Pop the Top on Nostalgia: The New Dr Pepper Arcade Machine at Side Quest Arcade is a Retro Throwback!

If there is one thing Texans take seriously, it’s our soda. Founded right down the road in Waco, Dr Pepper is practically a state heritage site.

So, it only makes sense that the most exciting, fast-paced new arrival has a permanent home right here at Side Quest Arcade in Garland, Texas located Firewheel Town Center.

Introducing Dr Pepper™ Soda Slam DX. Built by the arcade masters at Alan-1, this massive, eye-popping cabinet brings high-speed competitive bartending into the modern era—and it plays like a dream for fans of 80s arcade classics.

The Modern Spiritual Successor to Tapper

If you grew up pouring drinks in Bally Midway’s legendary 1983 arcade classic Tapper (or its family-friendly spin-off, Root Beer Tapper), you are going to feel right at home the second you step up to this machine.

Soda Slam DX takes that exact high-stress, fast-paced lane management gameplay and supercharges it. Instead of sliding generic mugs down a bar, you are stepping up to a massive, custom-built console to serve up the 23 signature flavors Texans love.

The game features an incredible, hand-crafted cabinet anchored by a jaw-dropping 65-inch 4K Ultra-HD screen. The graphics fully lean into the hilarious commercial universe.

How to Play: Master the "Perfect Pour"

When you step up to the cabinet, you aren't just using standard joysticks. The player stations are equipped with premium, custom-molded tap handles that feel exactly like a real soda fountain bar.

Your goal is pure vintage Tapper energy: serve the fans before they get impatient and push you to the end of the line.

• Four Iconic Taps: Each player manages four separate lanes, color-coded for four distinct flavors: original Dr Pepper, Diet Dr Pepper, Dr Pepper Zero Sugar, and Dr Pepper Cherry.

• The Perfect Pour: Pull back on the heavy-duty tap handles to fill the cups. You have to fill them exactly to the rim without under-filling or letting the soda spill over.

• Sabotage Your Friends: Unlike the solo play of the original 80s classic, Soda Slam is built for intense, side-by-side local multiplayer. If you chain multiple "Perfect Pours" together, you'll trigger a point multiplier and literally send flying digital ice cubes over to your opponent’s screen to jam up their taps and ruin their rhythm.

Part of Our Flat-Rate Free Play Setup

At most modern corporate entertainment hubs, a brand-new, officially licensed machine like this would cost you two or three dollars a play via an expensive swipe card.

Not at Side Quest Arcade.

We stay true to our flat-pay, unlimited gameplay model. When you grab your $11.50 all-day wristband at the door, the Dr Pepper machine—along with our line of mechanical pinball machines, classic 90s brawlers, and retro drivers—is set entirely to FREE PLAY. You can battle your friends for the ultimate high score all night long without ever digging for a quarter.

Whether you're looking for a unique, budget-friendly date night idea in the DFW area, or you're a lifelong Tapper fan who needs to experience the next evolution of lane-management arcade games, we’ve got your tap waiting.

Come visit us at Firewheel Town Center, grab a tap handle, and see if you have what it takes to rule Fansville!