PIT Among First Mid-Sized Airports to Open Gaming Lounge as Concessions Diversify

While shopping and dining is part of a typical airport experience, entertainment is increasingly becoming part of the mix as airports like Pittsburgh look to meet passenger demand in creative ways.

Enter Gameway, Pittsburgh International Airport’s first-ever video gaming lounge that opened this week, among the first in the U.S. for medium-sized airports.

Gameway, provides travelers with a unique way to pass time before boarding their flights — by hopping online to play their favorite video games while enjoying something to eat or drink.

“Our passengers travel across the U.S. and the globe for business, leisure with family and friends, or alone, and we value their experience here at PIT,” said Tyler Laughlin, PIT’s vice president of Government and Stakeholder Strategy. “Because their reasons for traveling varies, our concessions program matches up with that mix of interests, combining familiar favorites, fresh concepts and emerging trends, including experiential and interactive ways to enjoy their time at the airport. This is another example of how that mix continues to evolve.”

Officials from PIT and Gameway held a grand opening and ribbon cutting event Thursday for travelers and media to celebrate the airport’s newest entertainment offering.

A key element of PIT’s terminal modernization program includes a major refresh of PIT’s shopping, dining and entertainment offerings that optimize PIT’s diverse passenger demands.

Including Gameway, PIT has added nearly 25 new stores and restaurants in the past two years, featuring a mix of local, national and global brands reflective of passenger demand.

Gameway co-founder Jordan Walbridge said Pittsburgh’s competitive spirit and love for gaming, as well as PIT’s new terminal and goals for creating a sense of place for travelers, made it a natural pairing. PIT is Gameway’s 13th U.S. airport, joining other recently added locations including Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York-JFK and Charlotte.

“When I first walked through the terminal, I immediately noticed the incredible sense of place. It’s absolutely stunning and beautiful and really kind of gives you that feel and experience. It’s something that Gameway can certainly relate to,” Walbridge said. “PIT has made the passenger experience a focus point, and we’re thrilled to be part of that vision.”

Walbridge and his wife, Emma, founded Gameway in 2017 to provide a unique experience for gamers of all ages — from millennial and Gen-Z-aged customers to kids — citing video games’ increasing prevalence in society. According to Walbridge, nearly two-thirds of all Americans play video games every week.

Simultaneously, the couple saw an opportunity to make airports more entertaining for travelers, believing that wait times for flights could become a more enjoyable experience. Less than a decade later, Gameway is rapidly expanding.

The lounge offers a premium airport entertainment experience. Players can reserve a sanitized station with a custom-built gaming PC, Xbox or PlayStation console by purchasing 30 or 60-minute sessions or a day pass with unlimited access. Each station includes leather lounge chairs with 43-inch 4K monitors, noise-cancelling headphones and a selection of pre-loaded video games.

Additionally, Gameway offers a wide variety of snacks and beverages for purchase, including soft drinks, cold refreshments and coffee-based drinks.

Gameway is open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Concourse A across from gates A2 and A4, following a soft opening in late July. Priority Pass members and eligible cardholders receive one hour of complimentary gaming plus a bundled refreshment benefit.

As part of PIT’s concession revamp, Gameway joins new local favorites such as Café Conmigo, Convive Coffee Roasters and Mineo’s Pizza; established brands including Shake Shack and Sambazon; distinctive airport concepts like Stack & Press, Mi Casa Cantina and Bad Egg Breakfast Bar; and refreshed shopping options such as MAC Cosmetics and Hammermade.

Airport leaders sought to have the growing airport food, beverage and retail program reflect the vibrancy that’s happening in Pittsburgh.

New retailers such as Duquesne Supply Co, which stocks local artisan-made wares; Champion City Sports, which offers gear and memorabilia from multiple Pittsburgh area sports teams and an entertainment sports simulator; are helping PIT meet those goals.

They join existing and refreshed local businesses such as Sarris Candies, Primanti Bros., Marathon Diner and Wigle Whiskey.

Earlier this year, lifestyle retail brand West Virginia Living Co. opened a kiosk in the new terminal’s Arrivals level with the support of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and Morgantown, W. Va.-based New South Media.

In addition, Ohio-based Great Lakes Brewing, which has served Pennsylvania since 1999, recently announced it will add an experience bar inside of Concourse A at PIT in partnership with Air Ventures. Construction on Great Lakes Brewing is underway with an anticipated opening date of late fall 2026.

Click on the following links for more information on PIT’s shopping and dining options, as well as an interactive traveler map.