7 Game Store Success Stories [2024]
A game store can be your gateway to tapping into a passionate community of gamers and collectors.
Essentially, a game store is a retail outlet that sells a variety of board games, card games, video games, and related merchandise. You’ll cater to both casual players and hardcore enthusiasts, offering them a place to explore new games and find rare items.
Running a game store involves selecting a diverse stock of popular and niche games, setting up an engaging retail space, and knowing your customer base. You'll need to stay current on gaming trends and create a community feel within your store, perhaps by hosting tournaments or game nights.
The allure lies in transforming your own passion for games into a thriving business. If you're looking for an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals while maintaining a sustainable business, a game store could be an exciting venture.
In this list, you'll find real-world game store success stories and very profitable examples of starting a game store that makes money.
1. Paniq Escape Room ($12M/year)
Akos Gabossy, the CEO and co-founder of PANIQ ROOM, was inspired to start his own business after visiting Chuck E Cheese's during his year as a foreign exchange student in California. Recognizing the growing popularity of escape rooms in his hometown of Budapest, Gabossy brought the concept to the United States in 2014, aiming to create immersive and interactive rooms that resembled movie sets. Today, PANIQ ROOM has 20 locations and plans to reach 30 locations, generating over $15 million in revenue and attracting more than 400,000 players annually.
How much money it makes: $12M/year
How much did it cost to start: $500K
How many people on the team: 25
PANIQ ROOM is a global network of immersive escape room experiences with 20 locations, generating annual revenue of $10 million, aiming to reach 30 locations, $15 million in revenue, and 400,000 players annually, while investing in in-house production capabilities with Indestroom and focusing on marketing through Google Ads, Groupon, and social media platforms.
2. Continuum Games ($3M/year)
Greg Hughes, the founder of Continuum Games, Inc, came up with the idea for his business when he developed a card game called Discombobulation. Wanting to pursue his passion for games and toys, he quickly expanded his product line and launched a specialty toy distribution network. Today, the company generates $250k per month in the offseason, and up to $600k per month during peak season.
How much money it makes: $3M/year
How much did it cost to start: $15K
How many people on the team: 8
Continuum Games, Inc. President Greg Hughes started his toy and game distribution company with a $5 wholesale card game and today generates an average of $250k per month in revenue, rising to $600k in peak season from a combination of manufacturing and distribution of over 40 games.
3. Gameray ($1.02M/year)
As a project manager at a major CIS online store, Mikhail Tsyrulnikov noticed physical logistics hampering sales. Combining his e-commerce acumen and passion for gaming, he launched Gameray—a digital game distribution platform—with an MVP built in 2.5 months, driving over 3 million euros in annual turnover.
How much money it makes: $1.02M/year
How much did it cost to start: $30K
How many people on the team: 15
Discover how an aspiring founder turned a $30,000 investment into a profitable digital game distribution platform with an annual turnover of 3 million euros, leveraging key partnerships and innovative marketing strategies to attract 50,000 monthly users.
4. Subscrible ($1.02M/year)
Evgeny Unegovsky, leveraging his extensive background in MarTech and IT, co-founded Subscrible with Igor Diev after noticing his child's frustration with ads in mobile games, leading to their ad-free gaming catalog app that already boasts over 15,000 users.
How much money it makes: $1.02M/year
How much did it cost to start: $50K
How many people on the team: 7
Subscrible is a game catalog app offering ad-free gaming experiences to over 15,000 users, reducing user acquisition costs for game developers by 90% and attracting former Playrix and DevGamm employees to grow partnerships, all while addressing the challenge of declining user in-app purchases in 2024.
5. Barry & Jason Games and Entertainment ($300K/year)
Barry McLaughlin, along with his friend Jason, came up with the idea for their business, Barry and Jason Games & Entertainment, after hosting live game nights that offered a unique and creative experience. Inspired by their love of games and comedy, they created Game Night in a Can and successfully launched a Kickstarter campaign, raising over $20,000 to bring their idea to life. They have since expanded their product line and partnered with other companies, and their games are now sold in Barnes & Noble and other stores across the country.
How much money it makes: $300K/year
How many people on the team: 1
Barry and Jason Games & Entertainment created Game Night in a Can, a party game made up of 30 different creative challenges and games of skill, which raised over $20,000 on Kickstarter, and is now sold in Barnes & Noble and independent stores across the US.
6. Speedcube New Zealand ($50.4K/year)
Oliver Jenks came up with the idea for his ecommerce store, speedcube.co.nz, after realizing there was no dedicated online store for speedcubing puzzles in New Zealand. With his knowledge as a speedcuber and experience working in a furniture distribution warehouse, Oliver saw an opportunity to fill a gap in the market and create a profitable side hustle.
How much money it makes: $50.4K/year
How many people on the team: 1
A 21-year-old student started an e-commerce store that sells "speedcube" puzzles and has grown it into an annual 5-figure profit side hustle that requires only an hour a day, with over 3,000 loyal customers and successful pop-up stores at speedcubing competitions and weekend markets.
7. Traveling Tales DMing ($3.6K/year)
James Gallagher turned his love for tabletop games into a business during the pandemic when he saw other Dungeon Masters earning money online. By June 2022, he quit his job and launched Traveling Tales DMing, offering high-quality game mastering services and generating buzz in Nebraska's TTRPG community.
How much money it makes: $3.6K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 1
Traveling Tales DMing LLC is a professional game mastering company that offers high-quality table-top role-playing game experiences, which includes Dungeons and Dragons, for $10 per 3-hour game, generating a lot of buzz in Nebraska's TTRPG community by working with local game stores.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
