Claw City USA, the Oregon-born claw machine arcade chain, is bringing four new locations to the Portland metro area: Hillsboro, Beaverton, McMinnville, and Vancouver, Washington, according to the company’s website. Hillsboro appears to be the furthest along, with the brand already recruiting content creators for a grand opening, though exact opening dates for any of the four spots are still to be announced.
It’s a big move for a brand that started with a single location and has quietly become one of the most talked-about entertainment concepts in the Pacific Northwest. Claw City currently runs five locations across Oregon: Tigard, Troutdale, Clackamas, Springfield, and Lincoln City, the latest wave would push that number to nine.
The concept is dead simple, which is a big part of why it works. No admission fee, no reservations unless you’re throwing a birthday party. You walk in, load credits onto a game card, and take your shot at more than 75 machines stocked with licensed plush from Pokémon, Nintendo, Hello Kitty, Star Wars, Naruto, and more. There’s also a Trade Up program that lets you combine smaller wins into bigger prizes, including a life-size Mario!
The four new Portland-area locations come as claw machine arcades continue to boom across the country, fueled largely by social media. Claw City has leaned hard into that, building a loyal following on Instagram and TikTok that keeps new fans walking through the door.
