If you’ve walked into Rising Sun FPV and wondered why there’s suddenly the sound of pinball machines, arcade cabinets and people trying desperately to beat each other’s high scores — welcome to Castlecade.
Castlecade is our dedicated arcade and pinball area inside Rising Sun FPV, located at 22 Castlemaine Street, Kirwan.
But Castlecade didn’t come out of nowhere. It grew from our relationship with Empire Alternacade and Events, a name that many North Queensland arcade and pinball fans will already know.
From Empire Alternacade to Castlecade
Empire Alternacade has been part of Townsville’s gaming scene since 2018, operating its underground arcade bar in Flinders Street with a huge collection of pinball, classic arcade machines, consoles, board games and more.
Over the years, Empire also expanded beyond Townsville, including a venue in Cairns that became a gathering place for the local arcade, retro gaming and competitive pinball community. Unfortunately, the Cairns Empire closed its doors in March 2026.
That left a collection of arcade and pinball equipment needing a new home.
Rather than seeing those machines disappear from North Queensland, Rising Sun FPV and Empire worked together to bring equipment into our new Kirwan facility and build something a little different.
That became Castlecade.
An Arcade You Can Visit During the Day
One of the big differences between Castlecade and the traditional Empire experience is when you can actually play.
Empire Townsville is an 18+ arcade bar that comes alive at night, currently opening from 7pm Sunday–Thursday and 5pm Friday–Saturday.
Castlecade is designed to complement that.
We wanted somewhere where families, kids, teenagers, parents, grandparents and arcade enthusiasts could come in during the day and play.
You don’t need to book a session or organise a special event just to have a go. If Rising Sun FPV is open, Castlecade is there waiting.
Come in for one game, spend an hour chasing a high score, or make an afternoon of it.
Pinball, Arcade Games & More
Castlecade features a growing collection of pinball and arcade machines, with equipment changing over time as we continue developing the space.
For us, part of the appeal is having real machines.
There’s something completely different about standing in front of a pinball table, hitting the launch button and hearing the ball fire onto the playfield compared with playing a game on a phone or console.
The same goes for a proper arcade cabinet.
These are games that are easy to start playing but can take a very long time to master — especially once you start chasing the person sitting above you on the leaderboard.
Generally $2 a Play
We’ve tried to keep Castlecade simple.
Most machines are generally around $2 per play.
There’s no need to pay a large entry fee if you just want to drop in and have a few games.
Bring the family in, grab some games and see who comes out on top.
And if you start saying “just one more game” while trying to beat somebody’s high score, we accept absolutely no responsibility for how many games that eventually becomes.
Get Your Name on the Leaderboard
Castlecade isn’t just about playing — it’s about high scores.
We maintain a leaderboard, giving regular players something to chase and newcomers a target to beat.
Think you’re good at pinball?
Prove it.
Think Dad’s unbeatable because he spent half his childhood in an arcade?
Knock him off the leaderboard.
We want Castlecade to develop its own community of players, friendly rivalries and ridiculously competitive high-score attempts.
Snacks & Drinks Available
You also don’t have to leave when you need to refuel.
Snacks and cold drinks are available for purchase from Rising Sun FPV, so you can grab something to eat or drink and get back to the machines.
Castlecade sits within the larger Rising Sun FPV facility, so while one member of the family is checking out the arcade, there’s plenty more happening around the building.
More Than Just an Arcade
Castlecade is part of what we’re building Rising Sun FPV into.
We started with FPV drones, repairs and racing. Over the years that expanded into 3D printing, manufacturing, STEM education, tabletop gaming, workshops, robotics and community events.
Our new Kirwan facility gave us the opportunity to bring more of those communities together under one roof.
Castlecade fits perfectly into that idea.
It gives people another reason to come through the doors, hang out, meet people and maybe discover something completely different while they’re here.
You might come in to play pinball and leave wanting to learn about 3D printing.
You might bring your child in for an arcade game and discover one of our STEM activities.
Or you might just spend the afternoon trying to reclaim your spot on the leaderboard.
All of those are perfectly acceptable outcomes.
Come and Play at Castlecade
Whether you grew up in arcades or have never touched a pinball machine before, Castlecade is open for everyone to have a go.
Thanks to our relationship with Empire Alternacade, equipment from the former Cairns location has been given a new life in Townsville rather than disappearing from the North Queensland gaming community.
Now we're turning it into an all-day arcade experience at Rising Sun FPV.
🏰 Castlecade – Pinball, Arcade & Events
📍 Rising Sun FPV
22 Castlemaine Street, Kirwan QLD 4817
🎮 Arcade & pinball machines
🪙 Generally $2 per play
🏆 High-score leaderboard
🥤 Cold drinks available
🍫 Snacks available
👨👩👧👦 Family friendly
Come in, pick a machine and see if you can get your name on the board.
Welcome to Castlecade.
