As the nation sets its sights on healthier habits for 2026, a new kind of workout is taking the lead: the mind-and-body workout. Blending physical movement with cognitive challenge, Activate — the fast-growing immersive leisure brand — is redefining what it means to “get fit” in the new year.
With three new London venues opening before Christmas 2025 (Oxford Street, Vauxhall and Westfield White City), the timing couldn’t be better.
Activate, which has been recognised as the top leisure and entertainment company on the FT’s list of The Americas’ Fastest Growing Companies 2025, ranking 12th overall, has already taken the capital by storm. Its O2 venue – part live-action video game, part physical challenge, part mental workout – has welcomed over 125,000 players since opening last year, earning a top six ranking on TripAdvisor’s must-visit London attractions.
Now, the brand that has attracted more than 750 million social views worldwide is powering up for its biggest chapter yet, giving Londoners a thrilling new way to move, think and socialise in 2026.
In each of Activate’s high-energy game rooms, players jump, crawl, dodge lasers, race grids and solve puzzles at speed. The result is a rare combination of physical exertion and cognitive challenge — the same dual-tasking style seen in TV hits like The Traitors, where contestants must solve puzzles under pressure while also taking on physical challenges.
This brain-plus-body blend is more than fun — it’s genuinely beneficial. Fast-paced, goal-driven games trigger dopamine release, elevating mood and motivation. Quick-fire puzzles sharpen focus, memory, logic and reaction times, essentially exercising the “brain muscle.” Combining mental challenge with movement has also been shown to reduce stress and improve emotional resilience. Add to that the social benefits — an uplifting, alcohol-free way to connect — and you have a workout that’s as good for your wellbeing as it is for your fitness.
This is why Activate is being tipped as the new exercise trend for 2026: it’s fun, it’s social, and it makes people feel good. Because you’re playing rather than “working out,” it’s a fitness experience people actually want to return to.
Groups of two to five players choose from a suite of immersive rooms featuring lasers, hoops, grids, portals and light-based challenges. Sessions are designed to be accessible to all fitness levels, with games testing balance, agility, problem-solving and teamwork in equal measure.
Rich Beese, Co-Founder of experiential group We Do Play, said:
“This is fun socialising with both body and mind stimulation – a complete holistic workout! With Activate, we wanted to create an experience that gets people moving, thinking and connecting — all while having the most fun. What began as a Gen Z craze has grown into something everyone wants to try, from families and first-timers to elite gamers and corporate teams. With the rise of mindful movement, dopamine-boosting activities and alcohol-free socialising, Activate uniquely delivers on all of it.”
Three new London venues open before Christmas 2025:
Activate Oxford Street opens 6 December, a short walk from Marble Arch with 11 immersive game rooms covering 11,872 sq ft.
Activate Vauxhall opens 13 December in two refurbished railway arches on Albert Embankment next to Vauxhall Station, featuring 12 rooms across 9,941 sq ft.
Activate Westfield White City opens 20 December, offering 12 immersive rooms in one of London’s busiest retail and leisure destinations, covering 8,012 sq ft.
These join the flagship O2 venue — now the most popular Activate in the world — and build on a record-breaking launch in Newcastle’s Metrocentre this summer. Originally launched in Canada in 2017, Activate now has more than 60 locations across Canada, the US and Dubai.
As new-year fitness resolutions approach, Activate offers something beyond the typical gym class or run around the block: a dual workout that boosts mental and emotional health, a dopamine-rich experience that keeps people motivated, a social option that doesn’t revolve around alcohol, and a play-first model that feels like entertainment rather than effort.
