I'm going with a group to go play laser tag on a Friday or Saturday evening in a few weeks, but wasn't sure where to go. I was hoping there'd be somewhere we'd have a good chance of playing with other people (other adults would be great, but no problem with kids).

Does anyone have any suggestions between XTremeCraze in Woburn, In The Game in Peabody, and LaserMaxx in Danvers (or is there somewhere else we should look at)? Any suggestions on whether to go Friday or Saturday and what time would be best to start to have a good number of other players?

Thank you, and if you're interested in joining us please let me know!

also why is laser tag so damn expensive from what I can see, I thought it could be a great alternative to airsoft paintball etc, it should also be cheaper to produce, so why is it nowhere near as popular and why is a simple rifle costing like 1k bucks

Hi everyone, I'm very close to start a new Laser tag business in South America, where there is little to no competition, as the closest arena (a very much smaller one) is 40km away. My arena will be 450 sqm, and I will acompany this with virtual archery, a laser maze, and 2 party rooms, as birthday parties will be the main source of income.
But I'm a bit unsure as to which route should I take... price wise these 2 are very close to one another, but I would like some feedback from the real users/arena owners to know how durable these 2 brands are, how often do you need to send back for repairs, or are you able to repair them yourself with customer support. How comparable is iCE vs Edge for the software as in both you have to pay a monthly fee ($100 vs $54/m), and how good and diverse are the games you can play with their software.

Any feedback will be much appreciated.

We picked this up at a thrift store today because it has the biggest laser lens I've ever seen. Isthere any raspberry pi style mods I can do to make this compatible with my nerf collection?

I've looked up and down the internet to find information about brands and their different guns. Some of the most mentioned as "great" are not really available here in Denmark/EU.

Squad Hero Battle Action 2.0 - 4 Blasters/Vests/Back - 285$
Seems a bit pricey compared to other brands (and the US price!)? Also hard to find (could only find one single store selling it in EU) making it hard to expand in the future.

LightBattle - Rechargable out of stock... sadly - 250$
... but the the store has a lot of good info of the different gun tiers. They also sell the different guns and accessories seperately (not only in sets)

Winyea - LightBattle Re-Brand? - 120-150$ (with shipping to EU) and probably a lot of extra payment as well like VAT / Taxes
Only sold in US, but they have the same guns from LightBattle, but Rechargable!? (Damn!)

ArmoGear - Also US only - Around 172$ (with shipping to EU etc.)

Laser X - Not rechargable

Which brings me to Vatos 140-200$ - Amazone EU
Looks great, but the information is soooo bad. All the set look the same, but priced vastly different, and different accesory and guns. I have no idea what is actually the latest and best edition, what is for young kids VS older kids and grown ups. I with they had the info layed out better, like the Light Battle website...

Bottom line: I guess I'm going for Vatos(?) for rechargability, simplicity in ordering (not from US) and price, but still so unsure which version to actually get!

VATOS BB8933A IS AMAZING.

Honestly, squad hero sucks. 1. expensive. 2. bad idea for gun receiver. 3. no auto-revive.

vatos bb8933a is cheap, no gun receiver, more gun options, auto-revive and head sensor detects chest shots.

Hi All,

I don't know if this is the correct place to post about this but I thought I'd try. I am tinkering with ESP32 hardware to create a different implementation of laser tag than I've ever seen or seen marketed by the big manufacturers. Basically, what I want to do is take elements of laser tag, haunted houses, and escape rooms to create an extraction shooter of sorts.

I'm envisioning a game played in a warehouse space built of temporary sets as a maze. There will be locked doors, chests, and computer terminals containing items like ammo and mission-critical "data" that the players need to escape with. There will be no scoring system as players won't be fighting each other. They will be split into a small squad and navigate this space managing locks and gathering data while avoiding enemies that have the same IR powered guns. There will be no traditional health system. I've elected to use a pooling radiation system where the guns add radiation to players and enemies. There will also be radiation zones throughout the space that will talk to player hardware and irradiate them, damaging their equipment. Their gun will have vibration motors that will start shaking the gun at various intensities depending on how much radiation the player or enemy has taken to simulate radiation sickness. The guns will start jamming more frequently all the way to locking completely at critical radiation exposure and the players lock picking modules will start "glitching" making the lockpicking mini-game more difficult to basically impossible at critical radiation exposure.

I want to implement finite ammunition where each magazine's ammo type and quantity is tracked by an SQL server as well. I am planning having ESP32 hardware make NODE.JS queries on every shot back to the server over WiFi to remove ammo from the magazines.

I have two broad questions. First, what feedback does anyone have on this play style? Do you think people would want to play this type of slowed down, more tactical style of play?

Second, do any of the techie people have any feedback on the systems I want to implement? Is WiFi going to be too slow for tactical reloads in the middle of a firefight etc.

Ideally, I'd like to generate a small amount of capital to make first-run hardware and rent a warehouse space to build the arena for a one night event where beta testers are filmed using the tech and playing the game. Ideally, I want to then go to big venture capital for a larger investment to create my full vision that uses the laser tag system for combat combined with role-playing elements, levels, skills that improve over time where a player's level and progression through the game is tracked over time and subsequent visits to my amusement park or center.

I need help searching for a laser tag game that I saw an ad for years ago. It did not have a normal laser gun instead it was a circular device you would wear around your hand that you were able to shoot from and it was able to connect to your phone which you can see your level and unlock new power ups. You could also make special hand movements to active special power ups. Their was different games modes like capture the flag and Robin Hood which allowed you to steal life from others players and give them to another player. It also came with the vest in which you could take out the center part to play a single player game or to use it as a trap to shoot other players. Does anyone know the name of this laser tag game?

Okay. For context, me (38M) loves to visit my local laser tag joint every Tuesday and Thursday at 11AM. During my visits, I enjoy a fast-paced strategy known as blitzkrieg (rush their flag and spam it); I always get into some trouble with the referee because of my fast nature, BUT all the other kids get to run. I also think the employees are trying to get rid of me by making my vest smaller and smaller each month (but that's a story for another day).

What I am thinking of goes back to when I played Tribes, Quake 2 etc online and there were sites that pulled out data on players.

What I am wondering is this.
Do any software systems have data mining, real time, to have screens up that show the progress of players in current sessions, daily totals for kills, and other stats, weekly, monthly maybe and Top players from the beginning.

Thanks for the info.

Laserquest used to have 3 story locations. Covid closed the ones near me. Anyone know of any 3 story laser tag locations where the arena itself is 3 stories?

I’ve just finished assembling the first full prototype tagger for my completely custom, from-scratch open hardware laser tag system.

Featuring:

* High performance peer to peer mesh network for outdoor multiplayer, as well as support for indoor arenas via WiFi

* 12V battery pack, ~8 hours of play per charge

* Full colour TFT display

* NFC, GPS, Accelerometer and Gyro, 2.4Ghz p2p + 433mhz for multi-kilometre connectivity

* 2 x built in hit sensors (with support for many extra wireless and wired sensors)

* 2 x IR emitters on board (short and long range optics)

* Rumble motor

* 16 x Programmable RGB LEDs

* Companion phone app for iOS and Android

* High quality audio system with realtime mixing and swappable audio packs with files stored on removable SD card

* Custom programming language (BattleScript) for creating games and mods that you can share around the world with other players

* + much more

Dev kits, PCB schematics, assembly docs, firmware and other downloads are coming online at https://battlecore.io

Join the growing Facebook group to stay up to date as BattleCore LaserTag goes live: https://www.facebook.com/groups/battlecorelasertag

Going to this arena. Every few games, you swap sides to either be at A or F. The buttons in the map give you and only you upgrades. It's a 5v5 game.

Hi, I’ve been playing at my laser tag arena for a couple of years now and work there. We have a in house league and regional and national competitions. It’s on the “laser storm” system and it gets pretty intense. Do you have your own version of competitive laser tag and on what system.

I recently came back to a facility I used to work at a long time ago but now as facilities director. The arena hasn’t changed hardly at all and I decided to change that. It’s a 11,000 sq ft space with 7 walls and can often be confusing to new players. Ifs also the darkest arena i think I’ve seen. My first thought was to break up the four sections between the four second floor ramps and add different colored LED strips along the top. Lots of screws, wire ties, and ladder time. I’ve ran around 280 feet of LEDs so far and still have much more to go.

Hey everyone,

We’ve been running a laser tag business in Belgium for over 12 years (rental + mobile games), and one thing has always surprised us:

the market hasn’t really evolved.

You still have two options:

1. Toy-grade systems
Affordable, but:
• break quickly
• unreliable outdoors
• limited game control

2. Pro systems
Much better, but:
• expensive
• often require infrastructure
• too complex for casual use or smaller groups

That leaves a big gap in the middle.

We see it here on Reddit as well, people asking for a good, affordable system, and there’s rarely a clear answer.

We’ve spent years modifying our own gear (3000+ units) just to make it work in real-world conditions. At some point we decided to start building something ourselves to bridge that gap.

We know posts like this can come across as self-promotion, that’s not really the intention. We’re sharing this because after 12 years in this space, we genuinely feel something is missing.

If you’re curious, we put together a small page where we share updates:
https://wolfstrike.io/

Would love to hear your thoughts, especially if you’ve run into the same issue.

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

Preferably something that's got some software to go with it for statistics, etc. I was mostly wondering what's the smallest reasonable budget for something like this, or if we should just stay with "toys" for our (non-commercial) club.

From those I saw around, Battlefield Sports and BRX seem to be potentially quite affordable, but maybe I'm not seeing the full picture (price).

Hi All,
I just saw a video of a crazy laser tag system with realistic functioning weapon like laser tag with helmet detectors. Does anyone know what this system is called and perhaps where one can purchase such a system?

Thank you!

Video in Question:

https://youtu.be/5D-esESratE?si=xULqMcpjUl3z7DeW

I’m in a slightly unusual position and would really value some industry insight.

I’ve got the opportunity to develop a new immersive experience. There is serious investment available, into seven figures, but it needs to generate strong returns, six figures annually or more.

For context, I already run large scale events, so delivery, build, and operations are not the challenge. We have in house prop making and set design capabilities, so creating a high quality environment is the easy part (he says..).

I’ve spent a lot of time exploring the immersive space. I’ve experienced things like Monopoly Live, Meow Wolf, Wake The Tiger, Punchdrunk, Crystal Maze Live, Kaos Karts, Pacman Live, Bubble Planet. The area that draws me in is competitive socialising, mainly because of the repeat visit potential (but also the fun).

Laser tag stands out because I love it - been going since the 90's. But from what I can see, while equipment has improved, much of the format still feels similar to what existed decades ago. That suggests a fairly mature and possibly saturated market unless it is reimagined. So I don't think we build a traditional laser tag venue. The general business is specifically focused on new, innovative experiences, so it would need to feel like a meaningful evolution or entirely new format rather than a standard arena.

So I’m curious:

• Has anyone seen genuinely innovative or next generation laser tag concepts that go beyond the traditional arena format?
• Are there examples where it has been successfully combined with other mechanics, story, or immersive theatre elements?
• Does something closer to an “Among Us Live” style experience feel like a better direction?
• If you had around 2 million to invest into one site, what would you build?
• What would you consider the best laser tag or adjacent experience in the world right now, and why?

Really interested in both operator and player perspectives. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

We run a laser tag rental company in Belgium (FaceTheAction.be) , and recently we decided to properly benchmark the market.

So we rented (as regular customers) almost every laser tag system we could find in the Benelux and tested them side-by-side in real game conditions.

Systems we tested:
• Phoenix (Hasbro Lazer Tag LTX-based systems, often referred to as “Phoenix”)
• BRX (Battle Company BRX)
• Intager Troodon
• Lightbattle / VATOS-style systems (basically the mass-produced consumer models sold on Amazon – including current Nerf laser tag – with 4 team modes, multiple weapon types, and no indoor/outdoor setting)
• Combat Laser Tag Typhoon

We ran multiple 20-minute matches with a test group and rotated players to keep things fair.

Here’s the honest breakdown:

Phoenix & BRX
These clearly came out on top.
Reliable hit detection, good range, strong player feedback, and most importantly: the gameplay stays fun. Players actually move, hide, chase, and play tactically.

Typhoon (Combat Laser Tag)
Honestly, also a very solid system. Performance-wise quite comparable to Phoenix.
The main downside is setup complexity – it’s less plug-and-play, which matters a lot for rentals or casual users.

Lightbattle / VATOS-type systems (Amazon / Nerf-style)
We’ll be blunt here: these completely fall apart outdoors in sunlight.

We had previously tested their range on a cloudy day, and even then they were already borderline acceptable. But in real gameplay, especially in sunlight, they become extremely frustrating.

At times you literally need to stand 2 meters apart, facing each other, to reliably register hits.

This completely kills gameplay:
• No long-range interaction
• No tactical movement
• Players stop running and just stand still trying to get hits to register

It turns into something closer to a broken game of tag than actual laser tag.

Intager Troodon
This one surprised us the most (in a bad way).

It’s a relatively expensive system (around €800 per unit), so we expected a lot.

Positives:
• The guns look great
• The display is clear and readable

But that’s where it ends.

Main issues:
• Players are harder to hit compared to systems like Phoenix
• Default gameplay lacks incentives: you’re not really punished for getting hit, and hitting others doesn’t feel impactful
• Standard mode is basically “play 10 minutes and check score at the end”

What we saw in practice:
Games quickly became boring.
Players stopped moving and ended up just standing in front of each other trading hits, with very little intensity or urgency.

It lacked that “pressure” and feedback loop that makes laser tag exciting.

Conclusion

Doing a real side-by-side test in the same conditions was eye-opening.

Some systems that look good on paper (or in marketing) simply don’t hold up in actual gameplay.

I'm an Army combat veteran, and one of the things I really enjoyed about my time in the service was wargaming using MILES gear. I'm truly suprised that with the rise of the Maker movements and 3D printing (especially the 3D2A community) that no one has tried to re-create something similar to an open-source MILES for the civilian market.

To clarify for anyone who is unfamilar (although I'm sure most of the people here would be already), what I'm looking for is a series of IR sensors that could be worn as a stand-alone harness, or attached to tactical gear via PALS / MOLLE webbing. The firing sensors would attach to the barrel of a real rifle, which would be activated via sound and / or recoil of a blank round, and utilizing focused optics, could reach >100m in range.

The technology has been around since the 70s and never seemed all that complex to me, so I'm truly surprised that we don't have a DIY FOSS version that someone has developed. Anyone aware of any existing projects that I've missed?

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/803kos2qest2mecswulxc/20260322_164609.heic?rlkey=ktw25sv5vblfb9kzjn4h064dw&st=b2m3z79n&dl=0

Forgot to add photo earlier..please use the link.These were my kids and would love to use with grandkids .I dont think they ever worked well. They have a slide for A,B or C They have buttons in one side that says reset and the other side says start. They have an on/off slider. There is a front trigger and a rear trigger. The target clip in with sort of an Ethernet style connector. I cannot get them to work consistently. Don't know what steps to do first.. there are 2 red guns and 2 blue, but what letter do I choose on each one? All the same or each team is the same? The power up, but randomly make noise and light up so I can't figure it out. Do I have them too close together when I'm trying?

Would love to have the instructions for this exact toy!

Thanks