Development
Indie Design Sprint
A focused 3-day sprint with a resident mentor to take your game idea from whiteboard to playable vertical slice. Includes workstation, engine setup, and a Friday showcase. From $420 AUD per maker.
Game Lab · Carlton, Melbourne
Stellar
GameLab
A Lygon Street game development studio and premium arcade lab where indie makers, students, and weekend players build, test, and play. Design sprints by day, neon tournament nights after dark.
Open Tue–Sun · 10am–11pm · Mon by appointment
24
Cabinets on floor
Who We Are
Half studio, half arcade, all Carlton
StellarGameLab opened above the cafés of Elgin Street in 2019 as a shared workshop for Melbourne game makers. Today the space runs across two floors: a quiet development studio with 12 engine-ready workstations, and a chrome-lit arcade floor stocked with 24 restored cabinets and a 30-seat tournament pit.
Whether you are prototyping your first platformer, running a playtesting night, or booking the pit for a birthday, our resident designers sit with you the whole way. We keep classes small, kit modern, and the filter coffee from Lygon Street flowing.
- 12 workstations with Unity, Unreal & Godot pre-loaded
- 24 restored arcade cabinets, from 1983 classics to modern hits
- Resident designers on the floor every session
What We Do
Sessions, sprints & showdowns
Concrete programs for makers and players, priced in AUD. Book online or drop into the Elgin Street door.
Play
Arcade Tournament Nights
Thursday and Saturday bracket nights across Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and retro high-score runs. 2.5 hours, capped at 32 players, prize bar tab included. $28 AUD entry.
Learn
Beginner Coding Workshops
A 6-week evening course teaching game logic with Godot — no experience needed. Small groups of eight, laptops provided, two tutors per class. $360 AUD for the full term.
Private
Book the Pit
Reserve the 30-seat tournament pit for parties, launch nights, or studio offsites. Two-hour minimum with a dedicated host and full cabinet access. From $190 AUD per hour.
Kids
Saturday Junior Makers
Ages 9–14 build their first game across a 90-minute drop-in, guided by our education crew. Runs weekly during Victorian school terms. $35 AUD per child.
Membership
Studio Membership
Unlimited off-peak workstation access, priority tournament seeding, and 20% off workshops. Ideal for full-time indies working out of Carlton. $95 AUD per month.
Player Reviews
Words from the floor
Makers and players who spend their weeks at 89 Elgin Street.
I shipped my first demo to Steam after two Design Sprints here. The mentors caught scope problems I would have wasted months on.
The Saturday tournament nights have become our whole friend group ritual. Fair brackets, great cabinets, and the bar tab prize is genuinely worth winning.
My daughter did Junior Makers for a full term and now she builds little games at home. The tutors were patient and the space felt safe and welcoming.
We booked the pit for a studio launch and it ran flawlessly. Our host set up a custom bracket and 40 people had a brilliant night on Lygon Street.
- Restored arcade cabinets
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- Games playtested here
- 0+
- Workshop completion rate
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- On Elgin Street
- 0 yrs
Restored arcade cabinets
Games playtested here
Workshop completion rate
On Elgin Street
Good to Know
Frequently asked questions
Still curious? Call the lab or send us a note below.
Not at all. Our Beginner Coding Workshops and Junior Makers sessions assume zero prior knowledge. Tutors work with groups of eight or fewer, and every laptop comes pre-loaded so you can start building on day one.
We are at 89 Elgin Street, Carlton, a two-minute walk from the Lygon Street restaurants. Metered street parking is available on Elgin and Drummond Streets, and tram routes 1 and 6 stop nearby on Lygon Street.
Yes. The arcade floor is open to walk-ins from Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 11pm. A day pass is $22 AUD for unlimited cabinet play, though tournament nights and the pit require a booking.
Each three-day sprint gives you a dedicated engine-ready workstation, one-on-one time with a resident mentor, and a spot in the Friday showcase. Coffee and snacks are included, and you leave with a playable vertical slice of your game.
We do. You can book the 30-seat tournament pit with a two-hour minimum from $190 AUD per hour. A dedicated host handles setup, custom brackets, and cabinet access so you can just enjoy the night.
Get In Touch
Book a session or say hello
Tell us what you want to build or play and the crew will get back to you within one business day.
Visit us89 Elgin Street, Carlton VIC 3053
Opening hoursTue–Sun 10am–11pm · Mon by appointment