I was worried going in, because 1.) I have a very low opinion of the current culture surrounding…read moreretro gaming, collecting, and reselling. It's really disgusting how 80% of people in the hobby are larping manchildren that are no better than TCG resellers. 2.) I find that retro game shops across the US are generally really terribly ran with insane pricing, dirty interiors, bad selection, and rude staff. I'm happy to say that Gameshop Downstairs is the SOLE EXCEPTION. Their staff are very polite and genuinely want to help you find what you're looking for, even when swamped with customers on a busy day. Their selection is unlike anything I have seen in any game shop in the entire NorCal region, especially for late 2000s-2010s era games such as Wii, DS, and 3DS. I also appreciate that they have a wide selection of DVDs and BluRays - old anime, movies, and cartoons alike. They even regularly stock CRTs, and while a bit expensive, they do in fact sell at fair market price. On that note, their pricing is extremely fair, and even the more contentious pricing I saw was actually on the dot with fair market pricing when checking online. Even if some things are slightly marked up, I think they easily make up for it with the sheer amount of stuff they carry. I can't emphasize enough how good their collection is, I spent a whole hour here. The museum is really cool too. The mix of 80s-90s and 2000s-2010s gear made it a perfect trip for my Dad & I, since that represents the generations of technology we grew up with respectively.

First of all the stores ambiance visually was so cool I'm just a game nerd so it was like being a…read morekid in a candy store but they have a crazy selection of things like if you had it as a kid they'll most likely have it along with great prices. I got my little brother a seal TLOU2 collectible there for below retail with it being near mint condition, the two dudes that run the registers are really cool and helpful too so shoutout to them

Amazing staff, super knowledgeable and friendly. They hold live events as well which is amazing…read more Owner gave me top dollar for an N64 game that I had a duplicate of and I was able to pick up some extra N64 accessories in order to get it up and running again. 10/10

Old school game shop with a lot of classics from the 8 and 16 bit era. A few arcade classics on…read morefree play. Might be closing soon, check it out while you can.

I visited Game Platform during the holidays to buy a Nintendo 64 as a Christmas gift. Since I…read moreneeded the gift immediately, I didn't mind paying a little more (compared to online prices) and I ended up paying about $235 for an N64 console + 1 controller + 1 game + cables. When I checked out, they gave me a "receipt" but it was just a blank paper with a QR code and a handwritten invoice number. (The QR code led to a broken website that asked for your person information and didn't go anywhere.) I was hoping for a more reliable receipt that included the item prices (just in case I needed to come back and return it), so I went back to ask them to print out another receipt with the item prices. I was glad they were able to print one for me, but if they could print regular receipts the whole time, I'm confused why they bothered doing the QR code thing? The employee told me that I could return everything within a few days for a full refund, but the receipt I got said that everything was final sale. I was basically just taking their word for it at that point. The N64 gift didn't work out, so I returned 3 days later to return everything. The employee running the store ran into a dilemma: the register had just enough cash to refund my item, but refunding me would only leave $20 in the register. They actually called the manager about this, and the manager gave instructions not to issue my return. The employee asked me to come back in a few days because they'd "probably have more money by then" (??) so I left, hoping for better luck another day. I returned 2 days later and luckily, I was able to return my items for a full refund. The whole process was very tiresome and really unprofessional. I could tell the employees were frustrated too bc the register system had just changed and they struggled to process during my return. They seemed very unhappy working here. Had a bad experience overall. If you come here, only get something if you don't plan on making any returns because the whole process wasn't worth it.

Much like their Pleasanton location, this store is a borderline complete scam. Reproduced…read morecartridges being sold as originals, non working consoles being sold as functioning. Pricing is astronomically higher than ebay or other retro stores. There are better, more reliable retro game stores in the area. If you value your time and money, avoid this store at all costs.

This game shop is so good the prices are not that bad and the games are cheaper than online storesread more

I totally love this store. This is a store that has an SNK arcade cabinet, retro gaming, modern…read moregames, sports trading cards, anime stuff, and TCG cards. I came here to get some video games earlier today. Everyone was pretty cool. A staff member checked to see if there was a particular video game I was looking for, but it wasn't available. At some point, I did play some KOF 98 on the cabinet which felt great with classic configurations!

Previously went to their other location, which I assume is the first and was recommended to go to…read morethis one if I wanted to get repairs done to consoles I had. Which is exactly what I did. Brought in my old GBA SP which had a busted screen, I've watched videos on how to fix it, but wanted to also swap out the shell. So after countless videos of people saying the trickest part is the hinges, I figured it was best left for the professionals. I also wanted to mod the GBA SP charging port to a USB-C but with Eli's insight, replacing the screen with an IPS and upgrade to USB-C it would probably be better to just buy an entirely new Modded GBA SP. So I just stuck with the shell swap and new IPS screen. We ordered the parts from Ebay as he showed me what was available on 3/28/2026 and called me 4/9/2026 to let me know it was ready for pick up so roughly a 3 week turn around since he had to wait for the parts to be delivered. Finally had it back in my hands and it was beautiful, 15 settings on the brightness and it opened and close with those satisfying clicks the OEM came in. Couldn't be happier, I will say the buttons do rotate when I'm gaming a little too hard, but nothing like rotating them back into their place fixes it. As for the shop itself, BEAUTIFULY CLEAN, it's spotless and they really make this place feel like gamer heaven. All the games in the store were in their respective locations and you had no issues finding what you wanted. (Unless it was in a container with no label)

These guys are scammers. Offered me $27 (a $20 game trade + tax and $5 in cash) for 6 games. They…read moredidn't say anything about a buyback rate, just checked if one of the games was real, and then glanced over the other games and made the offer without checking their prices online at all. They're selling some of their games at both locations for 2x eBay prices. The games I brought in can be found used online (GameStop and eBay) for a total of $150+. Not worth your time if you're looking for a fair deal on either a trade or even just a regular purchase.

Let me tell you the story of a guy who went to Level Up Games and bought some stuff and then traded…read morein some stuff. Normal, right? Then fast forward at least 15 maybe even 20 years and this guy entirely forgot he had credit because his job took him away from Santa Cruz. But one day he returns to get the batteries changed in his old Pokemon games (which they did quickly and for a very reasonable price) and he was informed he had almost 20 bucks sitting there. That's me. I'm the guy. It's been so long that they could never have told me and I would never have been the wiser. Also, even if I remembered they could have kept the money after so much time had passed and I would have fully understood. But nope, they held on to it and even told me about it. Their collection of retro games is amazing and you can buy modern games there too? It's all you could want in a game store.

If in the area, you must come by and check this place out. My son loves comics and collectibles, a…read moregreat find during our last visit was definitely the 'FALLOUT' Jones cola! He was super excited as he had been on the hunt for this drink for a while. He originally bought 2 but then decided to go back and just get the pack. Definitely a new place to keep coming too.

Bought a "refurbished" DS here for my kid's Christmas present here Dec. 2025 (and a bunch of other…read morevintage consoles and games over the years). Seemed to work fine to me, but my kid found a problem with the contrast and/or screen when he tried to play Christmas morning. We took it back to the location on Campbell Ave where I bought it. Showed the manager/owner and provided receipts. He said they would fix the DS because it was sold "refurbished." He said it would be ready in a few weeks, after the new year, and took my contact into. Never heard back. Called the store after the first month came and went. No answer. Months go by and my kid keeps asking about it. I keep calling the location but then I read on their instagram that the shop is permanently closed. But they they're still doing business online. So I reach out to their instagram and email the address on their Shopify, where in fact they are now selling a metallic blue DS, just like the one I bought in December! Still no reply. Hope to hear back now that I'm posting about this problem.

What a gem! These guys are why we all love to support small businesses! My son was able to get…read moreanime comic books at a great deal here. The sweetest part about this shop is how there are many arcade machines for kids (of all ages) to play with. They've got a deal where you pay by the hour or buy an all day pass. They've got a section in the back for group gaming too! Bring the kids for a few hours on the weekend or before summer is over.

The people here are always honest and kind! I love the way they treat me and give me fair prices…read moreand I feel like supporting a small game store is more important than supporting big chains.

Omar installed screen protectors for my new iPhones. He took extra time to meticulously clean each…read morescreen and professionally applied the screen protectors. They are perfectly centered and there were no air bubbles and no bumps from dust particles! That's perfection I appreciate because I couldn't have done as good myself. Omar also offered a good price for my old iPhones, but gave me even more in trade.