DawnStar Video Games and Arcade

Pretty cool little arcade. Husband and I usually drive far out to Round 1 for rhythm games but this was only about 2 hours away.

There's tons of rhythm games, even if the place is small. You will have to take turns with other players who are there or just wait patiently. They have wacca, sdvx, project diva, jubeat and more. Even some old game cabs too. As well as guitar hero!!

Theres a shop in the front that sells Pokémon cards and traded in video games and figurines. I even saw some old Pokémon games still in their boxes.

I hope this shop/arcade does well, it would be cool to see them expand or have another location closer to Virginia Beach.

Also it would be a neat idea to decorate the arcade or have the shop sell fanart from local / VA artists.

Loved playing DDR and ITG at DawnStar. The store is very well organized and has a huge variety of games, peripherals, and consoles. The DDR cabinet was well maintained with no dead arrows/sensors, and has both ITG/Stepmania and DDR A20+ loaded (switching only requires a reboot of the cabinet). ITG has several DDR song packs including DDR 1st Mix through X3vsX2 as well as video game and anime packs. DDR A20+ supports eAmuse but runs on the Eagle network, which is even better.

There's a list of games on their website if you'd like tk know about what they have.

Easy 5/5 stars. I plan on atopping by here everytime I'm in Richmond ♥

New location and WAYYY more spacious. You can purchase retro games, gachas, stuffies, mangas, cards, and so much more. I swung by there to check it out and was able to snag a classic controller for my wee for a reasonable (and not scalped) price. The back is still bare as they're still in the process of getting their cabinets in. Overall a nice experience. There's definitely more to come and lots of potential with the new location. Check em out

If Heaven was a place on Earth, this would be it! Seriously a wonderland of nostalgia. As if having the best selection of retro games and systems weren’t enough, they also have a huge arcade with rare, imported arcade cabinets and regularly host Halo and Smash Bros tournaments. Oh and to top it all off, you can snag your rare Pokémon cards and MTG sets here. This place is a must visit for a gamer of any type.

This place is a blast! Just happened upon it and so excited that I did. Talked to the owner Dakota quite a while while in the store, very knowledgeable about everything in the store. We talked about some artists, Japanese toys and pinball machines. They have a great selection of manga, Nintendo, toys, figures and tons of other good stuff. Best thing is the little arcade room in the back ten bucks and you can play as much as you want all day. Lots of pinball machines and a few old 80's coin-op games. Brought my wife and kids, my kids wanted to hang out in the front of the store and my wife and I played video games for quite a while. Kind of hard to miss this place looks like almost an abandoned building on the side of the road but look for the glass window with their logo. If you're an old-school gamer want to kill some time playing some pinball machines or just want to talk shop this is a great place to go!

Dakota sold me some highly sought after Pokémon rarities and insisted he give me a very thorough shoulder massage, I was apprehensive at first but I was quickly convinced that it was the right decision. come here if you want cool cards and a good massage. specifically ask for a shoulder massage, literally. like trust me on this one

Very cool selection of video games and collectibles, and the arcade is $10 per person and there are a little over 20 vintage games to choose from. It was awesome!

Large collection of videogames from all consoles from what I can tell (I stayed by the PS2 mostly) and all at a decent price. The arcade is awesome as well. For 10$ I thoroughly enjoyed myself and will be back for more. Support your local game stores!

5 stars just for the customer service alone ! The store itself is beyond awesome. It's pretty spacious and they carry games for basically any console you can think of. Couple this with robust selection of arcade games. A handful of them being on Japanese cabs.(the only store in richmond that even has Japanese cabs as far as I'm aware). As well as a plethora of rhythm games. Including a DDR machine with the biggest song selection I've even seen on a machine. It's. 10 dollar entry fee but I think it's well worth it for the experience alone. Can not recommend them enough.

Dude behind the counter was super kind and helpful. I brought my kid with a broken ankle in here to browse around; lot of stuff to check out and he was impressed with the Pokémon cards.
Reminds me of coming up when Candyland Music and Soundhole records were my go-to destinations.

I have been by here twice now and can say both trips were worth the time. This is a very small store but it's ran very well. I walk in being greeted each time with fantastic music from many different games (I'm told its music from their sister music store) and find a very clean and organize store. So many of these types of stores feel old and have that "old smell" too it. There prices are on par with online retailers, including ebay, and they provide you protective cases with you purchase of CIB games. I will be coming here over and over again! Any game collector would love this store.

My roommate loves this shop! Even if you're not looking for something in particular, it's really cool and interesting! Love seeing all the plushies available!

I love the new place! The guys there already take care of us Retro Game lovers! Good trade values too!!

DawnStar is a great local business owned by really wonderful people ❤ go spend some time in the arcade, come out for a gaming tournament, find some cute figures for your desk, or fill yourself with nostalgia going through their retro game selection.

Terrific store 👌 please visit 😊

Great game, selection, amazing service, best place to shop for anime and video game fans in Richmond!

Dawn Star Staff is elite. They were a huge help when the game discs for my GameCube weren’t working. They took the time to make sure that I was happy with my purchases. Thanks guys, I’ll be back!

The service was amazing! The Vibes were amazing! Got a great deal on the original tekken in the original case!

I took my son here and found the most charming down to earth place with better staff. I wish for this place and any like it remain in our lives forever!! Ty for your hospitality

Best video game selection in Richmond is an understatement. It’s a straight up time capsule in this space. Then there’s the arcade with games imported from out of the country… it’s seriously impressive. Not to mention Dakotah’s in depth knowledge of all things video game that he’s happy to share with you. Even if you’re not a big video game nerd, always worth stopping in for the nostalgic throwbacks.

Such a nice place full of Japanese imports, figures, games, and other collectables! Could easily spend at least an hour going through everything seeing what you could find. Neat free-play arcade in the back ($10 entry per person) with a variety of games. It was almost 100 degrees today so unfortunately the arcade was pretty hot, couldn't stay for more than a half hour. Would recommend going during a cooler day.