Crystal Bonus Empire
A warm, cabin-inspired gaming lounge tucked into Goswell Road. Reserve a battle station, a console pod or a private tournament room — snacks, quick support and butter-smooth 240Hz play included.
Call the lounge: +44 20 7405 3334
A cosy cabin for competitive play
Crystal Bonus Empire opened in 2019 on the quiet end of Goswell Road, a two-minute walk from Barbican station. We swapped the usual grey internet-café aesthetic for knotted pine, soft lamplight and deep bench seating — a place you actually want to spend six hours in.
Every rig runs an RTX-class GPU, mechanical keys and a 240Hz panel, wiped and calibrated between bookings. Our floor crew are all players themselves, so whether you are grinding ranked or hosting a birthday, someone nearby knows the difference between a peeker’s advantage and a bad ping day.
- Walk-ins welcome, but weekend evenings sell out — reserve ahead
- Fibre lines with sub-8ms ping to London game servers
- Step-free access and an accessible station on the ground floor
From booking to boss fight in four steps
No membership, no faff. Reserve online or drop in, and our crew handles the rest so you spend your time playing.
- 1
Pick your zone
Choose a PC battle station, a console pod, a VR bay or a private tournament room, then select a start time and how many hours you want.
- 2
Reserve in seconds
Confirm online or call the lounge on +44 20 7405 3334. We hold your seat for 15 minutes past your slot — no deposit needed for sessions under three hours.
- 3
Check in at the bar
Arrive, give your name, and grab a drink. Your station is pre-loaded with Steam, Epic, Riot and Battle.net so you sign in and play — no waiting on installs.
- 4
Play, respawn, repeat
Extend on the fly if a seat is free, order snacks to your desk, and let a floor tech know if you want a settings tweak or a fresh headset.
Six ways to play under one warm roof
Prices are per person and include peripherals, a locker and unlimited filtered water. Hover a card for the full spec.
from £6 / hourRTX 4070 rig, 27" 240Hz IPS panel, Wooting analog keyboard and a 4000Hz mouse. Off-peak weekday afternoons drop to £6/hr; peak evenings £9/hr.
PC Battle Station
RTX rigs, 240Hz, mechanical keys
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from £8 / hourPrivate two-seat pod with a PS5, Xbox Series X and a 48" 120Hz OLED. Comes with four controllers — ideal for split-screen nights and FIFA rivalries.
Console Pod
PS5 & Series X on a 120Hz OLED
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£14 / 30 minA 3m x 3m padded bay with Quest 3 headsets, a guided library of 40+ titles and a staff spotter for first-timers. Booked in 30-minute blocks.
VR Bay
Room-scale Quest 3 with padded floor
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from £45 / hourSound-treated room with eight networked rigs, a shoutcaster desk and a wall screen for the bracket. Includes a floor referee and a fridge of drinks.
Tournament Room
Private 8-seat LAN with a caster desk
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£30 / hourOne-on-one with a Diamond+ coach for Valorant, League or CS2. Bring a VOD or play live while we break down positioning, economy and aim routines.
Coaching Hour
VOD review with a ranked coach
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£220 / group of 8Two hours across stations for up to eight, a pizza-and-wings spread, a hosted mini-tournament and a printed leaderboard to take home. Weekend mornings only.
Birthday Package
Two hours, food and a mini-cup
Hover for detailsThe empty rooms we turned into arenas
We designed and built every zone in-house. Drag the slider to see the raw Clerkenwell shell before the cabinetry, cabling and warm lighting went in.
AfterBeforeGround-floor battle hall
A bare retail unit became our 32-seat main floor, with pine baffles overhead to tame the noise.
AfterBeforeBasement tournament room
A damp storage cellar, now our sound-treated LAN room with a caster desk and bracket wall.
Good to know before you visit
Search the questions we hear most at the front desk.
Walk-ins are always welcome and often fine on weekday afternoons. Friday and Saturday evenings routinely sell out, though, so we strongly recommend reserving your station a day or two ahead through the site or by phone.
Under-16s are welcome any time with a parent or guardian present. From 6pm the main floor becomes 16+, and anyone ordering from the late-night menu will be asked for ID. Birthday packages are available for all ages by day.
We open every day from 10:00 to 23:00, including bank holidays. Last station bookings start at 22:00, and the tournament room can be reserved outside these hours for private events on request.
Absolutely. Plenty of regulars bring their own keyboard, mouse or controller, and our stations have front-facing USB and a 3.5mm jack. You can also sign into your own Steam, Epic, Riot or Battle.net accounts — just remember to log out when you leave.
We are a short walk from Barbican and Farringdon stations, with Old Street a little further. There is no on-site car park, but the Smithfield NCP and metered bays on Goswell Road are nearby. Secure bike racks sit just outside the door.
Yes — we host birthdays, stag and hen afternoons, studio launches and team socials. Weekday mornings we can take over the whole venue. Email [email protected] with your date and headcount for a tailored quote.
Reserve a station or ask us anything
Send a message and the front desk will reply within one working day. For same-day bookings, calling is quickest.
Find the lounge
- Phone+44 20 7405 3334
- Email[email protected]
- Address92A Goswell Road, Clerkenwell, London EC1V 7AJ
- Opening hoursEvery day, 10:00 – 23:00
92A Goswell Road, Clerkenwell, London EC1V 7AJ
On the quiet end of Goswell Road, two minutes from Barbican station.