Always love coming here. The selection has gotten better and better over the years too.

Overpriced with a weak ttrpg selection and they charge $10 a person, per session just to play a D&D game. Total rip. Imagine playing a full campaign doing all the content in a D&D 5e book with your gaming group and you have to pay $10 every session. You end up personally paying hundreds of dollars $$$ just to play the game! Some of these books take 6-12+ months to finish and that's getting together once a week and playing for 4-6 hours with an average size group of players. All of the campaign books are like that some 4 months, some like Dungeon of the Mad Mage people have reported taking an average of 1.5 - 2 years to fully complete! Look at it this way. Say we play a 5e campaign like Icewind Dale that is known to take about 8 months to complete all the content with an average group meeting once a week for 4 hours. You're paying Crazy Squirrel $10 a session x 4 a month = $40 x 8 months = $320 just to do Icewind Dale! Now x $320 by 5 players = $1600 Crazy Squirrel made off you and your gaming group just-to-sit-at-one-of-their-tables! That really is Crazy! Don't support this game shop! They're taking advantage of customers, burning them with this business model of paying to play at their location. Why anyone would is beyond me, it's absurd. Save your money, meet at each others homes or another free public venue, Don't shop there, and most definitely Don't Pay to Play! read more

We go here to buy my BIL's gifts. They have really good selection of things that we can't really find elsewhere locally. They also host tournaments and game events. Super family friendly, love the place! read more

Such great customer service. Very helpful and friendly and was able to find the Pokémon stuff my nephew was looking for.

Their event calendar is false and a joke. I went today in hopes of playing in one of two advertised events--a Weekly Walk-in Pathfinder event where new players (such as myself) were "encouraged to join!" and an Open Wargames event. I drove two hours from Tracy. Upon arrival I found the only Pathfinder game available was a private one that I could not play in (so much for new players being "encouraged to join!"). I waited around a bit, but no one showed up for the Open Wargames event. Depressed and discouraged, I left. Four hours round trip wasted. It's simple--if you're not actually going to have events as advertised, don't advertise them. read more

This is very much a club store and if you are new to things will be very much talked down to. Would not recommend for people new to the scene. Service isn't friendly, the selection is fine. Since the value is more or less the same as Amazon you are better off getting your games off of Amazon or a different shop. read more

Staff is super friendly and informative. Bought my first warhammer 40k set from them. They have lots of awesome games to choose from. Paints, accessories, just awesome random stuff lol. They have tables for people to play games, i saw a couple of people thr getting ready and setting up thr stuff. Definitely going back. An overall good environment as well. read more

It does NOT matter how dumb my question is, these guys always take time to help me. The store is clean and well stocked, it's easy to find things and if you need something they don't have they'll order it. I haven't used the gaming area yet, but I'm hoping as things return to normal that I'll be able to do some game nights here! read more

Crazy Squirrel Game Store - Metallic Dice Games "Unity" dice. - Hobby Shops Near Me - Fresno, California

Very friendly and informative. I'm new to card collecting so I'm sure I asked some common questions and no one was rude or made me feel stupid for asking questions. read more

Very disappointing visit to this web site. I bought a game insert and the shipping was messed up. After talking to them they said they would take care of things. Without even asking me, they said that they canceled my order because the shipping was to expensive. I didn't mind the shipping cost but now it's too late to purchase the other option I had. If you didn't want to sell this to me, you could have just said so. I forgot, refund is missing so I am waiting for that too. read more

I love coming here for DnD games ($5 to play). They have demo game night which is a great way to try a game before buying (also $5). I've always had a good experience coming here! read more

Called in for some help on a online order and spoke with Anthony. He was extremely helpful with assisting me with my online order. No hassle or trouble at all and he did a great job explaining the details of my order. Thank you for your help Anthony. My son will love opening and playing with the new cards!!! A VERY HAPPY Customer read more

My husband and I live an hour away from this store, but if we are going through Fresno, we always make a detour to stop in here. They have a very large selection of board games, role playing games, card games, dice games, pretty much everything available for every level of gamer. There prices are beyond reasonable, often much lower than what you will find online elsewhere. And the store owner (Jennifer) is a total GEM. She will take the time to help you find something in your wheelhouse. During our visit she took the time to show us the newest arrivals, some rare games she had in the back, and even sent us home with some crazy squirrel merch. If you get a chance to meet her, absolutely do. This place is a treasure, and a gamer's paradise. read more

This is my favorite game store! It's a super comfortable place to meet up with friends for DnD, or they have tons of board games you can test out. The staff is always courteous, and will do their best to make sure you get exactly what you're looking for, and even point out things you wouldn't have noticed! Did I mention the snack section? Yeah. They have one of those too, and they're all reasonably priced! read more

Legit one of the best, friendliest game stores I've been to. I live in the San Jose area and always come here whenever I visit my family in Fresno. read more

Likely the best Magic: the Gathering resource in Fresno/Clovis. I took my "needed" list over and they had much of it in-store, not to mention some helpful suggestions. They know their stuff. read more

I stopped in to check out some of their stock and when I had the product I was going to purchase in my hands, I noticed the cards inside were damaged. so I put it back and checked another, because obviously - why would I (or anyone) buy a damaged product. as I was doing this, one of the staff came up to me and said "we don't allow people to check out or touch products before purchasing because of COVID". so I put it back and promptly left. I'm vaccinated, had sanitized as I left my car, but none of that was even considered. this place has entire walls of board games for public game nights and I was reprimanded for swapping a damaged product for a not damaged product "because of COVID". If I can't even look at a product and notice it's damaged without changing my mind and they're going to markup on hotter items over retail price, then I see no reason not to just go to Target or order elsewhere online where neither of those detractors are an issue. I can walk into a corporate chain and choose which of a product I want to buy, heck I can go to the grocery store and pick an apple that isn't bruised and people EAT apples. this was either a completely over the top COVID rule of theirs or they don't want you to pick between two of the same product based off of condition. both are unreasonable and as a store that sells collectibles, you'd think they'd know that. while I am absolutely pro small business and would much rather spend my money on them than contribute to the already gluttonous larger chains, a Target or Best Buy simply offers a better experience than the one I had here. and wouldn't you know it, they're a part of this same pandemic too. read more

What a great game store. It is a store that builds community. Seems like every day there is something going on. It is a great place to meet friends and make brand new ones. The staff goes out of their way to make sure they help me when I come in (kinda feels like Norm from Cheers). I have had an out of town guest tell me how great this store is and how jealous he is. CSG is a wonderful place to go and support. You should try it out for you're self read more

This review is for game night. It's a night where all the board game needs come together and play games!! Its held on Thursday and oh my goodness I had a blast!! Looking forward to coming back and shopping around the store for unique games ;) read more

Crazy Squirrel Game Store - Games - Hobby Shops Near Me - Fresno, California

See all

Crazy Squirrel is a quality store with a clean environment and a very good selection of various games. Any kind of game that requires some kind of real, tactile, component - cards, dice, board, books, minis - can be found here, along with a variety of useful accessories and components to improve your game experience. Shopping here is a great idea. Gaming here, however, has proven less successful for me. I have twice attended demo nights recently - Smash Up and Legend of the Five Rings - and I have to say I do not recommend them in the least. Both events carried an expectation of a purchase (despite being tagged as "free" on social media), were very poorly organized, and came across as unwelcoming on the whole. For the regulars who already know how everything works, who to register with, and where to sit, it's probably fine. If you're new there, not so much. read more

Everything about the store is great. However, what doesn't give them a 5 star is the pricing of their cards. They give you the cheapest amount. I could open a booster pack in front of them pull a card that has value, and they will price it as slightly used. I get that they are in it to turn a profit, but to down grade a card that is mint is ridiculous. read more

I've been to Crazy Squirrel many times since the opened several years back. If you're a nerd and like to be social, it's pretty much unavoidable. There are a lot of things that they do right, and a lot that they do wrong. The good: The store has a huge selection of games, minis, cards, and other nerdy items. They also have a huge open play room with games to play, wifi, and some basic plastic tables/chairs. It's $5 to play at certain times, but they have a lot of free-play times. The employees are always super friendly, and they generally know a lot about the stock. They helped my mother-in-law pick out a game for me one time, and it turned out to become one of my favorites. The clientele can be hit-or-miss during open gaming, but generally we've found really friendly, fun folks to play with and it was a blast. There are those exclusive groups who only come to play amongst themselves (don't you people have homes to play in?) but generally people are really open and inviting. They let you sell your games there on consignment for store credit, or they will give you cash but take a cut for themselves. (UPDATE: Their consignment program is garbage now. See below) They are in an ideal location in that they are right next to two convenience stores and a pizza shop; you could pretty much just hang out there all day and it would be good times. The meh: The biggest "meh" thing that stands out here is the prices; they won't give you a single CENT off MSRP (with the exception of some random, sparse clearance items). What incentive does that give me to shop there? I think they have a program that gives you like 3 bucks off for every $100 you spend; it's really just laughable. Another MEH thing: they seem to update the rules for using their open game room every year or so. Whenever I stop in, I have no idea if I can just walk to the back room and start playing, if I need to buy something first, or pay a fee. Thankfully they are usually pretty easy-going about it and never gave me a hard time if I guessed wrong. The bad: I've had a lot of just plain ol' BAD experiences here as well. The first BAD thing is communication. I've sold around 6 things here on consignment; they say they will contact you when your game is sold, but only once did they actually call me. The rest of the time I only found out when I went into the store, noticed it wasn't on the shelf, asked, and they told me it was sold a month ago. The second BAD communication thing; I asked about ordering a tabletop game expansion to a very common and popular game. They told me they would order it for me and call me when it came in. I got the call about it a full ELEVEN MONTHS LATER. C'mon guys, really? Another BAD experience: me and some friends wanted to try out Role Playing Games. I called and told them that we wanted to try something out, they told me to come a half hour early to create our characters with the Game Master (Dungeon Master?). We got there a half hour early and no one had any idea we were coming. They put us at a table with other newbies, and the Game Master didn't show up for a full hour after we got there. All in all, I'm glad this place exists, and they are just a little rough around the edges. UPDATE: They changed their consignment program to be basically worthless. The amount they will let you keep from the sale of your own games is now so pitifully low that it's not even worth the trip over there. There's also far fewer good games to buy from the consignment rack as well, since they took away most of the incentive for anyone to sell them. I've lowered my review by one star, as they were already teetering on the brink of a 3-star business anyway; it's still great that there is a friendly neighborhood board game store, but they are no longer the only one in town and they don't run their business as well as they should. read more

Thanks for being the place that feeds my board gaming addiction. The staff can help you find anything in any style or genre you prefer. I've enjoyed some of their Let's Play nights, and I'd love other ways to get involved with the in store board game groups. read more

Crazy Squirrel Game Store - Games! - Hobby Shops Near Me - Fresno, California

See all

They have all your basics for tabletop gaming and a few great gems for something a little more niche if you'd like. The guys are so kind and helpful! Always exciting to go check out new merch or to just have a nice evening out. read more

After reading the negative reviews posted about Crazy Squirrel Game Store that I frequent so often and the wonderful people who run it, I decided I would not let them stand unanswered. Scott and Jennifer run a phenomenal game store in Fresno, conveniently located on Bullard Avenue next to the 41 off-ramp. They carry a wide selection of games, including board games of every type, card games (Magic the Gathering, Munchkin, etc.), table-top role playing games (Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder and more), and miniatures for war games. In addition, the store has a customer rewards system that allows you a free game day pass token for every $10.00 that you spend. You are also able to trade this tokens in during their anniversary month (which I believe is October) for store credit. Besides the sheer selection of merchandise, the store has a staff of friendly and knowledgeable employees. Any game store can carry good games, but not all game stores have a staff that are attentive to the needs of the customers or so ready and willing to help. My advice to any gamer who lives around Fresno or who might find themselves stopping by in Fresno: ignore the negative reviews and check out Crazy Squirrel Game Store for yourself to see what a great place it is, and the great people who work there. It is well worth your time and you will be more than pleasantly surprised. read more

I have been here two times in the past few weeks. Once with my girlfriend to buy a few things on one of their Friday Night Magic events, and once by myself to buy a game I was interested in. The first time we went in they had quite a few people in the game room playing, and a fair amount of people on the side where they make the sales. Even though we had a big transaction and it took a while, they never made us feel rushed, and everyone who worked there was extremely friendly. When I went yesterday it was right after they opened and they were just as friendly. They have some good customer loyalty type things, where when you buy a certain dollar amount you get a dice, which can then be exchanged for a larger dice, and then you can trade that in for store credit. I don't remember exactly how it works and I am probably making it sound more complicated than it is, but basically if you spend money at the store you will eventually get some back in store credit. We didn't participate in any of the Magic games they had going on (although I would certainly be interested!), but it seemed like they had a pretty good turnout or a regular friday night event, most of the tables seemed to be pretty full. They also sell some snack food items and beverages, although I don't know if you can take them in to the game room. But its a nice option if you perhaps had to leave work and go straight there to make it in time. All in all this is a pretty nice store, and I hope to frequent it more often. I like that they offer some sort of event multiple times a week, which for the price you pay versus how long it lasts, really seems like a good bargain if you ask me. read more

This store has been a mixed bag of dice for me. On one hand, they are often over-priced, but on the other, no place in town has such a great selection/variety of games available. They have several gaming volunteers who are all great and polite. Workers on the other hand, can range from a four to a ten. They can be polite and definitely are if they either: recognize you, are familiar with a game they know about, or are in a good mood. I have dealt with I believe five of their workers before and two of them definitely fall within this dependent range. The other three have been actually quite helpful so one's experience can differ greatly. (I've been here when the owner Jen, was in a bad mood/not helpful/rude and I've been here when she's happy and has gone out of her way for me as well, so I guess this balances things out? I did not include her in my rating of the workers.) My only other complaint (and I admit this one is more of an opinion thing) is that they seem to abhor business competition. Dirty glances and outright refusal if another store is mentioned. I understand business is business but I feel that fostering the gaming community would benefit everyone as a whole rather than just a single store and its followers. While I am not a fan of the store, I have recommended it to people, taken them here, and spread knowledge about it because of my own belief in wanting to present as many options to as many gamers as possible. read more

After reading a few of the previous reviews, I was a bit wary of heading into Crazy Squirrel. I was concerned that I, as a general consumer and not a hardcore "gamer," might be treated with some prejudice or some of the poor service that other reviews have listed. I was surprisingly pleased by my experience, But before I go on, I would like to address my previous reviewers. Let me be the first to say (as someone who has worked in the service industry for eight years) that people should take reviews with a grain of salt: don't review a human being for their days of mistakes and overwhelming stress. Before you make a comment about poor service, put yourself in that persons shoes: what good does it do them to give you bad service? Isn't it possible that someone made some kind of mistake and they're trying to pick up the mess for you as a consumer to enjoy your experience the most? They're there because they enjoy games, so why would the purposely choose bad service? Give this young business a break, for crying out loud. Let's be less critical, people, and lighten up. With all of that being said... I absolutely loved my experience at Crazy Squirrel. In fact, I am going back later this evening with a friend to pick out a game for us to play. I told one of the service clerks the things I was looking for in a game, and he did his best to recommend a few options. I courteously declined a few of them, and then he did something that I personally think takes a lot of guts to do: he said that he wanted to let someone else help me that was more experienced. Let me tell you... That is TOUGH to do sometimes. But I will always appreciate honesty and a dedication to the best service possible, over someone who is going to waste my time. After I found a few games I liked, I spent a good five minutes laughing and chuckling with the employees over game memories and experiences. I was treated like a long-lost buddy, amongst friends. And I haven't even gotten to the game selection! No store in the world is going to have EVERY game... But the bases of experience were all covered to some degree, and there was always someone who knew the obscure game references I DID make. As far as I'm concerned, this place is the perfect place for someone who loves GAMES to go and visit and explore. As I said before... I was so thrilled, I will be going back later this evening, as well as for every future Fresno gaming purchase I make. read more

I'd like to write an update because crazy squirrel just expanded their store. It's huge, beautiful, has an amazing selection, and their game room (as well as store) are at least double the size they used to be. This is the best place you could ever get any designer board games, card games, etc. read more

As far as game stores go, theirs is top tier. There is a large selection of board games, and accessories. They cater to many types of games including MTG, pokemon, Star Wars, and others. Jesus is the best. He is very chill and helpful. It is clear he knows his business and I would ask for him by name if you have questions about MTG. I think the cards are reasonable priced and the events quality. My challenge, and the reason I don't go to the events is not their fault. It's the players. The smell is real. Luckily I've only noticed it on game nights and big events otherwise it's fine. It's clear the staff keep the store as clean as possible, even if the players do not show the same respect. Also my wife was not enthusiastic about returning because of how a couple players acted around her a year ago. Nothing dangerous, just like they have not spoken to a woman in a while and it was uncomfortable for her. Great for stopping by and looking around. As of now, the events cater to a certain demographic. Try them out a see if its the right community for you. In the meantime, support these small businesses! Help them survive! read more

My previous review said that this place has good selection and options, customer service steadily drove me away. I've been back a few times over the last six months, and there has been improvement, so I am improving my score. I almost didn't update the review just because watching sycophantic reviews roll in to rebut me without any actual useful reviewing put me off, but I think this store deserves a better take. In my previous review I mentioned one of the owners, Jennifer, had not been pleasant to me. Subsequent to that review I have interacted with her a number of times and it has been a cordial and friendly experience; whether this is a change in her or I previously encountered her on bad days, I do not know, but it has been nice. The employees are generally friendly, and I haven't run into any kind of bad treatment since then. I went on Free RPG day, and everyone was friendly and patient with my nieces and nephews and we felt welcome. In terms of stock, the RPG section is getting a little bare, but I think this had more to do with the market shift towards PDFs and Kickstarters than a lack of attention. The board game and card game selections remain robust, and there looks to be a good set of MTG singles - although I still feel reluctant to buy them in light of my previous experience. I don't go to many events at the store, but the schedule looks fairly packed and there are many options. I have attended two Magic prereleases there, and found them to be generally well run and efficient. There is plenty of space to play, it is easy to get snacks, and the people in charge don't play in the tournament while running it, which is a surprisingly uncommon arrangement that I prefer. They can focus on the tournament instead of playing. I have run into a standard variety of problem gamers at these tournaments - the too serious gamer, the one who acts like a jerk when he loses, the one who tells you that your victory was basically an accident, etc. This isn't against the store, but be aware that any public event is going to include these kinds of people - but I have played some pretty nice people, too. Overall, I feel comfortable coming to the store again. The customer service seems much improved, and it remains the best place to find gaming stuff in the greater Fresno area. I remain committed to updating this review as necessary, but it feels like a good place to go. read more

This store is exactly what I was looking for. My 10 y/o son and I recently attended a tournament for a game that we had only been playing about 1 week. There were nearly 60 people in the tournament, and we were both treated both fairly and as though we were welcome. The shop is small, but you can tell that it's a great place. Every employee I've encountered at the shop is extremely helpful and knows a good amount about a wide variety of games. From great solitaire recommendations to fun family games. I WILL be going back. read more

Huge and CLEAN. TWO restrooms. FNM for magic is biggest I've seen. Only negatives are that fnm lasts until 11 to 12am half the time. Also, outside drinks aren't allowed which is the silliest thing in my opinion. Card prices are... Meh. Not competitive but their inventory size is one of the biggest locally. read more

If you are into gaming and live in the Central Valley of CA, this is a great store to go to. Clean, reasonably priced, large variety of board/card/miniature games, and a huge gaming area that is clean and neat. The staff is super friendly and knowledgable. They hold regular game nights and tournaments so call to find out! read more

I love the people who run this store. The Crazy Squirrel is the local Mecca for Role-playing games. So we're talking Dungeons and Dragons type games. They also have a special area for Magic the Gathering. This includes specific rare cards for sale. They also stock plenty of party games. A couple of my favorites are the Great Dalmuti, Cards Against Humanity and uber sets of dominoes. They also have a few specialized items. So if you want to buy metal or cut-gem dice, they have some. They also take special orders to the manufacturer if they happened to run out of you favorite color. They also have a consignment option. Most are used games but they aslo have some very special items behind the counter. Then there is the gaming area. It's huge. They host tournaments of many games and host many open play groups. So, if you are looking for a group that played 5th edition D&D you can find the group on a wall that shows when that group meets. read more

My hubby and I came here on recommendation from a friend. There was some interesting games... We didn't purchase anything on this visit... It was overwhelming as we hadn't heard of any of the games ... Except for one we actually already owned. :). We are gonna do some research and definitely go back once we feel les south of place ;). The staff was super helpful and a tournament or something was going on in the adjoining room. A great place for unique games, for sure. read more

Every time we've been, fun, friendly, and helpful. Our family loves games and they have all the newest and most creative. Supportive of other small businesses too. read more

First time here, asked if they had Magic the Gathering singles for sale. The guy pointed to a paper taped to the display case saying their list is online (the paper had the web address). I asked if they had anything to browse but got no response. I poked around a bit. Inside the case that he pointed to were singles. On top of the case were a few boxes of random stuff. No effort to move the boxes so I could see the cards, even though it was clear I was looking for singles. Worst experience in a local game store made more frustrating by the fact that I drove there in rush hour traffic only to be told to look online and not able to look at the cards clearly in the display case. What a waste of time. read more

This is a super neat store, with lots of niche games. The prices on Amazon are a little lower, but I will ALWAYS spend a few extra dollars to support local because this place does far more for the community than Amazon ever will. Please consider everything a store like this does to enrich the community before you try to save a few dollars shopping online. Tabletop stores like this are rare, and I encourage everybody to check it out. Not only can you get excellent recommendations from the staff, try out some of the games before you buy them, and discover all kinds of awesome games you might've never discovered before, but their game nights are amazing. Check out their calendar and show up to one of their events. You'll make so many friends, learn some fun new games, and help support and enrich the community. read more

This is a pretty nice gaming store, super spacious. I just stopped on by and didn't game with anyone so I can't comment on the culture of the groups that game here, but a lot is definitely going on here. Just take a look at their big calendar on the wall. read more