Game Over? The Decline and Evolution of Chinese Internet Cafes

2 mins read

Moren Mao

11:16 AM
March 4, 2025

2 mins read

From dingy gaming hubs to high-end esports centers, here’s a look into the unsurprising downfall of a once thriving industry.

Nostalgia Override

Chinese internet cafes – or wang ba (网吧) were the go-to after-school spot for those who grew up in the late 1990s and 2000s. Crowded with rows of computers and uncomfortable chairs, these cafes were dimly lit, filled with the smell of cigarette smoke, sweat, and cheap instant ramen. Above the clatter of keyboards and through brick-sized cell phones, you could occasionally hear angry parents berating their kids for wasting time gaming instead of doing homework. For an entire generation, internet cafes were more than just gaming hubs, they were social havens where friendships were forged.

RADII explores the decline of the internet cafe wang ba and the rise of mobile gaming. — *image via* *NetEase Games*.

Easy accessibility made the wang ba an attractive entertainment space for Chinese youth. Many of these illegal internet cafes were found nearby schools and hidden in the backrooms of arcades, catering to their underage customers. For 3 to 5 RMB ($0.40 to $0.70 USD) per hour, gamers enjoyed domestic titles such as Meteor Butterfly and a Blade, The Legend of Sword and Fairy, and GKART, along with Western imports such as Counter-Strike and World of Warcraft. Countless hours were spent chatting with friends on QQ – China’s answer to AOL – and exploring the uncharted frontier of the early internet.

Memories of gaming at a wang ba exist fondly in the minds of many Chinese millennials, but they’re nothing more than memories soaked in nostalgia. The reality is that the golden age of internet cafes has long since logged off. Following the rise of mobile gaming and affordable personal computers, internet cafes have been fading since 2012. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, 45,000 internet cafes shut down between 2019 and 2023, and the downward trend is expected to continue.

Into The Future

The communal experience of wang ba gaming has been quickly replaced by a surge in mobile games, all in thanks to major titles such as 2015’s Honor of Kings, and 2017’s PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. At its peak, Honor of Kings had 100 million active daily players. Although these games are multiplayer, socializing face-to-face at shared third place venues largely gave away to individual gaming at private homes.

With gaming experiences now set in a totally new map, modern internet cafes are virtually unrecognizable. They’ve been upgraded into sleek and modern esports centers. For as little as 15 RMB ($2 USD) an hour, gamers can enjoy high-end gaming equipment and complimentary snacks all in a private room. Some esports hotels also offer beds and showers. In 2023, out of the 132,000 internet cafes, roughly 100,000 are esports cafes, capitalizing on China’s booming esports market.

Ironically, there has been a recent trend of students flocking to their local wang ba – not to game, but to study, taking advantage of the high-speed internet access, ergonomic gaming chairs, and soundproof rooms. It’s a stark contrast from when students skipped class to game at that dingy, musty, unlicensed internet cafe.