7 LA Game Communities Bringing People Together in 2027
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LA is a big, spread-out city, and its best game communities have a knack for getting strangers into the same room. These LA game communities meet in cafés, gardens, hotel lounges, and theaters, so there’s always an easy reason to pull up a chair. We chose these seven for the care they put into every table and the settings they pick to play in.
1. Media Graveyard
Where: Mobile. The team brings the setup to the space you book.
When: By request.
Price: Custom quote after you submit the booking form.
Best For: Birthday parties, private game nights, nostalgia-themed brand activations, and photo or video shoots.
How to Book: Media Graveyard booking form or CRT rentals
Media Graveyard pairs real CRT TVs with retro consoles and skips emulation entirely. Its goal, per its website, is to play retro games on the displays they “were actually designed for.” The team handles setup and keeps everything running during your event.
It also rents tested vintage TVs, including matching sets for multi-screen setups, pop-ups, shoots, and installations. The voice is part of the charm: the site says its CRTs aren’t for sale because “they’re part of the family now.” There’s no public event calendar yet, so check @media.grv on Instagram for its latest projects.
Why We’d Book It: A wall of CRT glow lights up whatever room it lands in, so we’d pair it with a dim lounge or blank-walled studio. Look for plenty of outlets and floor space, since the site jokes about “enough extension cords to make an electrician nervous.”
2. East Never Loses
Where: Rotating venues, including Good Time (1322 Coronado Ave, Long Beach) and Terasaki Budokan, home of the Mahjong Academy.
When: Mahjong Academy meets on the first and third Wednesdays, 6:30-9 PM. Other events are one-off pop-ups, so check the website for the latest venue.
Price: Ticketed per event. Find current prices on each event’s ticket link.
Best For: Beginners who want real instruction, date nights, corporate team events, and Asian American and third-culture communities.
How to Book: TICKETS buttons on the East Never Loses website
Founder Angie QQ, a queer Taiwanese American creative, learned mahjong on late nights in Taipei and started out teaching friends in living rooms. According to the brand’s About page, those sessions grew into the Mahjong Mistress parties, and she quit her job to do mahjong full-time. Her mission is to “authentically reclaim and revitalize” the game for a new generation.
Academy nights mix riichi lessons, organized open play in all styles, strategy, and talks on history and culture. In October 2026, the club hosted a one-day open play in the Chinese Garden at The Huntington. A 2024 post on the Saigon Drugs blog noted the club hosting events at venues like Fatty Mart and Hauser & Wirth.
Why We’d Book It: For a private table, we’d book a warm, low-lit room with sturdy square tables, where the clatter of tiles adds energy to every hand. A lounge corner for drinks between rounds keeps beginners relaxed while the regulars play on.
3. Roll For Connection
Where: In-person groups meet at partner venues in Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge, Burbank, and West Hills. Virtual groups meet on Discord and D&D Beyond.
When: Weekly two-hour sessions, with days and times set by each cohort’s scheduling poll. Sessions are billed in 12-week blocks, and groups can renew indefinitely.
Group Size: Five matched players plus a professional Game Master.
Ages: Brackets for 11-13, 14-17, 18-29, and 30+.
Best For: Teens and adults looking for a steady friend group, neurodivergent players and their families, and first-time D&D players.
How to Book: Player Interest Form, followed by a free consultation
Roll For Connection runs ongoing Dungeons & Dragons 5e campaigns built for friendship by design. Its FAQs push back on the deficit framing of “social skills” groups and focus on matching compatible people so real friendships can form. Many players are neurodivergent or disabled, and groups are open to everyone (“Even neurotypicals.”).
Game Master Carrie Smith holds a BFA in TV writing from Chapman and trained in improv at UCB and in the Game to Grow method, per the About page. A testimonial on the Roll For Connection website calls her “a natural born storyteller.” Onboarding includes help with character creation, and the program accepts Regional Center Self-Determination Program (SDP) funding.
Why We’d Book It: Each cohort returns to the same partner venue every week, so the table itself becomes part of the campaign’s world. For a long-running group, we’d prioritize a quiet room you can count on, with enough surface space for dice, character sheets, and snacks.
4. Chess Social
Where: A different LA venue each month. Past partners include Griffins of Kinsale in South Pasadena, The White Horse Lounge, Old Towne Pub, Boomtown Brewery, and The Eden Garden.
When: Monthly flagship socials. Past events ran about 8 PM-12:30 AM.
Price: $10 at the door at some past events; check the latest listing.
Ages: 21+ at recent venues; age policy varies by venue.
Best For: Players of every level who want a night out, music lovers, and solo guests looking to meet people.
How to Book: Mostly drop-in. Follow announcements and the newsletter on the Chess Social website and @chess_social on Instagram.
Chess Social treats chess as nightlife, pairing casual and competitive games with curated live music, tournaments, themed nights, and raffles. With roots in the PCC, Cal State LA, and Caltech chess clubs, it reports hundreds of events and more than 25 venue partners on its About page. According to a 2019 Pasadena Magazine profile, it began when the founder, put off by silent chess clubs, started meeting friends in the basement of Griffins of Kinsale.
A jazz band soon offered to play for tips. In the magazine’s own words, participants “take the revelry as seriously as the chess.” The club’s venues change monthly, so check its site or Instagram for the next location.
Why We’d Book It: In a 2019 profile, Pasadena Magazine described a jazz band at the center of a White Horse Lounge dining room, with games still going past 11 PM. That’s the setup we’d recreate for a private night: a cozy room where the music sits in the middle and every board stays within earshot.
5. WeHo Backgammon Club
Where: Rotating “beautiful, design-forward” spaces across LA. Past events landed at Palihouse West Hollywood (8384 W 3rd St), Tabula Rasa Bar (5125 Hollywood Blvd), and Noun Coffee + Wine in Marina del Rey.
When: Recurring social nights, with past sessions running 6-9 PM. The seasonal league has run eight weeks, with one match a week, top-eight playoffs, and a finals event.
Price: Recent socials have run $10-$15, and the TableStakes launch tournament was free. The first league season had a $65 buy-in, paid into the prize pool.
Best For: Design-minded creatives, beginners, people hoping to date or make friends, and competitive players drawn to the league.
How to Book: WeHo Backgammon Club events page
The club calls itself “a modern social club built around a timeless game,” made for creatives and curious minds. Nights stay low-pressure, with casual games, conversation, drinks, and ladder-style formats that keep rotating you to new opponents. Bring your own board if you have one; extras are provided.
Its ethos centers on “slowing down, showing up, and sharing space,” per its About page. It’s listed in the US Backgammon Federation’s club directory, which notes league, ladder, and open play.
Why We’d Book It: A “cozy, vintage-chic” lounge like Palihouse, as the club’s Partiful listing describes it, invites you to linger over one more match. For a private tournament, we’d book a design-led space with small tables and soft seating so spectators can drift between boards.
6. Curtain Call
Where: Rotating venues in and around Downtown LA, announced per event on Eventbrite. One past night took over the Million Dollar Theater.
When: Regular public game nights plus private events. Dates and times are listed on Eventbrite.
Price: A past event was $125 per person, with discounts for two to four seats ($112.50) and five or more ($106.25). Food and non-alcoholic drinks were included. Check Eventbrite for current pricing; gift cards are available on the site.
Ages: 14+ at past public events.
Best For: Traitors fans, birthdays and bachelor or bachelorette parties, couples, and solo guests who like a social challenge.
How to Book: Curtain Call on Eventbrite for public nights, or the Curtain Call private events page
Curtain Call is hidden-role social deduction in the style of The Traitors. Each guest gets a role and materials, then mingles, forms alliances, and gathers clues before votes, challenges, eliminations, and a final reveal.
According to The Haunt Girl, creators Courtney Hirsch and Sebastian Garnett also launched Deception League, a six-week queer social league that ran Tuesdays in fall 2026 at Beaches Tropicana in West Hollywood. It has been featured in LA Magazine’s weekend guide.
Why We’d Book It: A past night in the Million Dollar Theater shows how a grand, storied room raises the stakes of a game built on secrets. For a private round, we’d look for a space with tucked-away corners for whispered alliances and a central stage for the final reveal.
7. Manzil Game Night
Where: Pop-up with no fixed venue. Recent nights took place at Holy Ground (4874 W Adams Blvd) and a Flower District space at 514 E 8th St. Check @manzilgamenight on Instagram for the latest location.
When: Roughly monthly. Recent sessions ran on Sundays, 4-7 PM.
Group Size: About 100 spots per event.
Best For: Solo guests, South Asian diaspora communities, coffee lovers, and corporate or brand events.
How to Book: Public tickets through Manzil’s Linktree, or private and corporate events through the Manzil Game Night contact form
Manzil bills itself on Partiful as “LA’s first community built around carrom, ludo & intention gatherings.” It grew out of Manzil Coffee Co, a coffee cart serving South Asian-inspired drinks. Tables fill with carrom and ludo alongside Taboo, Uno, and other South Asian-inspired games, with live help if you’re new to carrom.
Its menu includes a gulab jamun latte, a baklava latte, and mango lassi matcha. Some nights add live jazz, vendors, and snacks like pani puri and pakoras. One recent listing had only 16 of 100 spots left.
Why We’d Book It: Carrom is a game of flicks and close quarters, so the room needs space for a crowd to lean in around each board. A tucked-away spot like Manzil’s Flower District pop-up, which it calls “a beautiful space,” makes the afternoon feel like a discovery.
Find the right room for your next game night
Each of these communities shows how much the setting shapes the game, whether it’s a garden, a jazz-filled lounge, or a theater with a secret. If you’re inspired to host your own tournament, league night, or private game party, Peerspace makes it easy to book unique venues by the hour. Browse venues in Los Angeles and find the space that fits your game.
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