TWO men playing a game with a toy gun and a balaclava have sparked a police siege on the Gold Coast.

Police in bullet-proof vests swarmed on busy Wardoo St after frightened members of the public saw the men outside a house, the Courier-Mail reports.

Officers formed a cordon around the house after the men went inside, and ordered them to surrender.

The sheepish men emerged with what turned out to be "a realistic looking plastic shotgun", Gold Coast police district duty officer Brendan Wiblen said.

The men, aged 18 and 20, were taken to Southport police station and are expected to be charged later today.

"If individuals are playing games which cause fear to other members of the public, then police will take it very seriously," Acting Senior-Sergeant Wiblen said.

"They can expect to be prosecuted."

Originally published as Men with toy guns spark police siege