Claw machines have always existed in arcades, but the craze has recently returned, this time bigger than ever. Apart from being a great way to spend time with friends – or simply as a means to add to your collection of stuffed toys – it’s the thrill of winning that keeps people coming back for more.
Jumping onto this craze, Singapore has expanded its collection of arcades – both with a mix of games as well as those specially devoted to UFO claw catchers. Here’s where you can hone your plushie-catching skills at.
If you’re someone who loves everything Japanese, Ton Amusement will be right up your alley. From cartoon plushies to Q Posket figurines and even electronics, they’ve got a large range of Japanese toys. You can even win instant noodles from Japan here.
Prizes are constantly being updated according to product releases in Japan and holidays like Christmas, so there’s always something new to look forward to.
Price: From $1 per play
Address: #05-43/44, Orchard Central, 181 Orchard Road, Singapore 238896
Opening hours: Daily, 11AM-1AM
Play United at Yishun might be a little cramped, but that just means they have many machines for you to find your new “bolster” from.
Exchanging $10 at one go will get you 12 tokens and if you are unable to claw up any prizes, you can still pick a toy from a machine of your choice. If you are eyeing bigger prizes like authentic TY stuffed toys, party games, and gadgets like drones, you can accumulate multiple toys to exchange for them. Tell me this is not a win-win situation.
Apart from its 2 permanent stores in Yishun and Yew Tee, Play United has seasonal pop-ups at pasar malams too. So hop on over and win some prizes after your fill off takoyaki balls and Ramly burgers. Get updates on their pop up stall locations here.
Price: $1 per token (1 token per play)
Yishun outlet
Address: #02-141, Northpoint City, 930 Yishun Avenue 2, Singapore 769098
Yew Tee outlet
Address: # 01-11, Yew Tee Point, 21 Choa Chu Kang North 6, Singapore 689578
If you usually ever only go to JCube just to ice skate, here’s another activity to add to the list of things to do there: scoring some new plushies at Poka-oo.
Dedicated specifically to claw machines only, this arcade has a wide range of toys from brands like Sanrio to Disney and Pokemon, so there’s something for any type of cartoon lover.
Price: $1.50 per game
Address: #03-17, JCube, 2 Jurong East Central 1, Singapore 609731
Opening hours: Daily, 2PM-10PM
It’s not hard to guess what Kiap Kiap is all about – here, you can try your hand at “kiapping” toys to your heart’s content.
Celebrate your wins by snapping a photo in front of their plushie wall, which will add a pop of colour to your Instagram feed.
Price: $2 for 6 tokens (2-5 tokens per play)
Address: #02-29, Junction 9, 18 Yishun Avenue 9, Singapore 768897
Opening hours: Daily, 7AM-10.30PM
Telephone: 98783499
If you are someone who likes having small plushies displayed along your desk to keep you company when you’re working, you’ll be spoilt for choice at Pick A Prize. This cosy shop within Bugis Street is mostly filled with miniature plushies and keychains
If you aren’t satisfied with what you’ve caught, you can exchange your toys for bigger ones so long as you have a minimum of 3 wins. Some of these prizes are even from Toreba, directly imported from Japan. This is as authentic as it gets.
Price: From $1.50 per play
Address: #02-CSLD6, 3 New Bugis Street, Singapore 188867
Opening hours: Daily, 11AM-10PM
Claw Couple SG was named as such because of the 2 owners’ common love for claw catcher machines – #couplegoals! They have a YouTube account documenting their own toy-catching adventures, along with insider tips, which you can check out here.
This cosy little establishment has its prizes updated daily, so you’ll always have a reason to keep coming back.
Price: $1 per play
Address: #01-16, The Wisteria, 598 Yishun Ring Road, Singapore 768698
Opening hours: 10AM-10PM daily
Cow Play Cow Moo is known to have Singapore’s largest collection of more than 100 claw catcher machines. Which is great, because this way, you won’t have to fight for a machine and can take your time strategising on how to get your “claws” on your favourite toy.
Some machines even have a “winners guaranteed” sign meaning you get a prize after a certain number of tries even if you don’t manage to catch anything.
As if having so many UFO-machines in one place isn’t enough, this arcade even has a 4-metre tall claw machine with giant unicorn plushies.
Price: From $1 per play
Suntec City outlet
Address: #03-372, Suntec City, 8 Temasek Boulevard, Singapore 038988
Opening hours: Daily, 11AM-1AM
Pasir Ris outlet
Address: #04-105, Downtown East E-Hub,1 Pasir Ris Close, Singapore 519599
Opening hours: Daily, 8AM-10PM
Arcade frequents will know that Cow Play Cow Moo is one of the must-visits, featuring many classic games alongside newer ones. Good news: the same people behind them have recently opened Arcade Planet, a sister arcade. The 2 establishments are both located in Suntec so you can easily interchange between the two.
The machines here are filled with all sorts of stuffed toys, including Disney Princess ones.
They also have music-based games like Jubeat and Taiko Drum Master.
Read our article on Arcade Planet here.
Price: From $1 per game
Address: #02-408/ 409, Suntec City, 8 Temasek Boulevard, Singapore 038988
Opening hours: Daily, 10AM-10PM
Prize Station has standard arcade games like car racing machines and electronic basketball, but as its name suggests, claw machines are the main highlight.
Although some of the plushies here have no tags on them, they look and feel authentic. Try targeting the giant ones if you’re feeling ambitious!
Price: From $1 per game play
Address: #03-25/26, Bugis Plus, 201 Victoria St, Singapore 188067
Opening hours: Daily, 11AM to 11PM
Image credit: Fat Cat Arcade
East-siders rejoice: Fat Cat Arcade is the newest and largest arcade in the East of Singapore, so you won’t have to travel too far from home trying to snag your favourite plushies and squishies.
With prices as low as $0.16 per token, this arcade is easily one of the more affordable arcade centres in Singapore with over 100 of the latest games. Come by on holidays like Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year to benefit from their special holiday token deals.
Price: $0.16 per token (From 9 tokens per play)
Address: #02-01, Djitsun Mall, 445 Bedok North Street 1, Singapore 469661
Opening hours: Daily, 11AM-1AM
Telephone: 62420221
Timezone outlets are located everywhere in Singapore, with their biggest store in Vivocity even has bumper cars, VR puzzles, and multiplayer role-playing games. Their claw machines are just as current, with trending toys like We Bare Bears plushies.
Price: From $2.30 per game
Address: 1 Harbourfront Walk #02-43 Vivocity Singapore 098585 (Flagship store)
Opening hours: Mon-Thu: 11AM-10PM | Sun, PH & Sch Hols: 1030AM-10PM | Fri, Sat & PH Eve: 1030AM-12AM
Telephone: 6496 4848
Check out the list of Timezone outlets and their opening hours here.
On top of claw machines, Virtualand is also known for their dance games like Jubeat and Rhythm Vaders. You can get updates on their latest tunes here.
This arcade also constantly hosts game tournaments to feed your competitive spirit. Lucky draws are held on special occasions like New Year’s Day, with attractive prizes such as Bluetooth portable speakers and even an Apple iPhone X.
Price: From $0.50 per game
Check out the full list of Virtualand outlets and their opening hours here.
OmOcha World translates to Toy World in Japanese, and true enough, you’ll pretty much be transported to toy heaven when you visit.
Some might consider claw machines a waste of money but at just $0.16 per token, you can’t say no to having a go or two here. On top of this, token promotions also happen occasionally, giving you more bang for your buck.
OmOcha World also has games such as Pacman and Monopoly, bringing you back to those good ol’ days.
Refer to their Facebook page for the latest offers.
Price: $0.16 per token
Address: #02-04/05/06, OneKM Shopping Mall, 11 Tanjong Katong Road, Singapore 436950
Opening hours: Daily, 11AM-1030PM
Telephone: 65471190
Zone X is loaded with crane catcher machines and also has regular promotions on public holidays like Labour Day. Now you know what to do when you don’t have to report in for work.
There are also adrenaline pumping racing games for when you need a break from catching toys.
Get updates on their latest promotions through their Facebook page.
Price: From $1.20 per game
Choa Chu Kang outlet
Address: #05-03/04, Lot 1 Shoppers’ mall, 21 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4, Singapore 689812
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs: 1030AM-1030PM | Fri, Sat: 10AM-12AM | Sun: 10AM-1030PM
Telephone: 67643351
Changi outlet
Address: 65 Airport Boulevard, Changi Airport Terminal 3, Singapore 819663
Opening hours: Mon, Sun: 1030AM-1030PM | Tue-Sat: 1030AM-11PM
Telephone: 65427041
Jakarta Radiant World might be smaller than most arcades, but nonetheless has a good selection of over 10 claw machines. Some reviews say that the claws here have a stronger grip than at other arcades.
On top of the claw machines, Jakarta Radiant World also has carnival target games, giving you another way to win prizes.
They also have smaller, kid-friendly game machines, so no matter what age you are, you’ll have something worth visiting for.
Price: From $0.40 per token (1-4 tokens per game)
Address: #01-49, Kallang Wave, 1 Stadium Place, Singapore 397638
Opening hours: #01-49, Kallang Wave, 1 Stadium Place, Singapore 397638
Instead of toys, this claw machine dispenses ice cream. There are over 40 of these located all over Singapore for you to “earn” your dessert from.
What’s even better is that these machines allow you to play an unlimited amount of times till you actually manage to get an ice cream. Flavours range from classic vanilla to chocolate and matcha.
Price: $2.50 to $3 per play depending on the location
Kallang outlet
Address: 4 Stadium Walk, Kallang Leisure Mall, Singapore 397628
Opening hours: Daily, 10AM-10PM
Telephone: 6563 1692 / 9777 3533 (contact them to find the machine closest to you)
The next time you’ve got coins to spare, head on down to one of these arcades to try your luck. Who knows, you might just be walking away with a handful of plush toys to brag to your friends about.
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