang for more than one heat.

Main Event's crowd curve is easier to plan around because of bowling. Pointe Orlando pulls both convention traffic and locals out for dinner, then bowling lanes fill in from roughly 6 pm to 10 pm on weekends. If you can start at 4 pm Monday, the $12.99 All You Can Play window is exactly when lanes and laser tag are still easy to grab. After 9 pm most nights, the $14.99 All You Can Play crowd trends older, which suits a post-conference or date-night stop. Pointe Orlando has space, but garage capacity tightens during OCCC headliners like MegaCon and the PGA Show; those weekends have seen event parking rules at the garage.

Dave & Buster's crowds track sports. NFL Sundays, UFC nights, and big college football Saturdays bring lines at the host stand and at the kiosk area where people buy or top up Power Cards. Orlando's store stays open to 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays, and the late window is exactly why many groups put it on the schedule after a day at the parks. If you're combining dinner and games, loading a card on arrival speeds things up. Remember the recurring Half-Price Games windows on Wednesdays and Sundays, which is when locals slide in to stretch chips further.

Parking, transit, and getting between the three

International Drive favors drivers and ride shares. Andretti and Dave & Buster's both operate with free parking in their own lots, so those are the lowest-friction choices if you're driving and want to be back on I-4 quickly. Main Event sits inside the Pointe Orlando complex, which uses a garage. Many Pointe tenants validate parking, and the garage flips to event pricing during major Orange County Convention Center weeks; as a reference point, the PGA Show's 2026 map listed a standard $35 + tax rate for the Pointe Orlando garage on show days. If your plans overlap a big convention, build a 10-15 minute buffer for parking and the elevator ride up to Main Event's level.

If you're moving between venues on the same night, Andretti to Main Event is a short hop via Universal Blvd and International Dr, and Dave & Buster's is just north of Pointe on I-Drive. The I-Ride Trolley and LYNX buses do run this corridor, but the service pattern is geared to daytime visitors rather than a midnight arcade close, so rideshare is the realistic late-night connector. If you're staying in a hotel along I-Drive, both Dave & Buster's and Main Event are walkable from large clusters of rooms; Andretti is still close, but the boulevard crossing and heat make most groups opt for a car.

Food, bars, and age rules you'll actually feel

If the bar needs to be part of the plan, all three have one, but the emphasis is different. Dave & Buster's leans sports bar with big screens, late hours, and a happy-hour window that typically runs 4 pm-7 pm weekdays and again late night Sunday-Thursday. It's a steady choice to watch a game and wander over to the arcade without changing venues. Main Event's bar is integrated with bowling service, which is handy for lane-side nights and kid birthdays that involve adults ordering. Andretti's restaurant and SkyBar cover you between races; if you need a sitting meal, you can also stage the group in the grill while you wait for the next heat.

Age policies are where differences can surprise visitors. Dave & Buster's operates under corporate house rules that require guests under 18 or 21, depending on local rules, to be with a guardian 25+, and they limit one guardian to no more than six underage guests. Some locations require those under 21 to exit by 11 pm Fridays and Saturdays. That curfew may appear in-store signage or be enforced case-by-case during busy weekends, so if teens are in the mix, target earlier windows. Andretti and Main Event both welcome families broadly; Andretti's attractions rely on posted height minimums and waivers rather than a blanket curfew, and Main Event's All You Can Play hours give you a predictable price window for older kids and tweens.

For planners scoring line items for a group outing, the numbers tilt the choice. At Andretti, the bowling math is transparent at $35-$45 per lane, per hour, plus shoes if needed. Karting is a $29 decision per adult race or $69 for three. At Main Event, the $12.99 or $14.99 All You Can Play windows are the honest budget control if your party is going to bounce between bowling, laser tag, and the arcade. At Dave & Buster's, the savings play is to register Power Cards, load value once, and visit on half-price nights. New cards usually cost $3 to activate and include a small chip bonus; reloads don't carry that fee.

Key things to know before you go

• Andretti posts clear attraction pricing. A $29 adult race and $69 3-Pack are the baseline; bowling is $35-$45 per lane, per hour with six per lane. No general admission charge and free on-site parking at 9299 Universal Blvd.
• Main Event Orlando at Pointe runs $12.99 All You Can Play after 4 pm Mondays and $14.99 after 9 pm many nights, with combos starting around $19.99. Hours generally track noon-midnight on weekdays, earlier opens on weekends.
• Dave & Buster's Orlando runs half-price arcade play on Sundays and Wednesdays. The store hours stretch late, up to 2 am Friday-Saturday. A new Power Card typically has a $3 activation fee that includes bonus chips.
• Pointe Orlando uses a garage system with tenant validation and event pricing. During large OCCC weeks, that garage has posted $35 + tax as a standard event rate. Dave & Buster's and Andretti both have free lots.
• For groups with kids, check height rules. Andretti lists 48 inches for Hologate VR and 54 inches for Hyperdeck VR, and a waiver is required for karting and laser tag if under 18.
• House policies at Dave & Buster's require a guardian 25+ for guests under 18 or 21 depending on location, max six minors per guardian. Some stores enforce an 11 pm weekend curfew for under-21 guests.
• Convention weeks change the math. Expect heavier evening lines at Andretti, fuller bowling blocks at Main Event from 6-10 pm on weekends, and longer waits at Dave & Buster's during big broadcast games.

Reader Q&A

Can my 6-year-old actually drive at Andretti?

Yes, Andretti Orlando sells a Mini Mario Race for $15 that targets ages 4-6. For the main track, check the posted height and age requirements, and remember that karting and laser tag require a signed waiver on file if the participant is under 18.

Is there any free parking near Main Event at Pointe Orlando?

The Pointe Orlando garage handles parking for Main Event. Tenants often validate for guests, but the garage can flip to event pricing during major Orange County Convention Center weeks. If your dates align with big shows like MegaCon or the PGA Show, budget for possible $35 + tax event rates and a little extra time to park and reach the venue.

Which late night runs latest on weekends?

Dave & Buster's Orlando is the night owl here with posted weekend hours to 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays. Andretti usually runs to 1 am on Fridays and Saturdays, and Main Event clocks out around midnight most nights.

We're trying to keep costs down without coupons. What's the cleanest value move?

On Mondays, Main Event's $12.99 All You Can Play after 4 pm is the simplest spend control for a few hours. On Wednesdays and Sundays, Dave & Buster's halves arcade prices, and new players can plan for a $3 activation on a Power Card. If someone wants to race, Andretti's $69 3-Pack lowers the per-race cost compared to buying three singles.

If you want speed and a splurge anchor, pick Andretti and build the night around a race time. If you need a predictable budget window for a mixed-ages group, Main Event's All You Can Play windows are hard to beat. If you care most about late hours, screens, and a free lot, Dave & Buster's wins your Friday or Saturday night.

Published: September 24, 2026 · Reviewed by the Visit Orlando editorial team