UK retailer GAME to close remainder of its standalone stores after entering administration

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GAME, a UK video game retailer, has announced it will be closing all of its remaining stores after going into administration.

I remember when this retailer first started back in 1990! It was sad to see them get bought out by Frasers Group in 2019, but honestly, I’ve actually seen them pop up in a lot more places since then. They’ve opened up shops within Sports Direct and House of Fraser, which is convenient, but they’ve sadly closed down most of their own separate stores. It’s a bit different now, but they’re still around, which is good!

To reduce expenses, the company is closing its final three stand-alone stores, and managing director Nick Arran is stepping down, The Game Business reports.

This announcement follows the company’s recent notification that it planned to enter administration due to ongoing financial difficulties since being acquired.

GAME once had over 600 stores throughout the UK, reaching its height around 2010. However, after facing financial difficulties and briefly going into administration in 2012, the company has been gradually shrinking.

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So, things were really tough for the company, and by 2019, about 300 stores had already shut down. Then Frasers Group bought them for just over £51 million. After that, most of the remaining stores closed as their leases ran out. Instead of keeping the big stores open, Frasers started opening smaller shops inside their other stores, like concessions. It was a pretty big shift in how they did business.

In 2024, the company stopped accepting game trade-ins and selling used games. Many people saw this as a sign they were moving away from gaming and focusing more on toys, but former Managing Director Arran dismissed this idea in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, stating that GAME would remain the primary retailer for physical video games.

Although GAME stores are closing as a separate brand – and many will miss them – the company will still operate within other stores and continue selling games online, so business will continue as normal.

Even though GAME’s physical stores aren’t doing well, the company still has a strong online gaming customer base. This is largely because they offer exclusive products like special collector’s editions and rewards for pre-ordering games.

Authors

Alex RaisbeckGaming writer

Alex Raisbeck writes about video games for TopMob, covering both major releases and smaller independent titles. He’s also contributed to well-known gaming publications like VideoGamer, GamesRadar+, PC Gamer, and PCGamesN.

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2026-02-02 20:44