Activate Game Experience in Dubai

Activate at City Centre Mirdif is an active gaming experience in Dubai where you are the controller: teams of two to five move through nine light-up game rooms, jumping, climbing, dodging and solving puzzles across more than 50 games in a 60-minute session. Each player wears a wristband that logs points, levels and achievements, so every round counts towards your score.

It is open every day, from 10am to 10pm Monday to Friday and from 10am to midnight on Saturdays and Sundays, which makes it as easy to fit into a weekday evening as a long weekend afternoon.

What is Activate?

Activate began in Winnipeg, Canada, and has grown to more than 30 locations across Canada and the US. The Dubai site at City Centre Mirdif was the first in the Middle East, announced in September 2024 by Majid Al Futtaim Entertainment, the company behind Ski Dubai and VOX Cinemas, which holds the regional rights and plans dozens more venues over the coming decade.

A neat detail: every Activate location has identical game rooms, so your scores sit on a global scoreboard alongside players in North America. If you get competitive, you are not just playing your friends.

How the games work

Each room is a different kind of challenge, lit up with interactive floors, walls and targets that react to your movement. Individual games last between one and three minutes and range in difficulty, so you can warm up on the easy levels and then push towards the extreme ones.

• Nine game rooms with more than 50 games between them
• Private rooms: each room is used only by your group of two to five
• Mega Grid: the best-known room, a light-up floor game that went viral on TikTok
• Co-operative or competitive: some games reward teamwork, others pit players against each other
• Wristband scoring: points, levels and achievements are tracked so you can see your progress and win prizes

The mix of physical and mental challenge is the point. Some rooms are about speed and agility, others about memory, timing and communication, which keeps a group of different ages and fitness levels on a more even footing than a straight sports game.

Ways to play

Activate lists several play formats across its venues: Open Mode for casual sessions, Team Mode for groups playing together, and the competitive Global League and Tournament of Champions for players chasing a place on the leaderboard. For a first visit, a regular 60-minute session is the place to start, and the wristband records your points and levels as you go.

Who it suits

• Families with older children: the experience is open to anyone over six. Children aged 6 to 9 play on a child ticket and must be in the room with a ticketed adult aged 18 or over, with one adult for every four children.
• Teenagers and friends: anyone over ten is on an adult ticket, and the global scoreboard brings out the competitive streak.
• Team building: communication-heavy rooms make it a good alternative to the usual office outing. Larger groups book together and split into teams of two to five on arrival.
• Birthday parties: an hour of games in a private room is an easy celebration.

What to wear and before you go

Clean running shoes are mandatory. Heels, open-toed shoes and sandals are not allowed, so bring trainers if you are coming straight from work or the mall. Comfortable clothes that let you jump and stretch will make the climbing and dodging rooms much easier.

• Waivers: every player must sign a waiver before playing. A parent or guardian signs for anyone under 18.
• Arrival: arrive 15 minutes before your time slot to check in, sign waivers and get your wristbands.
• Inclusions: the ticket covers the 60-minute session and access to the games and rooms. Food and drinks, transport and personal expenses are not included.
• Changes: cancellation or rescheduling is possible up to 48 hours before your slot.

Finding Activate in City Centre Mirdif

Activate is on the ground floor of City Centre Mirdif, at unit E311. The mall, like Activate’s Dubai venue, is run by Majid Al Futtaim, and it is one of the main shopping and entertainment centres in the east of Dubai, close to Mirdif, Al Rashidiya and the airport. Transport to the venue is not included, so plan your own way there by car, taxi or ride-hailing app.

Because it sits inside a mall, Activate is easy to combine with lunch, a film or a shopping trip. Allow around 75 minutes in total once you add check-in to the 60-minute session.

The current listing covers sessions from 28 October to 12 November. For more family and group ideas, see our kids’ events in Dubai, the city’s top attractions, things to do this weekend and our guide to things to do in Dubai.