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Sandbox VR announced a new full-body virtual-reality venue in Seattle’s South Lake Union on December 13, 2022, forecasting an early-2023 opening. The company now lists an operating location at 526 Westlake Ave N, with posted ticket prices starting at $39 on weekdays and for matinees and $55 on weekends. The exact first public opening date is not established by the available sources.
What was announced in 2022
Sandbox VR and Vulcan Real Estate announced the venue on December 13, 2022, for Vulcan’s 520 Westlake property near Mercer Street and Westlake Avenue North. At the time, the company described it as its second Puget Sound location, following its Totem Lake venue in Kirkland, and projected an opening in early 2023. That was a forecast, not a confirmed opening date.
The announcement described a planned 6,030-square-foot space with four private rooms, called “holodecks,” serving groups of up to six players each. Those figures describe the announced plan; they are not a current verified floor plan or capacity statement. Vulcan Real Estate and Sandbox VR’s announcement and GeekWire’s December 14, 2022 report covered the plan.
Where the venue is and when it is listed as open
Sandbox VR’s current South Lake Union listing gives the address as 526 Westlake Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109, near N Westlake and Mercer. The listing posts hours of 10 a.m.–10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m.–11 p.m. Friday through Sunday. These are the hours posted on the location page checked October 8, 2026; confirm them for your visit because venue information can change. Check the official South Lake Union page for current details and booking.
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Ticket prices and group options
The location page lists starting prices of $39 for weekday tickets and matinees, and $55 for weekend tickets. These are listed starting prices, not a guarantee for a particular date or session. The page also lists group packages, but their terms, prices, and availability can vary.
For a group event, compare the total price for your chosen date and time, the party size, number of experiences, event duration, and any included food, drinks, or private space. The listing, for example, describes a birthday package for up to six guests with two experiences over 80 minutes, and a team-oriented bundle for up to 18 guests with up to three group experiences over two hours. Check the live booking details before deciding; package inclusion and availability are not universal.
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How the full-body VR experience works
The venue is designed for groups to share a room-scale virtual experience rather than play separately at individual screens. In its 2022 announcement, Sandbox VR described headsets, haptic vests, backpacks, and motion sensors worn on the wrists and ankles. That is the equipment description at announcement, not confirmation of the exact setup used in every current session.
In an interview recorded around the South Lake Union grand opening, Sandbox VR Senior Director of Operations Bryan Price identified the HTC VIVE Focus 3 headset and discussed motion tracking and haptic feedback. He said the headset implementation removed the backpack tether to the headset. This is an attributed description of equipment at that time, not a guarantee that every current booking uses the same hardware. HTC VIVE’s interview with Bryan Price provides that context.
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What you can play
The current location page lists experiences including Deadwood PHOBIA, Squid Game Virtuals, Stranger Things: Catalyst, Age of Dinosaurs, and Rebel Moon: The Descent. The lineup can change, so use the location page to see what is available for your selected booking.
In the 2022 announcement, David Friedman, then Sandbox VR’s global SVP of real estate, said: “We chose South Lake Union to be where people live, work, shop, dine and play,” reflecting the company’s stated reason for selecting the neighborhood.
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