Guides

Gaming café etiquette

Updated 8 October 2026

A gaming café is a shared room full of equipment other people also pay to use. A few habits keep it enjoyable for you, your group and everyone else. Individual cafés have their own rules, so treat these as a baseline and follow what the café tells you.

Before you go

• Arrive a few minutes early. Your session starts at the booked time whether or not you are there.
• Tell your group the booked time and address. Open the café page for directions and opening hours.
• Know the cancellation rules. If plans change, cancel as early as you can; see the refund policy.

While you play

• Look after the equipment. Controllers, headsets and seats are shared. Do not throw or drop them, and tell the staff if something stops working instead of trying to fix it.
• Mind the volume. Cheering is part of the fun; shouting over other groups is not. Use headsets where they are provided.
• Follow the food and drink rules. Many cafés sell snacks or restrict drinks near the equipment. Ask before bringing your own.
• Keep to your seats and your setup. Do not move between stations or change another group's game.
• Be a good competitor. Win and lose without drama; the group is there to have a good time.

When time runs out

Finish at the booked end time so the next group starts on time. If you want to keep playing, ask the café about extending: it depends on whether the setup is free afterwards. Staying on a setup that someone else has booked is not fair to them.

Leaving

Leave the area as you found it, collect your belongings and take your rubbish with you. If you enjoyed the café, leave a review once you have played; reviews on Nitro Console come from players who have booked a session there, which is what makes them useful to the next person.