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The Fixes / How to Draw / Arcade Machine
All year · Grades 6–8 · 15 steps

How to Draw an Arcade Machine

Retro Arcade Cabinet from The Drawing Fix™. An easy step-by-step drawing for Grades 6–8. Draw it with your class in about 8 minutes, one step at a time. Free to use and print. No sign-up.

By Christopher Allen · Ontario elementary educator15 stepsAbout 8 minutesUpdated Nov 5, 2026
Run it on the projector →Printable step sheet (PDF)

A challenge drawing for older students. Structure first, detail last. Good practice for line control, proportion and slowing down.

Before you start: a pencil, an eraser, a sheet of paper and something to colour with.

Draw lightly at first. Dark lines come at the end, once the shapes look right.

Step-by-step: how to draw an arcade machine

  1. Step 1. Cabinet silhouette

    Draw the cabinet outline.

  2. Step 2. Marquee box

    Add the top marquee.

  3. Step 3. Screen

    Draw the game screen.

  4. Step 4. Control deck

    Add the angled control deck.

  5. Step 5. Joystick

    Add the joystick.

  6. Step 6. Buttons

    Draw the action buttons.

  7. Step 7. Coin door

    Add the coin door and slot.

  8. Step 8. Side panel

    Draw the big side panel shape.

  9. Step 9. Side art

    Add a zig-zag side art line.

  10. Step 10. Speaker holes

    Add speaker holes.

  11. Step 11. Power cable

    Add the power cable and plug.

  12. Step 12. Stool

    Add a little arcade stool.

  13. Step 13. Floor grid

    Add a retro floor grid.

  14. Step 14. Pixel icon

    Add a tiny pixel alien icon.

  15. Step 15. Create

    Make the arcade cabinet yours.

The pink line is the new part in each step.

Make it theirs

  • Add a background that tells a story. Where is it?
  • Give it a name and write it underneath.
  • Try it again tomorrow from memory.
  • Colour last. There is no wrong colour for an arcade machine.

Teaching it with the projector

The projector version draws each step slowly on the board, pauses while students copy it, then checks in before the next step. Nobody has to talk, so you are free to walk around and help.

Quick Fix: 10 steps, about 6 minutes. Good for a brain break or the last few minutes before recess. Full Focus: all 15 steps, about 8 minutes, with the extra detail.

Open Retro Arcade Cabinet on the projector → It works on any classroom screen. No accounts, no student names, no ads.

Curriculum connections

Visual arts: the elements of design (line, shape, space and proportion) and creating art for a purpose. Language: listening to and following multi-step directions. Directed drawing also builds fine motor control and focus.

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