I really like this place. A nice bunch of people work here. The sealed cards are always priced fairly. There is a lot of area to play games and the normal tables are all covered with large playmats. Pokemon: Monday night pokemon is very relaxed and there are a fair number of kids for my kid to battle and trade with. The games I've played have been fun. The people have been friendly and helpful. Currently every Monday except the last monday of the month is free. You can get up to 2 prize packs per month; 1 per 4 games played. The last monday is $5; you get 1 prize pack and if you place well you get more packs. read more

Mad props for not scalping customers on pokemon tcg. Shoutout to Austin for 5/5 stars customer service. I was greeted warmly and was helped with friendly service. read more

I frequent At Ease Games to participate in Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons events. The shop has become a central hub for me to meet new people and foster a welcoming community for social gaming. I regularly introduce new participants to both games, encouraging a broader and more engaged player base. For Dungeons & Dragons, I often seek guidance from Rubin, a staff member, whose advice has consistently helped me improve my gameplay. In the realm of Magic: The Gathering, particularly Commander format, my playgroup regularly consults Mike for strategic insights and deck optimization. We've even made special trips to the store specifically to play against him. Many of my military-affiliated friends--who make up a notable portion of the local Magic community--appreciate that Mike is also a veteran Marine, creating an added layer of camaraderie and trust. Personally, I've always found Mike to be forthright and exceptionally knowledgeable. He is a key reason why my friends and I attend Commander Night on Tuesdays; his expertise and willingness to help players refine their decks by identifying the most synergistic card choices is invaluable. I also proudly support At Ease Games as a Patreon member, which grants me access to special events. This system helps foster a dedicated and respectful community, and I've had numerous positive experiences because of it. At Ease Games is a cornerstone of the local gaming scene. Should the shop ever close, it would be a genuine loss to the community--a deeply felt absence for many of us who have come to rely on it as a space for connection, growth, and play. read more

See all

Simply the best hobby shop in San Diego. With an owner and staff who truly cares for gamers and their hobbies. They have create a safe atmosphere to game where games and hobby take center stage. With a selection games, miniatures, card games like Magic or DnD that is unmatched in San Diego. Whether you're a veteran gamer or just starting to get your feet in this wonderful world regardless of age young or old - this is the place to start. read more

I had a great experience at At Ease Games. My friends and I had reserved a room to play D&D, and there ended up being a small mix-up with the reservation. Julie (I hope I got your name right!) immediately stepped in and took amazing care of us. Even on a busy, rainy day, she went above and beyond to make sure we still had a place to play and felt completely supported. Her customer service was excellent, and we really appreciated how smoothly she handled everything. All the other staff members were just as amazing and accommodated us. Thank you again for making our day. We'll definitely be coming back! read more

Shouldn't need to pay to play Warhammer. This isn't a tournament. It's just any time they charge for table use. They will never get any of my money ever again. read more

Good selection of board games, RPGs, miniatures, and MTG cards. A good place to buy singles (though you have to browse in person, nothing's online). The backroom is nice for playing Commander. But you can't just show up to play boardgames with friends anymore because they charge for table space. read more

This place has many great communities that gather here. Pick a game and join and everyone will gladly welcome you. It's the kind of space that anyone can jump in a join. Many stars! read more

At Ease is one of the best LGS's in the greater San Diego area. They have a great selection in Dice, MTG, Warhammer, Board Games, pretty much anything you can think of. Most week nights they also have various types of game nights; whether that's D&D, Pokémon, etc. If you're ever in the area or need a new LGS, At Ease is the one! read more

One of the best gaming spots in San Diego. The people working are friendly and helpful, and the prices are always reasonable Would recommend to anyone read more

This shop has a great selection and friendly, knowledgeable staff. Fun back room for gaming added to the sense that this was truly a game store run by people who love gaming. And high ceilings and good ventilation meant it didn't have that game shop smell! I hear they're moving to an even larger location in December, so looking forward to revisiting. read more

A massive gaming store that doesn't have an equal as far in stock gaming merchandise. The items they have on hand is just mind boggling. You would be hard pressed to find the majority of the items they sell here anywhere else in San Diego. Not that other gaming store couldn't special order it for you. It's just crazy seeing it in one location. The store is wall to wall gaming goodness. Board games, role playing accessories~ Dungeons & Dragons, Path Finder and Starfinder to name a few, Magic The Gathering cards (singles and unopened packs), miniatures (pre-painted and unpainted), paints, miniature terrain, dice. You get the picture. A huge showroom as well as an equally large room filled with long tables and folding chairs for actual gameplay. For a person who is into board games and role playing games. This store is just amazing. I will definitely be back. Support local businesses especially the good ones. At Ease Games is just awesome. If your in the area. Check them out. read more

A couple of weeks ago, I visited a store in San Diego. The store itself was impressive, with great variety and organization. However, one of the staff members was rude. I purchased a card under $10 and asked for a toploader, but one staff member told his coworker not to give me one because my purchase wasn't expensive enough. He said toploaders were reserved for high-ticket items. read more

Great store and cool new items to check out each time you're in the store!! Ron, the owner and the whole staff are super welcoming! Highly recommend for anyone looking for Dungeons & Dragons or tabletop or playing games! read more

Great products. Even greater service. I really enjoyed the environment and set up of the store. The gentleman at the counter was awesome and really knew his Magic. Very impressive place. read more

Nice large place, huge selection of games and more, nice people. No pressure to purchase, relaxed atmosphere, I was able to browse for a long time before I made my purchase. My new favorite gamming store! read more

I found this shop from dndbeyond. My first time here and I can't believe l've be been to this plaza many times and didn't even realize this was here. I'm very happy I dropped by. I found out they are open until 11pm so I stopped by around 9pm. The staff were really helpful and answered all my newbie questions. I've been trying to get back into DnD, and they informed me they have game nights every Wednesday where you can join groups for guarantied group join-ins. The price is $2 to get in a group with a dedicated DM. They have an enormous selection of games/miniatures/supplies/table space. Free Wi-Fi for guests while there, which will help a lot if you use your tablet/laptop for online character sheet use. Parking is really easy, and I'm looking forward to coming back. read more

At Ease Games - Entrance - Hobby Shops Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Terrible customer service and limited selection of board games, worse than Target. I purchased 2 board games as gifts. I looked to exchange one of the games, unopened, on the morning of day 15. I was told that because I missed the 14 day window (by 2 operating hours) that there was no exception going to be made. That they post signs for a reason... Thank you for being a drain on the small table top game community in San Diego. Table top gamers are far better off going to a big box store than this local store who doesn't support their community. read more

I ordered some items from their ebay store "ateasegamessd", not for the first time. However, on this order they never shipped the items, and then denied my cancellation request. I'm not sure if this is a way for them to dodge negative Ebay feedback, but it sure is a waste of my time. read more

Extremely rude store that lies. One should never go to this store. Not only is the staff rude, the products are a rip off. Please find something better to do with your time. There are better options for entertainment read more

My husband became so gleeful when he found this place not far from our house. It's now a regular stop for us on the weekends and for him on weekdays. They have a huge selection of games and figurines. All the nerdy things you'd ever need in your life. They also offer a military discount! I recommend to stop in! read more

Lovely store. Large and well stocked. Eceryone is very courteous and helpful. The gaming area is extensive and well suited to gaming shenanigans. I will come back when I am in the area. read more

See all

LORDY LORD I love this place. The employees are friendly, knowledgeable and willing to give recommendations. The store is clean and well organized. They have a great selection of board games and card. It's my favorite board game store in San Diego! read more

At Ease Games - Outside - Hobby Shops Near Me - San Diego, California

The San Diego Go Club has been meeting at "At Ease.." for more than two years on Thursdays from 7-11 p.m. Over 20-Go players come every week with strengths from beginner to 7-dan. Free lessons for Go beginners. The staff is accommodating and courteous. Bathrooms are clean. Go boards and stones are for sale on-site. SDGC will host the King Cup - California State Go Championship on Saturday and Sunday, November 26 & 27, 2022. Over $1,000 in prizes with the winner getting at least $400. read more

Knowledgable and friendly staff. Large gaming area in the back. Extensive supply of Vallejo and GW paints and accessories. Lots of Warhammer, D&D and other games. I've shopped here quite a bit and I'm always happy. Highly recommend them! read more

I love this place! The employees are extremely nice and are very willing to help you find anything you need. There is a large selection of games, cards, figurines and many other things for sale here. The place is large especially in the back where all the tournaments and game playing takes place. Great place to find gifts for friends who enjoy a good board game or just to sit down for a few hours and try out some of their demo games they have for free play. A great way to test out and see what type of board games you enjoy to play. The best part, all you need is an ID for them to keep while you play for FREE!!! I actually don't join tournaments so I can't say how this place differs from other places in that matter, but I have friends who do, and I only hear good things about At Ease Games. read more

See all

A great ambience to play some leisurely games over a pint or two! They have a fair few games to choose from but naturally, the popular ones were in use! A bit of googling and we played a few card games. The hubby got hungry; lo and behold, you can uber eats to this location and eat whilst playing! The bartender gets a bonus from the way he brought out additional tasters based on how we were reacting to the tasters we chose. He didn't push for payments either; super chilled! We ended the night with a game of foosball! Highly recommend this establishment for a relaxing night out! read more

At Ease Games - Range of beer - Hobby Shops Near Me - San Diego, California

I'm not sure if this is more of a review for At Ease or Barrel Harbor... I suppose for all intents and purposes they are one and the same. I love coming here with my friends to play games and drink beer! So far we've come here to play DND, kingdom death and kill team. It's really nice that you can borrow boxes of terrain for your games. It's such a nice inviting place and everyone that works there is super cool as are the patrons--On many occasions we've asked other people playing about the games that they are playing or for help on the game that we are new at and everyone has always been very kind. It's a great place to spread out with your friends. There is no charge for tables as they are on a first come first serve basis, but you can reserve them I think for $10 if you want to make sure that you have space. There is also no drink minimum or anything like that, but you should definitely buy some drinks or go buy some stuff in the shop to keep this place in business! I've never played anything on the shop side, I think they mostly play magic in there, but I could be wrong. Anyway, love love love this place if you can't tell already! If I could give it more than five stars, I would. read more

See all

Just after moving to San Diego I was looking for a good local board game store to get some supplies for DnD. I was amazed at the great selection of this store, and then they showed me the hallway of minis and my jaw dropped. They had every mini you could think of and I was able to get one for each member of my party! The staff was super nice and super knowledgeable and passionate. I now look for excuses to be in the area just so I can stop by and shop around some more! read more

The location here is settled in the very back of a spacious parking lot, across the street from a military base and what looks like its golfing range. I showed up, primed with questions in regards to future purchases, events and tournaments, etc. as well as selling my nephew's playing cards (as he's amassed an extensive collection and owns duplicates many times over). I never received a chance to discuss any of this with the two clerks because I was promptly shooed away to another location. I was stunned. How in the world does this place stay in business if this how they treat people? I would like to make purchases, hopefully have some cards sold, or at least gain a professional opinion on pricing. I wasn't offered any other assistance except for the fact that there are other available stores. I'm not the one that is knowledgeable on these things, hence why I'm not the one behind the counter. It was shocking and very unprofessional. read more

Board game and other table top game shops are essentially new again to me as I had a long hiatus from boardgames and other non-video game types of entertainment. That being said, I've been visiting this store almost weekly for the past year or two even back when they were split with Barrel Harbor. My small group of friends that play tabletops and boardgames meetup, playing one or two games depending on our schedules. We sometimes pick up new games or expansions as well if something new does arrive while playing. It's super quiet in the store during the week in the morning, but towards the evening, there are tournaments, so expect somewhat of a crowd. Sometimes they even demo new games that are expected to be popular. The variety of games and miniatures for sale is legit. For example, they have TCGs & LCGs like Pokemon, Magic the Gathering, Star Wars, and Marvel. For the TCGs... looking for a specific card? They may have it in their large assortment. Looking to sell a card? They'll give you fair pricing. At Ease has entry level board games like Sushi Go, multiple versions of Catan, Ticket to Ride, and anything else you can find at Barnes & Nobles these days. They also have tons of Dungeons and Dragons products ranging from the manuals, to dice, to miniatures. They have other miniature games like Warhammer, A Song of Ice & Fire, and Star Wars miniatures. At Ease also carries games you may not have heard of such as Cosmic Encounter, Bunny Kingdom, or Dice Throne. Basically, they have almost everything that's currently available. If you knew the old version of At Ease, the front of the store was all of their products for sale, and towards the middle and back of the shop, there was enough space to have huge tournaments for TCGs like Pokemon, MTG, or Keyforge. Despite the change in layout, the gaming area is still spacious, but further in back, which feels a bit isolated from their sales floor, which also dampens the sound a bit if you're there only to shop, making shopping a little more quiet. As for the staff, I couldn't ask for a better team of enthusiasts running the show there. The three I always run into are Ron, Hadrian, or Kevin. They know their stuff, but they're also not "holier than thou" as some "nerdy" store employees and owners can be. You know, the ones that give you a backhanded compliment if you like a game that they don't. The team here won't do that. Also if you have questions on rules while you're playing, 9 times out of 10, any of these three can help you out! TLDR: Go here for your table top fix to play and/or buy games in San Diego! read more

My go to place for trading cards and board games. Staff is always super friendly. Steve is very helpful and the owner is great about keeping everyone informed. read more

I have been coming here for well over a year, my friends and I make several purchases when I'm here (and even get gifts and stuff for my s/o), and I'm generally polite and don't SCREAM my conversations. I tend to live and let live. Sometimes the surrounding gamers can be obnoxiously loud, but that's to be expected. That being said, it's still difficult to hear each other when we game here but we generally like the environment. So today, on top of the vast amounts of noise, the "boss" apparently insisted on B L A S T I N G music RIGHT next to us. I was told that "the boss" is the owner. When we asked, they turned it down a bit.. but again, it was RIGHT NEXT TO US. I couldn't hear anything, could barely concentrate, it was SO ANNOYING. WHY OH WHY would someone BLAST music in a dialogue based gaming environment? We had to keep repeating ourselves, no one could focus, I eventually got a migraine. It was chaos and SO annoying. I don't know if we will be coming back. read more

It's always a joy walking into this place. The customer service is friendly and the selection is pretty great. It may look kinda small from the photos but I've spent more than I'd like to admit here because they have a lot of games and accessories that I've wanted. read more

The best place to gather with D&D table games, groups, meet ups. Great place $10 holds table. You order your Dominos and it's an easy game night with your friends that won't mess up your home and you can have plenty of room, use their D&D sets. read more

Great welcoming place for gaming and tournaments. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable and if they don't have it they are good at getting it to you in a few days read more

The selection is ok, but not very deep. If you need the latest hot thing they usualy have it. If you ask for anything they dont have you wont get any help ordering it. Most of the staff are immature gamers wirking for store credit I assume. The gaming area has become very uncomfortable with too many tables jammed into the space. There reservation system is a joke. Gamers are routinely booted off of tables mid game because the kid running the shop that day forgot to put up the reserved signs. Better selection, prices, and gaming areas can be had eleswhere. read more

This is the motherload for table top gaming in my opinion. It's very spacious so there's plenty of room to play a variety of games. I've played D&D there a few times and have never had any issues finding a spot or what have you. There's a spot next door to get a beer and they have a food truck out back sometimes (although I have never had anything from there, my friends who have eaten are very happy). Great supply of comics, paints, figures and whatever you need. A bit of a drive but, well worth it in the end. read more

Im not really into leaving bad reviews but this place just deserves it. I drive my family up last Saturday to check the place out as ive heard good things. So we go in the guy at the counter is on the phone, doesnt acknowledge us in any way but hes on a call so its cool. We look around for a bit for what im looking for, cant find it...dudes still on the phone so i stand there in front of him so i can ask him afterwards. The guy finishes, hangs up the phone then straight turns around away from me and starts doing something else. I have to say excuse me two times to get his attention. I ask him, they dont have it.. he could careless and he turns away. End of story, end of visit. This place might look cool but the typical cool guy crap and his lame grey beanie is played out. Lame!!! read more

Reason for my Score: Back when I visited stores like this, would have gave it a 5, however my gaming days are long behind me. That being said, once a geek, always a geek. a 3, maybe a 4. There is something about getting your gaming comrades together and diving into a table top game. Sure, its just plastic and pewter pieces, representations of soldiers that fell in both historial and fantastical wars, but there is more to it then that. It is, the geeks version of jocks getting together and watching / playing sports. I am not knocking this store, just looking at this store and stores like it with nostalgia lens. Did you and your friends play games of Magic the Gathering during lunch break at school, while the other kids were wondering what the heck the art work on the cards were. Did you ever read a fantasy novel, only to have someone ask if it was Star Wars and you had to bite your tongue before you lectured them that Sci Fi and Fantasy are 2 different genres? I use to play Axis and Allies, and Flames of War in stores like this. People you knew nothing about, other then they sat opposite you and rolled the same 20 sided dice, eventually became friends. The coolness of stores like this, is the friends you make, no really. I cannot afford to invest in gaming anymore, the books, the paints, the figures and then finding room for them. Ah, what it is to play games and not really worry about much. A funny story, gamers will appreciate. Back in high school, there was a popular game called Mage Knight, a fantasy war minatures game. Well, one of the other students in my English class must have played it, because when he made his diarahma for his book report, he used some mage knight pieces to recreate a scene from the fantasy novel he read. One of the girls in class saw it and she said "oh, thats weird, I wonder what that is" and the guy sitting next to her said "Some star wars stuff". I just rolled my eyes. Review of the reviews. Gaming and the gaming culture, well, its a niche thing, it really is not for everyone, in the same way Monty Python is niche even among comedy fans. Not everyone is going to get it or appreciate it. Do not let the art work on the walls offend you, large posters of warlocks and witches, in various costumes is just normal for gamers (kind of their version of Football players and cheerleaders, to use jock speech). read more