Beloved video game seller is closing 30 New York stores as nationwide purge mounts due to failing sales

GameStop’s New York closures cover the whole state, from NYC to upstate, hitting malls and standalone stores

GameStop plans to close around 30 New York stores as part of a nationwide shutdown that will impact over 470 locations by the end of January, according to a new report.

GameStop’s New York closures span the entire state, from New York City and Long Island to Westchester, the Hudson Valley, and upstate, affecting both mall-based and standalone stores, the New York Post reports.

In New York City, multiple locations across the five boroughs, including the South Bronx and Brooklyn neighborhoods like Bensonhurst, Brownsville, and downtown, are closing.

Combined with the 590 U.S. stores closed during the previous fiscal year, the latest wave will bring the total number of closures over the past two years to more than 1,000.

Once a staple in malls and shopping centers with more than 6,000 stores worldwide. After the latest closures, the company is expected to operate fewer than 2,000 locations in the U.S.

GameStop is closing New York stores as part of over1,000 closures, shrinking from 6,000 to under 2,000 locations (Getty Images)

GameStop’s latest moves come as its fiscal year for 2025 draws to a close on January 31. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission last December, the company said it planned a “significant number of additional store closures” as part of a store portfolio optimization review.

GameStop’s December quarterly report showed net sales fell to $821 million from $860 million, while net income rose to $77.1 million, the Post reports.

GameStop’s shares have remained volatile since the 2021 meme-stock surge, dropping about 36% over the past year, according to Fast Company. That year, everyday investors on Reddit’s r/WallStreetBets drove GameStop’s stock from under $20 to over $480 at its peak.

The surge, sparked by a short squeeze and an Elon Musk tweet, blindsided hedge funds, causing trading halts and significant losses, and prompted congressional hearings and closer examination of market regulations.

Earlier this month, GameStop locations across multiple states, including Ohio, Illinois, New York, Kansas, Kentucky, Connecticut and Minnesota, were either closed or preparing to close, though the company did not respond to The Independent when contacted for comment or release an official list of affected locations.

GameStop locations across New York state will shutter as part of the company’s plans (Getty Images)

The Independent has contacted GameStop representatives for comment.

Corporate GameStop spokespeople have remained mostly silent about the closures, which have been confirmed through its online store locator, local media reports, store-specific signs or Facebook updates.

One recently closed location, in Thompson, Maine, shut on January 5. The store manager posted on Facebook that the closure happened earlier than expected “due to circumstances outside of our control.”

“This store has never just been a store to us. It’s been a place built on people, shared memories, and a community that showed up for us time and time again. We are so incredibly grateful for the love and support we’ve felt here over the years,” she wrote.