Oklahoma City broke ground on Continental Coliseum — the new OKC Thunder arena — on March 26, 2026. The $900 million downtown building is projected to open in mid-2028 for the 2028-29 season. Until then, the Thunder keep playing at Paycom Center, directly across the street from the construction site.
If you just searched "new OKC Thunder arena" because you're planning a game trip, here's the short version: the arena you'll walk into for the next two seasons is still Paycom Center. Continental Coliseum is the future home rising across the street, and it won't host a game until 2028.
That matters for one practical reason. Whether you're coming for a Thunder game in 2026 or a game in the new building in 2028, you're headed to the same downtown blocks — and downtown hotel rates spike hard on game weekends. This guide covers what's confirmed about the arena, and where fans actually stay when Paycom is packed.
Downtown hotel prices climb as game day approaches — and playoff weekends sell out early. Booking a furnished home well ahead of your dates is the reliable way to avoid surge pricing near the arena.
What Is Continental Coliseum, and What Just Happened?
Continental Coliseum is the name of the Thunder's new downtown arena, confirmed when Continental Resources purchased the naming rights on March 24, 2026, in a 15-year partnership. Two days later, on March 26, 2026, the city held the official groundbreaking.
The project has been years in the making. OKC voters approved the new arena on December 12, 2023, with 71% approval. The building will replace Paycom Center as the Thunder's home once it opens.
The design and construction teams are locked in. MANICA Architecture was selected on October 22, 2024, and the contractor team of Mortenson and Flintco was chosen on March 11, 2025. According to Visit OKC, the finished building will span more than 750,000 square feet with a 360-degree glass curtain wall, an elevated main entrance, and a "Thunder Alley" fan zone.
Where Is the New Thunder Arena Being Built?
Continental Coliseum is going up on the former Cox Convention Center and Prairie Surf Studios block in downtown OKC — directly across from Paycom Center. That's a critical detail for anyone planning a trip: the current arena and the future arena sit on the same downtown footprint, steps from Bricktown.
So a place that puts you walking distance from Paycom Center today will put you walking distance from Continental Coliseum in 2028. Nothing about your lodging math changes when the Thunder move across the street — the downtown core stays the destination.
How Is the $900 Million Arena Funded?
The $900 million cost is split across three sources, none of which raises your ticket price directly. Here's the breakdown as confirmed by the city and the project's public records.
| Source | Amount |
|---|---|
| 72-month one-cent special sales tax | Minimum $772 million |
| MAPS 4 | $78 million |
| Thunder ownership entity (PBCS&E) | $50 million |
| Total project cost | ~$900 million |
The bulk comes from the one-cent special sales tax voters approved, which runs for 72 months. The MAPS 4 contribution and the ownership group's investment round out the funding.
Timeline: From Vote to Opening Night
The arena moved from ballot to groundbreaking in a little over two years, and it's tracking toward a 2028 opening. Here's the confirmed sequence.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Dec 12, 2023 | OKC voters approve the arena (71% approval) |
| Oct 22, 2024 | MANICA Architecture selected as designer |
| Mar 11, 2025 | Mortenson & Flintco selected as contractors |
| Mar 24, 2026 | Continental Resources buys naming rights (15-year deal) |
| Mar 26, 2026 | Official groundbreaking |
| Mid-2028 (Visit OKC: "late summer 2028") | Projected opening, ahead of 2028-29 season |
Old Arena vs. New Arena: What Changes for Fans
The single most important fact for trip-planning is this: you're still going to Paycom Center for every Thunder game through the 2027-28 season. Continental Coliseum doesn't open until 2028. Here's how the two compare for a visiting fan.
| Detail | Paycom Center (now–2028) | Continental Coliseum (2028+) |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Current Thunder home | Under construction |
| Location | Downtown OKC, edge of Bricktown | Directly across the street |
| Size | Existing NBA arena | 750,000+ sq ft |
| Features | Established concourses | 360° glass curtain wall, Thunder Alley fan zone |
| Best nearby stay | Bricktown-adjacent homes | Same Bricktown-adjacent homes |
What This Means If You're Planning a Thunder Trip
Whether your game is this season at Paycom Center or a future one at Continental Coliseum, the smart lodging play is the same downtown-adjacent stay — and booking a furnished home usually beats downtown hotel surge pricing on game and playoff weekends.
Downtown OKC hotels near the arena raise rates aggressively when the Thunder are home, and they climb further for weekend and playoff games. A group splitting a furnished home a short drive or rideshare from the arena often lands a lower per-person cost with a full kitchen, laundry, and beds for everyone instead of cramming into two hotel rooms.
Our Bricktown-adjacent homes put fans close to both the current arena and the rising Continental Coliseum site. With 4.8 stars across 1,247 verified guest reviews on Airbnb, and up to 35% off when you book direct on 4+ night stays, a game-weekend home is a straightforward way to skip the hotel surge.
Coming to OKC for a Thunder game? Book a Bricktown-adjacent home direct and skip downtown hotel surge pricing — check availability for your game dates.
A hypothetical game-weekend cost example
Say four friends come in for a Friday–Sunday Thunder weekend (two nights). Two downtown hotel rooms at a game-weekend rate of roughly $220/night each runs about $880 for two nights before taxes and parking — and that's four people in two rooms with no kitchen.
A furnished home from our published from-rates (starting around $165/night, hedged higher for a larger home) at, say, $265/night for two nights is about $530 — split four ways, that's roughly $133 per person, with a full kitchen, laundry, and a place to gather after the game. This is a hypothetical to show the math; your actual rate depends on the home, the dates, and how far ahead you book.
The savings usually grow on longer stays. Direct-booking discounts of up to 35% apply on stays of 4+ nights, so a playoff run or a multi-game trip stretches the gap further. Compare that against watching hotel rates climb every day closer to tip-off.
Where Downtown-Adjacent Homes Sit Relative to the Arena
OKC's downtown core is compact, so "near the arena" covers a lot of good options. Bricktown sits at the arena's doorstep, and several of our homes put you a short rideshare or drive from the Paycom Center / Continental Coliseum block, near the Paseo and Plaza districts and other walkable neighborhoods.
You get the game-night proximity without paying the premium charged by hotels sitting literally on the arena block. For groups, families, or fans staying multiple nights, that trade almost always favors a home. Browse our furnished OKC homes or, if you're rolling deep for a playoff push, our large-group rentals.
How to Book a Thunder Game-Weekend Home, Step by Step
- Confirm your game date and how many nights — including any pre- or post-game nights you want.
- Count your group so you can match a home that sleeps everyone comfortably.
- Compare the per-person cost against two-plus downtown hotel rooms on the same dates.
- Book direct early at bnbokc.com/book-direct to lock the rate before it climbs toward game day.
- Call or text (405) 295-5052 with questions about parking, arena distance, or availability.
How OKC's Arena Boom Connects to Your Stay
The Continental Coliseum groundbreaking is part of a broader downtown building wave that's also reshaping how OKC handles visitors and short-term rentals. If you're planning ahead — or you host in the metro — a few nearby stories are worth knowing.
OKC has tightened its rules for short-term stays; see our guide to OKC short-term rental rules and the recent OKC Airbnb enforcement crackdown. Neighboring Norman has its own short-term rental license and a hotel tax increase that affect what visitors pay. And the metro's other big 2026 draw, the Route 66 Centennial in OKC, will pull travel demand the same way marquee games do.
When You Don't Need a Furnished Home
If you're a solo traveler in town for a single weeknight game and you collect hotel points, a downtown hotel room may be the simpler call — one night, one person, loyalty perks. There's no reason to book a whole home for that.
Where a furnished home genuinely changes the outcome is groups, families, and multi-night trips: four or more people, anyone bringing a dog, playoff runs, or a stay of several nights where hotel rooms multiply fast and a kitchen and laundry start to matter. That's the math where booking direct wins.
Terms You'll Hear, Decoded
- Continental Coliseum — the name of the Thunder's new downtown arena, after Continental Resources bought the naming rights in March 2026.
- Paycom Center — the Thunder's current home, hosting every game through the 2027-28 season, directly across from the new site.
- MAPS 4 — the OKC voter-approved capital program contributing $78 million to the arena.
- Book direct — reserving straight through the operator (up to 35% off on 4+ night stays here) instead of a third-party platform.
Your Next Steps
- Confirm your Thunder game date and nights — remember every game through 2028 is at Paycom Center, not Continental Coliseum.
- Count your group and compare a furnished home's per-person cost against downtown hotel rooms on the same dates.
- Book direct at bnbokc.com/book-direct or call/text (405) 295-5052 to lock a Bricktown-adjacent home before game-weekend rates climb.