With FIFA and Counter-Strike, a North Korean cafe levels up gaming for the elite | NK News
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October 04, 2026Oct 04, 2026

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With FIFA and Counter-Strike, a North Korean cafe levels up gaming for the elite

Photos of a glitzy new arcade reveal state-of-the-art PCs and US military-themed games, despite strict cultural controls

Photos and videos of North Korea’s glitzy new gaming parlor show that a privileged elite of gamers can now enjoy foreign titles, including shooters fearing the U.S. military, despite the country’s notorious controls on external culture.

Several posts by apparent Chinese students on X and Chinese social media show gamers playing a wide array of foreign titles at a gaming center in Pyongyang’s northern Hwasong District, the country’s first such facility. The titles include the soccer game FIFA 11, post-apocalyptic adventure The Last of Us and even U.S. military-centric games like Call of Duty, Medal of Honor and Counter-Strike 2.