Stopped here to buy my nephew pokemon cards for his bday, and figured it would be a quick transaction but was happily surprised with the customer service. The employee helped make recommendations, but also provided us wrapping paper and themed stickers. It was the employee's idea to put the stickers on the wrapping paper and I think it came out so cute! Thank you Game Empire! read more

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This is one of the few shops in my area who don't seem to appreciate customers that come in and you can tell by the way they talk to you. I recently went in and for things like Pokemon they're selling Prismatic SPCs for over $400 and packs of Perfect Order and Chaos Rising for $12. Scalper charge less. Overpriced. read more

Thank you to Corey for the suggestions, we are so excited to start our new games! We came in here looking for good two player games and solo rpg games. The selection is decent, though a little limited. They seemed to be out of some things but that's okay. We started browsing looking at simple games. Corey asked if he could help and we told him what we were looking for. He said the one we were holding, Rebel Princess, was really fun and he had played it himself. we decided to snag that. He then recommended us Forest Shuffle as a fun game for us too, little does he know that animals like bugs and birds are my entire personality. Such a good read on his part. We loved the game he pitched and took that as well. He showed us around the shop and where to find some amazing used and vintage books (very cool little selection) and where everything else is located. He also suggested me a solo rpg which I will be coming to get! Super thankful for the nice staff and amazing store! read more

The first time I ever felt the need to write a review. Overall a very frustrating experience. First it smelt like a hot locker room in the summer. Second their selection of Pokemon cards was very small and at a substantial above even TCG markup, with the majority of their product being in well played condition. Third the AM was more worried about standing at the register than helping the 6 customers looking to see product. Fourth the older lady was more concerned with talking to her regular than helping customers. Overall a huge waste of time in terms of product and service. TLDR: Service 0/10, CRAZY overpriced, felt like I needed a shower after leaving. read more

Hero clix. HERO CLIX. Let me say again...... HERO CLIX is still alive & well. OMG!!!! If you like hero's/villain's/anti's then you need to get into this. Has all them. It's a super fun past time activity. Play it with your son or daughter. The service was great. They explained the new items and let me take my time on it. Which o got a ton!!! I lost all my old ones in a fire in 07. They had a great choice of hero clix. I almost got all of them. Maybe 4/5 items achieved. Cost a lot but so so worth it. I love heels and villain. I play city of heroes as well. They still had pokemon cards old old cards and new ones too. There was even magic being played while I was there. So so fun!! read more

Awesome TCG shop! I stopped in looking for vintage Pokémon cards and was pleasantly surprised by both the selection and the prices. I ended up hanging out for quite a while just browsing through everything. The lady who was helping with the Pokémon cards was absolutely awesome. Super friendly, knowledgeable, and happy to answer questions without any pressure. Great experience all around, and I'll definitely be back for more vintage pickups! read more

Staff is friendly. Their specialty is boardgames and Pokemon, but their tabletop and miniatures selection has always been good. And they've got regular MTG and 5cent lands where you can go through them any time you want. If you want a table get there early before the war gamers claim them all. read more

customer service here is aaaabbbsolutely wild. this is one of those businesses that feels like they hate their customers and I'm so glad others posted about it on Yelp because I thought it was just me or maybe because im not "one of their boys". TLDR: Customer service is truly abysmal and makes it hard to support small independent businesses. The ambiance of the store is OK. Flourescent lights, feels kinda like an office, but selection is great and their website seems to have lots of fun events--they've got tons of stuff and in general, I love supporting the board game community! It's just that the staff here don't make it feel like one. If you're not a regular, there's a good chance the staff will be cold and you will leave feeling a little miffed. --- My story, for their owner, who likely doesnt care and will likely never read this: I visited your store from out of town on a Saturday evening at 6:50PM, and you were closing early that day at 7PM. I was rushing to buy a specific game that wasnt in stock in most of the San Diego area. I called in advance to reserve the item but when I arrived, your staff turned me away. I know its annoying to be the last customer of the day, but I was still there before their closing time at 7PM for a quick pick up, and usually, you close much later! I apologized sincerely for being a customer at the end of the day but technically, there was still 10 minutes left and there was no way of knowing you'd be closing early (your staff could have mentioned it on the phone when I called). And, to top it off, there were still two other customers in the store! As I stepped into the store, 5 steps in, I was met with a "no" and an almost snarky smile, and in my desperation, I plead and even offered to bribe the cashier with an extra $20 JUST to let me purchase the game I called in advance for and while you were still technically open. It was embarassing at this point and crazy of me to offer on top of the $50 game, but I was getting desperate. The cashier did not care at all, and his coworker looked hesitant and like he felt sorry, but didn't offer any solutions. I gave up and started walking out, and only until I realized I had cash did they begrudgingly allow my purchase. So at the end of the day, I got what I needed, but it was certainly a needlessly challenging experience. I try to support small businesses instead of Amazon and actively go out of my way to do so even at the cost of my own inconvenience, so who turns customers away for a 30 second transaction? Your customers and the surrounding community would benefit from a business that appreciates ALL their customers, not just their regular bros. read more

BEWARE! Came into the store and shocked to find that they sell Pokemon and MTG sealed boxes at scalper prices.

I was in town for work and stopped by for a Star Wars Unlimited local night. Entry to play was super cheap at $5 and the store is huge and has a great selection. The player community there is fantastic and the owner and staff are helpful and friendly. Really had a great time and felt welcomed despite being an outsider. I'll be back to play in the future any time I'm passing through. Highly recommend checking it out! Seeya at Galactics guys! read more

Awesome staff. Awesome selection for your gaming needs. Collectibles and supplies as well. Perfect in every way.

The space is amazing, a relaxing place that allows you to play some board games with friends.

I LOVE this game store - John and Cliff are super cool guys both - knowledgeable and easy to engage. This has been my game store since I was a kid, and it always will be - STRONGLY recommend. Also - they have the worlds best bits bin. read more

Great customer service from the team, bit pricey for pokemon sealed products especially booster bundles and packs. Incredible value in the singles, they've got some really cool slabs as well. Overall great place, will definitely be coming back for singles and graded slabs. read more

I called ahead to make sure they are dog friendly as yelp says and the owner confirmed on the phone. Today I was told my dog is not allowed. I already signed up and paid. The first time I came here the owner had a dog running around and peering on the floor and harassing customers. Now my well trained golden retriever is not allowed! I'm a DP under the ADA. Appalling. Garbage owner will not come back. And yes he is trained to alert. read more

SHAWNA ROCKS! If you need to know about Pokémon cards she has got you! Thank you! read more

Game Empire is another gaming store that is good but that could be so much better with just a little bit of planning and creative organization. They've got a loyal following and they heavily stock up on collectible games, board games, and even puzzles. Nonetheless, they could do a much better job of using their space and making the gaming experience that much better. I've been coming to Game Empire since the days they were located in Mission Valley (we'd always drop by when we were in town for SDCC) and I often visited their store in Pasadena so I e seen what they can do when they make the effort. My only other complaint is their pricing. Competing with eBay and national retailers it's hard to justify charging more than suggested retail prices. And yet they do. Still, there just aren't that many game stores around (At Ease is much bigger and better) and I'll still visit. However, I probably won't spend much money in store. read more

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Shauna & Cliff are so nice! I've come here a few times to buy card packs. It's a true paradise for TCG collectors and if you're looking for some retro stuff! read more

$14 for Journey Together single boosters. That's basically theft at this point. This is a scalper shop and seems like the overall rating speaks for itself. There are way better options out there. read more

I came in to the store after calling and looking for a Catan expansion pack to play with some family in town. It was the last one and the owner held it for us after a customer almost bought it (they overheard about us asking about it on the phone LOL). He then overheard my brother and I talking about getting back into magic the gathering and decided to give us three starter packs so his girlfriend can learn to play too. He invited us back to play catan and magic on the next game night and sent us on our way with all of our new goodies. Thanks for such a great experience read more

Will never shop there again. Marked up everything in the store way overpriced. Was served by a very rude and unfriendly staffer then told me I was insulting him by not paying a 110% mark up on an Item. Go anywhere else but here. Can't give a 0 rating! read more

Love this game store! Very friendly staff and they have a great game selection. I've never seen a used section in a game store before and I love it! They let you open up the used games to see if everything is in it before you buy it. Highly recommend going. read more

I try to avoid this place like the plague. They have barely have any singles for MTG from the latest sets. Outside of Shawna, the customer service absolutely sucks. They always tell me "we don't have anyone to pull cards." It's so weird. I come in during the week and the weekend and it's usually the same response. They say it's better to order online and pick them up.. If I was to do that I would just order off eBay instead of being stone walled each time. I think this is my last time coming here. Shawna was the only reason I still came here but I rarely see her. But as other people pointed out, the owners don't engage with new customers and usually speak to the regulars who play board games. If you play board games, I guess this place is decent but it's not because of the employees who work here it's because of the community that helps people get into the games like warhammer or DND. The prices are 10% higher than other local game stores across all of their products. You have a better time just going to other card/board game stores in San Diego. read more

Great folks who know their stuff. Fair buying and trading values for Pokémon cards. Will be back to

Tried to sell Pokémon cards when I first went, was impossible to pick a time that worked for a certain person to be there and the guy on the phone was extremely shitty when I was asking questions about when I could come in. I got lowballed by the owners and they then said they bought bulk cards so I brought them in a few days later and they proceeded to wait for 2 weeks to get back to me and then offered me $5 for about 1000 bulk cards. Do not take your cards or service here, the owners are extremely rude and will try to scam you in every way possible. read more

Super helpful n RPG masters! Great place to pick up scrap dice or even a high end chess set. Do it!

I can only speak to this store as a board gamer. First, the good news. There's a large selection of board games here to choose from, and for the most part they're alphabetized, so if you're looking for something specific you should be able to quickly tell if they have it in stock. They also group the board games in an intuitive way, so all the tabletop stuff will be together, all of the kids games will be together, etc. With so many games to choose from, I appreciate the organization. In addition, this is one of the only board game stores in the area that are still accepting trade-ins. So if you have a bunch of old board games you're trying to get rid of, you can get cash or in-store credit towards a new game. Now, the bad. The few times I've gone in here, the customer service wasn't the best. It wasn't always terrible, but it feels like the owner really prioritizes hanging out and talking with the regular customers there over helping and attending to newer customers. A couple of times I'd be told "just a moment" and then get forgotten about for a while, which wears on your patience. Then they'll apologize for ignoring me but say something like "next time speak up," as if I were partially to blame. Secondly, others have mentioned it, but the prices for the board games here are typically a lot higher than other stores I've been to. If you know you can find a board game elsewhere, it's almost always worth it to just buy it at the other place. It's not a bad store, but the experiences I've had have left a bad taste in my mouth. Unless I'm trading in some more board games, I'll likely go elsewhere. read more

Came in looking for a board game, they didn't have it because it's no longer in circulation; but i met and chatted with cliff the owner. I ended up buying a few board games. Cliff was super helpful and very knowledgeable! I had a very enjoyable experience and would rather buy games here than large businesses and amazon. read more

Game Empire - Game empire storefront. - Hobby Shops Near Me - San Diego, California

I was looking through the reviews and there's barely any new ones. I've been going here on and off to play mtg commander games since 2018. Sure, some employees over the years have had attitudes or visually expressed they didn't want to be there, but you see them replaced eventually. The star of the show is a lady who I believe is the owner. She's always been very kind to the players. Her generosity extends to the point where since Wizards of the Coast does not supply welcome decks for new players she has stepped in and helped new players get into the game. To place a caveat on my review; my experience starts and ends as a magic the gathering player. If you're going to come here for magic the gathering it's a great store for that. read more

They had what I was looking for, (which no one else did), and were polite in helping me find the stuff I was looking for. Pretty good place!

Walked in, wasn't greeted (no biggie). Other customers walked in and were loudly greeted and welcomed so that's weird. Wasn't asked if I needed help while roaming the store but heard others offered assistance. Walked to counter to look at the dice selection still no welcome or offer of assistance but worker did manage a loud burp without an "excuse me" My gut says being a 6'2" black male is the reason for my experience but even if somehow that's wrong service was completely terrible. Customer service 101 says greet everyone for loss prevention. My son and I gathered as much War Hammer 40k info as a couple of newbs could find on their own and left never to return again. There's plenty of other game shops to shop at or recommend. read more

Been in a few times after my first review. The staff is definitely more customer friendly than I remember. The lady that works there that I always see is just the sweetest. Very warm and helpful. With me DMing a ongoing D&D campaign. I am always looking for new material to use and inspire me and my players. Game Empire always has something new that I haven't seen the last time I was there. My favorite table top gaming store. read more

Amazing selection of board games. Feminine products are offered in the bathroom as "menstrual support" which I thought was a really cool move. read more

Our first time in this store. I had a collection of Pokémon cards that were 20+ years old. I knew very little about them. The owners (husband and wife team) were very informative, kind and patient. She took the time to explain how the grading process works and the value of each card. True professional who was absolutely awesome and really knows her stuff! At the end of day I was not able to retire with the sale of my cards but I had a very good understanding of why and that goes a long way. They really made us feel comfortable and offered a very fair price. We would highly recommend checking out Game Empire. read more

Great local business with such an awesome idea! At this place, you can find just about any board game on the market. They have so much! I love that there is something for everyone! Although the prices are little higher than your online big box retailers, I always love supporting local businesses. They also have large tables throughout the store where you can bring your friends and play board games and utilize the space. It is really interesting to watch different board games going on and a bunch of people super excited about playing their board game. This location is right behind Arby's and parking can be sparse on a weekend. I highly recommend! read more

Highly disappointed in this place. My husband and 8 year old son went to this place for the first time. My son is going through a phase of playing with Yugioh cards. He was super excited to come here. He went up to the counter and asked the guy working at the counter if they carried any Yugioh cards. The guy responded in such a rude way and tone to my son. He said "No we do not carry Yugioh cards and that's due to several reasons." In a very upset and rude tone....to an 8 YEAR OLD. My husband gave him some feedback on his service and asked him why that is. He said it's due to a fight that happened in a past tournament between a 2nd and 3rd placer. We left immediately after. read more

An acquaintance purchased a Pokémon Battle Styles Elite Trainer Box here and the packs inside were clearly resealed, containing inconsistent numbers of cards, and sometimes multiple online code cards. This is either the store's fraud, or fraud by the seller to the store, but either way it is the store's responsibility to sell the authentic product, no matter where it is procured from. I will not be doing business here. read more

I think epic is the best word to describe this place. It's wholesome, it's edgy and everyone knows everything about anything having to do with gaming. The best part is even a noob like me feels welcome. read more

Manager is incredibly rude and awful at his own job. Other employees are kind and competent, however. Pokemon cards sold here are overpriced, sometimes over triple market value. But thankfully they don't know how to perfectly price single cards so you could purchase some for significantly under market value, including off their website. On that note, their card website is incredibly inconvenient to the user to use, but it DOES allow you to reserve cards for free pick up and pay in store. read more

I am a huge fan of board games and this is like the ultimate place to shop for them! What is there to like? 1. So many games! There's a wide selection here! 2. Staff is friendly, easy-going, and very helpful. 3. There's tables in the game room, where you can play board games (if they don't have game events booked for the day). Overall, game lovers will definitely love this place! =) read more