Hi-Score" video game museum

"Hi-Score" is an interactive museum in Hanover that boasts an impressive collection of game consoles, handhelds, and arcade machines from the past 50 years and invites visitors to play at over 60 stations—from the Atari 2600 to the PlayStation 5.

The museum is run by the nonprofit association “Gaming in Lower Saxony” and first opened in 2023 in the premises of a former shopping center in downtown Hannover—as part of the “aufhof” cultural project. Now that the “Hi-Score” Museum has moved to a large hall in the Südstadt district of Hannover, it can officially call itself Germany’s largest video game museum. 

One of the largest collections of consoles 

Spanning over 1,000 square meters, gaming enthusiasts can now explore more than 190 original machines, including some of the rarest game consoles from 1972 to the present day. Visitors can try out many of the exhibits for themselves on site and, for example, set new high scores on arcade machines that are over 40 years old. 

The selection of video games is huge. Whether it’s classic arcade games like Pac-Man, pinball machines, Japanese rhythm games, a modern dance machine, or large-scale games with steering wheels, gas pedals, and/or engines: at “Hi-Score,” gaming fans of all ages—young and old—can let their passion for gaming run wild. All video game machines have been set to free play, so no coins are needed to enjoy the games. 

© HI-SCORE

Gaming together as an event

Encouraging people to play together again is particularly important to the operators of the Video Game Museum in Hanover. Whereas in the past people often played together in large groups on the couch, today that sense of togetherness often exists only virtually—via headsets and headphones. With their multiplayer or two-player modes, many of the exhibits on display at the interactive museum in Hannover actively encourage visitors to play together right there on the spot—as a family, with friends, or competing for high scores with other video game enthusiasts. Video game tournaments, entertaining table quizzes, and other geeky events are also held regularly at the video game museum.