Laser tag is a game often played in designated laser tag arenas. These professionally designed areas make sure you don’t need to go through the hassle of setting up your own arena at home, buy or rent your own guns, or set up your own catering.
When playing laser tag, you’ll be ducking behind walls, running around obstacles, and chasing players through the maze-like outlay of the arena. That’s why—unsurprisingly—the larger the laser tag arena, the more fun you’re likely to have.
If you need a bigger play area to suit all of your friends or want to play more intense games on a larger battlefield, then we’ve got you covered. Here’s a quick review of the world’s largest laser tag arena, what it has to offer, and how it measures up against the average laser tag arena.
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The World’s Largest Laser Tag Arena: Laser Rock
How Large is Laser Rock?
Laser Rock has a two-level laser arena complete with fog machines, pulsing music, blacklight, and a great obstacle course. All of this spans over a huge 14,000 square feet, and allows for up to 60 players to play at once!
Where is Laser Rock Located?
Laser Rock is a state-of-the-art attraction offered by The Edge, a family entertainment center in Belleville, Illinois. Since it is home to the largest laser tag arena globally, it is no surprise that The Edge is also a massive establishment—it is the largest family entertainment center in the Midwest and houses over 83,000 square feet of exciting attractions.
What Game Modes Does Laser Rock Offer?
Laser tag can be played in various game modes, each with its own rules and objectives. Here are the available game modes at Laser Rock and a quick rundown on how they are played.
Capture the Flag
Capture the Flag can be played with 2–4 teams and is one of the most widely played laser tag game modes. Each team will have a flag, which it will try to protect by shooting any opponents who come close to it.
Teams will try to steal their opponents’ flags and take them back to their own bases, without letting the other teams get their own flags. Taking an opponents’ flag back to your base while you still have your flag will “capture” their flag, which will eliminate the other team and give your team extra points.
The last team standing will be the winner of that round. If the time runs out before there is a last team standing, the team with the most points will be crowned the winner.
Infection
The Infection game mode is similar to the “Zombie Tag” variation of the classic tag game. In this game mode, there are two teams, the red team, and the green team.
The red team will be made up of a single player, who will be infected, while the green team will be made up of the rest of the players, who will be healthy.
When a player on the green team is tagged by a player on the red team, he or she will then be infected and join the red team as well. Gradually, the red team will increase in size and all the healthy players on the green team will be tagged out.
The last player to get infected will get bonus points and will be the winner of that round. This player will then start the next round as the first infected player, and the gameplay will continue in this way.
Domination
In the Domination game mode, players will be divided into 2–4 teams, and they will try to capture “gems” spread out around the map. These gems are actually special devices that are paired with laser tag equipment to allow for an exhilarating game.
To capture a gem, players from one team have to shoot it with their blasters until it shines in their team color. If players from another team shoot your gem, they can deactivate it and then capture it for their own team.
The goal of this game mode is to capture as many gems as possible for as long as possible, and teams will earn points by capturing gems, protecting them from other teams, and eliminating opponents. At the end of the round, the team with the most points will win.
Highlander
Highlander is a unique game mode that you won’t find at many laser tag arenas besides Laser Rock. This game mode also involves capturing gems, but unlike Domination, this is a free-for-all game mode. To win the game, players need to capture all seven gems in order, from level 1 to 7, without getting tagged.
Completing level 1 will award a certain number of points, and completing every level after that will award double the points of the previous level. Tagging out opponents will also give players a small point bonus, though it won’t be anywhere near capturing a higher-level gem.
The winner of this game mode is the player who captures all the gems in order, without getting tagged. If no player can capture all the gems before the timer hits zero, then the player with the most points will be the winner.
Blood Moon
The Blood Moon game mode is another laser tag variation that you’ll be hard-pressed to find in another laser tag arena besides Laser Rock. This game mode is similar to Infection but has a few key differences that set it apart.
When players enter the arena, they will spread out before the game starts. When the game starts, some players will randomly become infected with a zombie virus. These players will all work together to try to tag out all the “human” players, which will give them the zombie virus as well.
The difference between the Infection and Blood Moon game modes is that the Blood Moon game mode has more than one player infected at the start of the game, and the players who are infected with the zombie virus are selected randomly by a computer.
Zombie players will make loud zombie-like sounds, such as groans and coughs, making it a bit easier to avoid getting infected and offering an immersive experience. The winner of the Blood Moon game mode is the last non-infected player.
How Large is the Average Laser Tag Arena?
Now that you’re familiar with the Laser Rock arena, you might be wondering how it measures up to your run-of-the-mill laser tag arena.
According to a study by Arc Studios, the average laser tag arena covers 3,000–4,500 square feet. This means the Laser Rock arena’s 14,000 square feet play area is around 3–4 times the average laser tag arena size.
The study also states that the average laser tag arena can accommodate 24–30 players at a time. At Laser Rock, you’ll be able to play with 60 players, at least double the fun of an average laser tag arena!
Are Bigger Laser Tag Arenas Always Better?
Laser tag arenas come in all sizes, but bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. Here are a few pros and cons of larger laser tag arenas, and which one you should opt for depending on your needs.
Pros of Large Laser Tag Arenas
Larger Play Space
In a large laser tag arena, the play area will be bigger. This will allow for more running and dodging and will make your games more intense.
However, large laser tag arenas are only suitable if you have a large number of players. You don’t want to be wandering around obstacles searching for other players while your playtime runs out!
Allow for More Players
The larger the laser tag arena, the more players it will allow. Playing with more members is always fun, but is not always the best choice.
If you plan to take younger children under the age of seven to a laser tag arena, then smaller might be better for you. A large laser tag arena might overwhelm younger children since they might have trouble finding other players and enjoying themselves if the play area is too big.
Allows for More Strategy
In close quarters, laser tag may turn into a game of luck as players squeeze their triggers and hope they get off a lucky shot. However, in larger arenas, players will be able to snipe other players, ambush them, or set elaborate traps to seize the victory in style.
Cons of Large Laser Tag Arenas
Will Be Slightly Pricier
Bigger laser tag arenas are usually a bit pricier to play at than their smaller alternatives since they require more upkeep and maintenance. However, the price difference is worth it if you’re looking for more exciting battles with many people.
Cause Lengthy Endgames
When there are only a few players left, they may have trouble finding each other in a large laser tag arena. This can be boring for players who have already been eliminated and are waiting for the next round to begin.
Conclusion
Playing laser tag is fun whether you’re playing in a small arena or a huge one, but Laser Rock offers an experience you won’t be able to find anywhere else. So what are you waiting for? If you want to play the greatest sport on the planet, in the biggest laser tag arena on the planet, then come on down to Laser Rock and start blasting!
Largest in the world? Amazing
That’s because it’s in a converted restaurant, which was gutted, and redesigned to be laser tag. The average arena is only 4,000 or 5,000 sq ft, but this building is a whopping 14,000 sq ft. I doubt anything will ever challenge them, laser tag is pretty niche.