Is Lucky Claw in Birmingham Worth the Hype?
I visited during a trip to Wolverhampton after seeing the arcade explode in popularity on TikTok.
I’ve loved arcades since I was a small child, when my dad would try to win me soft toys from the crane machines while we were on holiday.
My adult claw machine attempts have so far been less satisfying, and last year I spend £20 on Brighton Pier while attempting to win myself a prize from one of their many machines. Sadly, I left empty handed as the machines would not grip the toys properly, dropping them unceremoniously after every well aimed plunge of the claw.
So I’m sure you can imagine the excitement I felt when I saw videos of excited arcade-goers visiting the newly opened Lucky Claw in Birmingham. Players filled small shopping trollies with plush toys, claiming that the venue had the easiest claw machines ever. Naturally, I had to visit and give it a go!
The Lucky Claw website claims that the machines are set to have a 20% success rate, meaning that it should be much easier to win prizes than most other arcades.
The venue is relatively easy to find, located within Birmingham’s China Town and with parking available nearby. The aesthetic inside was completely on point, and after arriving my sister and I walked excitedly around the arcade to suss out the machines with the best prizes.
Something that I need to add here is that these are not very expensive prizes. In fact I’m pretty sure that they’re ordered in bulk and probably cost the owners very little to buy, but really, that’s not the point.
It was so exciting to visit the arcade and win lots of toys, when usually, I wouldn’t win a single one. The majority of the machines were filled up with plushies of various kinds, with a smaller amount stocking blind boxes and food items.
My sister and I spent about £50 in total, and left with the trolly full of toys below (although you can’t take the trolly home with you). We spent a lot but had a fantastic time, fuelled by the rush of winning from machines that would usually never reach payout.
Aside from the claw machines, Lucky Claw also has a limited amount of additional East Asian style arcade games available, as well as a large game platform known as StepOn. While this did look really fun, it was also very expensive so we decided to give it a miss in favour of winning more plushies from the machines.
How much does a visit to Lucky Claw cost?
Tokens are required to play all of the arcade games, and they are currently priced as follows:
25 tokens for £10
60 tokens for £20
160 tokens for £50
Most of the claw machines required one token to play, and the machines with the larger prizes cost two tokens per play.
The StepOn game is available to play from £14.99 per person, for half an hour of play time. Sessions can be booked online in advance, although I didn’t see anyone using it during my visit, so you may be able to play on a walk in basis.
For me, it was just a bit too expensive for what it is.
How to find Lucky Claw
The arcade is located on the 2nd Floor of 143 Bromsgrove Street in Birmingham. Use the postcode: B5 6RG
We were able to find free car parking just a few minutes walk away.
Opening times
The arcade is open 7 days a week:
Sunday - Thursday 12pm - 10pm
Friday and Saturday 12pm - 11pm
Overall, I would highly recommend visiting Lucky Claw if you’re a big arcade fan. It was such a novelty to play these machines and actually win some prizes, and my sister and I had a lot of fun divvying up the toys once we left!
Find out more about Lucky Claw on their website here.
What’s the best prize you’ve ever won from a claw machine? Leave a comment and let me know.