Custom game, template game, prize wheel, or rental: which one fits your booth?
Every exhibitor who considers a booth game hits the same question: a template game costs a few hundred dollars and a custom game costs a few thousand, so why would anyone pay more? The honest answer is that you are not buying the same thing. A template is a fixed mechanic with your logo on it. A custom game is built around your product story. A prize wheel is a chance mechanic. A physical rental is a spectacle you borrow for a weekend. This page compares all four on the things that decide whether a booth game pays: cost, timeline, what attendees learn, lead quality, and whether you can use it again.
The four options at a glance
| Option | Typical cost | Timeline | What attendees learn | Lead capture | Reuse |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custom arcade game (EventBitz) | About $5,000 simple branded; about $15,000 original custom | Concept in 2-5 business days; build 2-4 weeks plus about 2 weeks refinement | Your product story, taught through play | Name and phone plus score and qualifier, exported after the event | Yours to reuse across events; 12 months hosting included |
| Template / configurable game | $330-430 per event (Brand Gaming); $400-700 (NakNick); $1,500-4,500 configurable (SocialPoint); $199-399/month (Trade Show Trivia) | Days to a week | Your logo and colors on a fixed mechanic: wheel, scratch-off, trivia, Plinko | Varies by vendor; often a form or QR code | Rented per event; usually not yours to keep |
| Prize wheel | $0-500 for a physical wheel, or bundled in a template | Same day | Almost nothing about your product | Weak; people play for the prize, not the product | Reusable as an object, but it teaches nothing new at the next show either |
| Physical rental | $3,500 and up per game, plus shipping and staffing | Book weeks ahead | Almost nothing about your product | Depends on the rental; often a sign-up sheet or nothing | You return it on Monday |
Look at the games, not the price list
Open the demos before you compare prices. The template games are a prize wheel, a slot machine, a scratch card, and a memory match, with stock art. They work as promotions. They are not arcade games. A custom game is an original world with its own mechanic, art, sound, and scoring, built around one product story. The difference is visible in ten seconds of play, and it is the difference a booth visitor feels.
What each option actually buys
Custom arcade game
A game built around your product: the mechanic, the art, the scoring, and the questions all carry your story. The player learns what you do by playing, and the score gives your booth team a natural reason to talk to them after the round. Best when you have a product story worth teaching, you exhibit several times a year, and you want qualified leads rather than foot traffic. Watch out for the lead time: a custom build needs four to six weeks, and it needs a clear product story to build around. If the story is vague, the game will be too.
Template / configurable game
A proven mechanic, reskinned with your brand. It is fast, cheap, and reliable, and for a single show that is often enough. Best when the budget is tight, the deadline is under two weeks, or the goal is a fun draw rather than a product lesson. Watch out for three things. First, other booths may run the same mechanic. Second, lead quality varies widely; ask exactly what data you get and in what format. Third, you are renting. Run the same template at three shows and you have paid three times for something you do not own.
Prize wheel
The cheapest way to stop foot traffic. It works: people will queue to spin a wheel. Best when the goal is pure foot traffic and you already have a follow-up plan for the crowd. Watch out for who shows up. Prize hunters play for the prize, not the product, and a wheel gives your team nothing to talk about after the spin. Our game versus prize wheel comparison covers this trade-off in detail.
Physical rental
Simulators, claw machines, Plinko boards, photo booths: big, loud, and impossible to miss. Best when the spectacle is the point, the booth is 20x20 or larger, and you have staff to run it. Watch out for the footprint, power, shipping, and staffing costs on top of the rental fee, and for the fact that the rental teaches attendees nothing about your product. It is an attraction next to your booth, not a story about your booth.
The $400 versus $5,000 question, answered directly
What the extra money buys: a mechanic built around your product instead of your logo on someone else's mechanic; a game you own and can run at the next three shows instead of renting again; lead capture built into the game instead of bolted on; and a score and leaderboard that give your team a reason to talk to players after the round. What it does not buy: a bigger crowd on its own. A custom game still needs a good booth position and a team that works the crowd. When the template is the right call: one small show, no product story that needs teaching, a budget under $1,000, or a deadline under two weeks. That is a reasonable decision, not a compromise to apologize for.
Choose this if...
Cost per qualified lead: the math that decides it
Illustrative arithmetic, not results. The figures below are invented solely to show the math. They are not EventBitz results, a benchmark, or a forecast. Suppose a template game costs $430 for one event, draws 120 plays, and yields 12 opted-in contacts: about $36 per contact. Suppose a $5,000 custom game draws 300 plays at the first event and yields 60 opted-in contacts: about $83 per contact at event one. Run the same custom game at two more events and the cost per contact falls to about $28, because the build is already paid for. The template has to be rented again each time. The point is not the exact numbers. It is that reuse changes the math, and any vendor who quotes cost per lead from a single event is hiding the second half of the equation. Our guide to measuring trade show game ROI sets out the full funnel, from plays to attributable revenue, and how to count each stage honestly.
Questions to ask any vendor
- Who owns the game after the event, and what does reuse cost?
- What lead data does it capture, in what format, and who gets the export?
- What happens if the venue wifi drops? Can it run from a laptop with no connection?
- What is the real timeline from brief to a playable build, and what do you need from us in week one?
- What does support look like during the event, and who do we call if it stops working?
- Can we play a working demo before we sign anything?
Every EventBitz game has a playable demo before the project starts, runs from a laptop to a booth screen, and includes phone and email support during your setup time. Ask the same of anyone else you consider.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a custom trade show game cost?
A simple branded game from EventBitz starts at about $5,000 and an original custom game at about $15,000. Terms are 50% deposit to start and 50% on delivery, with 12 months of hosting included. Our cost guide breaks down the full price ladder and what is included at each tier.
How long does a custom trade show game take to build?
A concept takes 2 to 5 business days after the brief. Build typically takes 2 to 4 weeks after concept feedback, followed by about 2 weeks of refinement.
Is a template game enough for a trade show booth?
If the goal is a fun draw at one show on a tight budget, yes. If the goal is teaching a product story and capturing qualified leads across several shows, a template usually is not, because the mechanic is fixed and the game is rented, not owned.
Can a booth game capture leads?
Yes, when lead capture is built into the game: name and phone plus score and qualifier, exported after the event. A play or a score on its own is not consent.
What is better for a booth, a game or a prize wheel?
A prize wheel draws a crowd; a game starts a conversation. Pick the one that matches the goal.