16 Ways to Transform Your Basement Into the Ultimate Game Room

Before you start getting into the actual design of your new game room, you’ll need to take stock of where you are. If you’re starting with an unfinished basement, your prep work may be more complicated, but even a partially finished basement will probably need a little bit of work. Here’s a high-level blueprint for tackling basement prep.

Declutter

Chances are that your basement has accumulated a lot of “stuff.” Sort and organize your belongings, and then make a plan to reclaim the space they’ve been taking up. Do your bicycles really have to live in your basement? Is it the best place for your camping equipment or seasonal furniture in the off-season? Are you ever going to use that bedroom set you inherited when your parents downsized? Consider moving any items taking up space in your basement to a self-storage unit where you can store them safely in climate-controlled conditions. If there are items that you no longer use, check out our guide to selling on Craigslist or Facebook for tips.

Address Comfort Issues

Even if your game room is going to be the ultimate man cave, you and your guests don’t want to feel like they’re actually in a cave. If needed, add insulation for climate control and consider a dehumidifier if your basement is damp or clammy. Not only will you feel more comfortable, but your electronics and other equipment will also be much happier, too. While you’re at it, think about soundproofing your basement so you and your guests can really cut loose without disturbing — or being disturbed by — anyone else. Finally, consider whether you'll need to add new wiring to handle the demands of any equipment or accessories without overloading your circuits.

Decide How You’ll Use the Space

Consider who will be using the space and what they’ll be doing when they're there. That will help you visualize how to divide and separate the area. Will it be a single-purpose game room? A gathering place for teens? A home theater and gaming den? A place for active play? All of those things call for different design decisions, and if you plan carefully in advance, you can fit a number of functions into one room. You’ll find more ideas for planning entertaining space in our post on reclaiming your garage.

Once you've finished cleaning, organizing and decluttering, your basement will be a blank slate, ready to become the game room of your dreams. Check out some of our favorite basement entertainment room ideas for inspiration.

Why head out to the arcade when you can play to your heart’s content without dropping a fortune on tokens? Scour eBay and Craigslist for used or refurbished arcade games, pinball machines and foosball or table hockey tables. If you’re working with a concrete floor, paint it in a colorful pattern to brighten up the room or use interlocking foam tiles to provide a little cushioning beneath your feet. If you really want to get the flavor of your neighborhood arcade, create a snack nook off to one side, complete with a popcorn machine, a bar with seating and a pizza oven.

Bowling night can be every night with your own home bowling alley. While installing a custom setup can be pricey if you want all the bells and whistles — e.g., pinsetter and automatic ball return — you can build a barebones bowling lane in your home with some lumber and serious DIY skills. Add a pool table, comfortable seating and a snack bar for the full experience.

Turn your basement into a virtual reality exploration zone and explore the world from the comfort of your home. This space should be equipped with the latest VR headsets and motion sensors to create a truly immersive experience. Design the area with ample room to move, dodge and explore without constraints. As far as decorations go, you can go all out with futuristic accents and smart tech or take the minimalistic route to enhance the high-tech vibe. For an added touch, include a charging station for the equipment and soft, durable flooring to ensure you don’t hurt yourself, even during the most adventurous virtual quests.

Basements are often the ideal spot for a home theater setup because it’s so easy to achieve complete darkness for a better viewing experience. You can improve the acoustics by padding the walls or hanging heavy drapes over them to absorb excess noise, as well as carpeting the floors. Invest in the best large video screen and sound system you can afford and install a WiFi extender to ensure that you get a good signal for streaming movies, game streams and more. Instead of theater seats, go all out for the best gaming chairs you can find — and don’t forget to add a dorm fridge and snack bar to keep everyone hydrated and well-fed.

Who says mini golf is just for outdoors? Bring the fun inside with a custom-designed indoor mini golf course. Each hole can have its own unique theme, complete with creative obstacles like windmills, water features and tunnels. Use synthetic turf for the greens and add fun lighting effects (like black lights) for a glow-in-the-dark experience. Don’t forget to keep a mini fridge and pantry nearby so you don’t have to schlep up to the kitchen for a snack.

If mini golf isn’t your vibe and you want to practice real golf swings at home, you can scale up and build an affordable golf simulator in your basement — complete with hitting bay, screen and projector. This goes for other types of sports, too. An interactive sports simulator room lets you can play golf, baseball, soccer or even go skiing any time of the year, without ever having to step foot outside of your home. In addition to installing sports simulators that use advanced graphics and motion detectors, consider building a viewing area with tiered seating for friends and family to watch and cheer on the players.

It’ll take a lot of elbow grease and dedication to pull off a home escape room, but if you’re up for a challenge, this can be one of the most rewarding basement transformation ideas. To start, you’ll need to decide on a themed setting — like a detective’s office or an ancient crypt — that challenges players to solve puzzles and find clues to progress to the next level or room. Your escape room should also have a solid storyline and puzzles that keep the players engaged, and an organized section in your basement with props like wigs, costumes and snacks. While many of the levels can take place in your basement, consider opening up the rest of your home to keep the mystery going. You can follow this tutorial here to get started.

If “game time” means getting together to watch the game, this one’s for you. Keep the floor simple — concrete or wood makes for easy cleanup of spilled snacks. Look to your favorite teams for game room wall decor ideas — team pennants and posters provide the perfect vibe. Display sports memorabilia in simple display cases or framed on the walls. Add a high-def big screen TV and comfortable seating with plenty of table space for setting down drinks and snacks.

If your leisure time is spent adventuring in other worlds, where better to command your party than from your own high-tech gaming headquarters? Whether you adventure on Hyrule, the Starship Enterprise or WoW, you’ll want the right atmosphere and all the creature comforts you need to keep you focused on winning. That means a dedicated gaming station — or more than one if you game with friends. Tuck a table and chairs into a corner for planning or tabletop gaming, and add LED strip lighting with color change modes to keep things interesting. Don’t forget to plan in floor space for VR gaming so you can really get into the action.

Combine a home gym and a gaming system — or three — to create the ultimate active family game room. Set the different areas apart with flooring and furniture to create a dedicated area for playing VR games, another for your exercise bike or gym and a third for a ping pong table. Again, don’t forget the WiFi extender to ensure a great signal. Add a juice bar with healthy snacks and a lounging area to cool down and relax after your exertion.

Love brain teasers and interactive puzzles? Turn your basement into the ultimate interactive puzzle room, featuring electronic puzzles that require solving to open locks or compartments as well as large, physical puzzles like a floor maze or wall puzzles. Deck out the center of the room with puzzle tables for jigsaw enthusiasts, with a range of difficulty levels and themes that appeal to all age ranges.

The good old-fashioned family playroom is making a resurgence as families opt to spend more leisure time together. This area should feature large tables, comfortable seating and plenty of bright task lighting to accommodate extended sessions of gaming or intricate model assembly. Make the most of available space with smart storage solutions like chests, shelves and drawers for toys, board games, manuals, miniatures and play equipment. Furnish the room with cozy chairs arranged for easy conversation and a game table that easily converts from table tennis to Trivial Pursuit.

This one is less of a traditional basement game room, but you’ll still want to spend your whole day here. Create a serene retreat with an indoor gardening and Zen space. Use hydroponic systems (which don’t need sunlight) to cultivate a variety of plants, herbs, and vegetables. Zone out a raised bed full of sand with a stick that you can make art in, and then erase before your next session. You can even incorporate a Zen corner with a small water feature, meditation cushions and soft ambient lighting to help you detach from the hustle and bustle of your daily routine. 

Evoke the atmosphere of your favorite pub with a few deft touches. Keep the lighting cozy and decorate with kitschy liquor adverts. Install a bar, complete with kegs and taps if that’s your vibe, and provide comfortable bar chairs for hanging out. Add a pool table — with the appropriate lamp above it, of course — and tile one wall with thick cork tiles as a backdrop for dartboards.

Who's got the coolest basement hangout in town? It could be you if you build a skatepark in your basement. It's a surprisingly easy project, especially if you (or your kids) have a bunch of skater buds. You need a decent concrete floor as a base to build on. From there, you can find plans for ramps, pipes and grind boxes you can build with plywood and foot lumber. Paint a wall or two with blackboard paint and let the kids go to town decorating with their own graffiti and tags.

Convert your basement into a laser tag arena that your friends will never want to leave. Use modular walls or inflatable barriers to create a dynamic and adjustable layout, then incorporate black lights and neon paint to mimic your favorite neighborhood laser tag spot. Add a scoring system and various game modes to keep things exciting.

Whether you’re reclaiming an outdated basement playroom or starting fresh with an unfinished cellar, we hope these ideas help inspire you to build your personal ultimate basement game room. You deserve the space to have your favorite kind of fun. For more tips on transforming other areas in your home, check out the SmartStop blog.