Another day, another videogame store to visit in my month-long quest to find the best videogame store in Southern California and today brings me to Cali Games in Lawndale. I saw all the pictures of people that won PS4 consoles from 2014 and thought, "Hmm, maybe this place might be worth a visit". Here's a few Pros and Cons: PROS: --SERVICE. It's best to call up the store in advance and ask if they have a title you're looking for. They are helpful on the phone and can save you the trouble of the long drive. --SELECTION. This is one of the few places where they have multiple copies of some very popular Retro titles. Titles such as Castlevania Symphony of the Night and Marvel Vs Capcom 2 and even Ninja Gaiden Trilogy are IN STOCK here. Other Retro places barely have these titles and yet they have it here sitting behind the glass counter waiting to be purchased like hotcakes. That being said, their selection of current-gen and Next-gen stuff is not as vast (even though they're spread out among the entirety of the store). --NOSTALGIA. This place definitely stacks up on their Retro titles. When you get towards the NES/SNES/Genesis/PS1/Dreamcast section, you'll see a barrage of old titles some of which are hard-to-find. You'll also find a glass case filled with various game systems for purchase. If you thought you'd never find a fat PS3 model ever again, you thought wrong! --SIZE. This is probably the SECOND biggest videogaming store I've seen other than Game Dude. There's lots of room to move and racks filled with PS2/PS3/Xbox/Xbox360 titles. It's like visiting a library only with videogames instead of boring books. --FAKES. Yes, they have several Retro fakes for sale here, which I thought was hilarious. For example, they have a bootleg copy of "Mortal Kombat Final Blood", which added blood to the censored version of the SNES game. To all the whiners that complain about "illegal merchandise", just shut the Hell up and let it go. CONS: --PRICE. This is a 50-50 deal for me. A lot of their Retro titles are SUPER pricey and can really take a hit on your budget. For example, they have a used copy of Samurai Shodown Anthology on PS2 for $60, yet I bought a copy of the same game at Game Dude for HALF the price (yes, I said HALF)! Also, $40 for a Legend of Zelda SNES copy with NO sticker on it? Jeez! On the other hand, their Current-gen PS3/PS4 stuff is fairly priced, so no problems there. Look, I'm not gonna complain that they can't sell this stuff at high prices (hey, it's their store so it's their prices) but I can't recommend it to other Yelpers, either. --LOCATION. The store is located in a strip mall in Hawthorne next to a Pep Boys store. Depending on which freeway you take (the 405 or the 110), making the trek here can be really time-consuming even on the weekends. Remember, the 405 Freeway is NOT your friend. This place is definitely worth a visit just once to see all of the rare titles and accessories they have for sale. Some of the items are affordable while the rest will burn a giant hole in your wallet. Unless you've got a very big budget for buying Retro stuff, I would only suggest purchasing the Retro stuff IF you can afford it. Trust me, that copy of Marvel Vs Capcom 2 isn't going anywhere soon at their asking price. read more

Cali Games - Video Game Stores Near Me - Lawndale, California

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This is the best game store in the area. They have a wide selection of games with really good inventory. Their friendly staff like Aaron make trips really enjoyable. A+ store and service! read more

They're pretty well staffed and pick up their phone calls! Wish there more trade in games for the switch, but oh well. Nice local game shop.

Place is dope - new / used games and on top of that - great customer service - my kids Xbox controller broke and Michael @ repair inspected it and said it was an easy peasy fix - saved me some money - I'll definitely buy all my games n consoles here from now on read more

This place is absolutely amazing!!!! The customer service is great. I was greeted when I walked in. All of my questions were answered and best for all, the prices are great. I highly recommend coming in for getting your CD refinished. The price and quality are spot on. I brought in a few rare (fragile disk) and I was so happy to have them resurfaced without taking out too much of the surface. Overall, I was happy to discover this spot. This is a hidden gem here in the South Bay Area. read more

Cali Games - The girls giving the best customer service I've ever got in the videogame world. - Video Game Stores Near Me - Lawndale, California

Been coming here since I was 12, going on 30, they watched me from teenager until having three kids of my own. Amazing selection of newer and older games, most friendly staff ever (especially Judy, the owner I believe) and way better than GameStop, that's 110%. read more

Ohhh man... what can I say about Cali Games that hasn't been said before?! This place is a fantastic place for all sorts of video-games... new school and old school. It is a walk-through museum of video-games as a culture. The prices are great. The service is always great. And even when they don't have the game you want, they will hunt it down for you. I've been coming here for years with my family and we enjoy it a lot. Family friendly place. Very respectful and clean! read more

If you are a game collector stay away from this place. Went in looking for Gameboy Advance games. All the carts have a ton of stickers on them and the prices were laughable for the quality of product they were offering. They don't cares about game collecting just flipping games for profit. read more

We sold them two consoles since were moving away. Judy and the other male associate were absolutely amazing handling the busy store and making jokes along the way. We were given an honest itemized breakdown of what she could pay for our stuff. The store was neat and prices looked justified read more

I got a used ps4 here for the quarantine! I enjoyed the whole process from beginning to end. They followed quarantine measures and their used game selection was #1. Great people at the store here. I was helped by friendly guy named Sherman! read more

This is the best store I've gone to for games and systems! Caligames is my number 2 spot for everything!!! They have great prices and everyone is extremely nice! 5stars all the way! I forgot the name but a guy who works there helped my son and I purchase a ps4 slim and I couldn't really understand what the slim was when I got home I thought I had the wrong one lol but he was patient and kind and extremely respectful as well as the lady in the front! Go to Caligames for good prices and great things! read more

Been video shop hopping around for a while, and this probably has one of the largest variety and products for a video game shop I've seen so far read more

Went to trade a ps3 in and was offered crack head money lol. 12 for my system and you gone sell it for 130? Be careful when trading here they definitely gonna try to play you on their offer and make up that your game discs have scratches on them when Ray Charles could see they don't have any scratches. read more

My local game store has lots of stuff, repair station and everyone is nice and helpful. Awesome place must check out.

Amazing staff that help me restore my very first gameboy SP after 10 years it went missing highly recommend coming here

Awesome store, friendly service and knowledgeable staff. I wanted to play the old NES games I loved as a child and this was my one stop shop, thanks Cali Games!! read more

The fact that they carry import switch games is so rad. Since GameStop is a rip off and basically are robbers, it's nice to know places like this exist. So many retro games. Come get your fix! read more

I love this place great customer service my new spot just bought a PS4 pro they are very helpful I recommend this place great vibes........plus my kids can't wait till this covid shit is over so we can look around and buy stuff read more

The attitude of the ladies behind the counter are hit and miss, it's about a 50/50 chance you will feel unwelcomed here. After my experience today, I don't think I'll ever be returning to this store. But if you are looking for illegal reproduction NES, SNES, and Genesis games this is your place. They have no shame showcasing these bootlegs on the top shelves of their retro cases, charging top dollar. The game developers aren't getting paid on those sales, so why are they all like $40 - $60? A word of advice Cali Games, don't bite the hand that feeds you. read more

Cali games has anything from sega génesis Nintendo to Super Nintendo N64 I mean literally EVERYTHING. Reasonable prices. I been purchasing from Cali games for about 8 years. They staff is always nice and answer any of your questions. Looking for a good game new or used without the GameStop prices ? This place is the place to be read more

hi guys would 100% recommend Cali Games ! I took my PS5 to get fixed had multiple issues and all were done got great results and pretty fast check them out read more

Amazing shop! Amazing collection! This is definitely my new go-to spot for classic games.

Super authentic video game store with classic games and systems. Staff was super helpful and friendly.

I found myself desperate need of money due to graduate school and misfortunes outside of my control. I packed up my collection of video games in a cardboard box and headed down to Cali Games. The lady I spoke to, who I assume is the store owner, looked through my box of childhood memories and assigned a value to each item. I was actually hoping for more than what she quoted me so I tried talking her into giving me a fairer price. She seemed offended at first. She walked away to wipe off her counter space and organize items in the opposite shelf. She reluctantly came back to me and gave me a silent nod. She opened up her cash register and handed me the cash I had hoped to get. That box was my childhood. It symbolized long afternoons gaming and enjoying delivery pizza with friends. It was my escape from the cruelty of life. In the virtual world, I could be a beloved hero who conquers evil and fights to protect the people he cares about. In the virtual world, I was not me but someone better. I hope whoever buys my old games will enjoy them as much as I did. read more

This is a cool mom and pop video game store. They have a good selection of games for every system, even systems that are no longer in production, I.E. Original Nintendo, PS1, Gameboy. Not only can you come in to browse the video games, they have a selection of other electronics and entertainment items for sale as well. They have VHS, DVD and Blu-Ray movies always on special. They have used gaming systems and accessories (Xbox, Wii, PS, etc) and used iPods for sale. I've often had to run on here, cause it's across the street, to purchase sync cables for my iPhone because my damn dog finds them fun to chew on!!! I've gotten several from here. It's a cool little spot worth checking out for any gamer. Trade you games in for credit toward something else. read more

Finally a game store thats not a complete sellout like gamestop. A friend of mine highly recomended me to come here to sell back some old games and i was not disappointed! They bought all my games from me at a pretty good price with quick and excellent service. Definitely my go-to game store from now on 5/5 read more

Judy I love you been coming here over 20yrs never had any problems always friendly and has everything I need all the time

They have a large selection of games spanning almost 4 decades. Good prices compared to retailers such as GameStop or Best Buy and they have mostly every game I'm looking for. read more

Cali Games - Many 3Ds Games - Video Game Stores Near Me - Lawndale, California

I'm surprised to see that this place only has one review. I came in today to find some classic Genesis, Dreamcast and Playstation games and what I found is that this place has a ton of games, consoles, handhelds and accessories. They sell both used and new and have a nice computer system that is able to tell them when a game was last in stock and when it last sold. The two ladies that work there are helpful, although for whatever reason only one was ringing people up or looking up information on the computer. I would say the selection is great, though many of the used game cases have sun damage. It could be that those are merely display boxes and not the actual one you get when you purchase, I do not know and will update later when I find out. The service can be quite slow, so don't come here in a hurry. The owner [?] is also willing to buy games from eBay and have them shipped there for those without eBay accounts for whatever reason. She charges a small fee for this service if someone needs it for an item they don't have in stock. They stock lots of used game peripherals for Tony Hawk, DJ Hero, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Taiko Drum master and more. This place even sells used Leapster games for the little kiddies. Selection: 5/5 Price: 5/5 Convenience: 5/5 Service: 4/5 (Just because of the long wait) Location: 3/5 (Lawndale strip mall) Overall 4/5 Tip: Call ahead if you're looking for something specific read more

Was able to fix my GameCube but just took a bit longer than expected. Other than that no complaints.

They had katamari...enough said. But for real there selection is awesome and customer service has been great. Keep these kind of video game stores in business! Cali games 4 eva read more

I love this place. Great service and the have everything a gamer needs to rock. I have been coming here with number one and only son Ian for at least 10 years. What can I say I am 59 year old game crazy guy. This is a on stop shop! read more

Had everything the prices are a little higher for items you cant find but I was ok with that

Retro & Resourceful This place is an Arcade Museum with price tags. They have games, consoles, and accessories for all platfroms from the early Atari to PS3. I came here recently because my kid brother dug up his old Game Cube from the garage along with Mario Kart, and so of course we needed extra controllers. Thats were Cali games was suggested by a buddy of mine who is a Retro Game Freak. Apparently the place was expanded to nearly twice the size it previously was, its about the size of your average Game Stop except this place is literally wall to wall with all generations of video games and accessories. The prices seem pretty decent in comparison to other Game Shops and are pretty aligned with ebay prices. The Lady at the counter who seems pretty knowledgeable mentioned to me that if they don't have what you are looking for they will track it down for you on ebay within your price range for a small fee. I also discovered that they have a pretty cool Cell Phone counter in the back corner of the store. Its a seperate business within the store and they carry accessories for pretty much any cell model. Much like Cali games they offer great prices on cell accessories, much cheaper than the cell carts at the mall and they match ebay prices. So if its Video Games or Cell accessories that you're looking for, then chances are Cali Games has it. read more

Went in today to see how much she can offer me for the the item I have it with me.She isn't do anything like hook it up with PS4, testing ,playing around , look it up or compare the price.. just judge by her eyes and she offered me $25... instead of $75-$100.. I was actually shocked . I don't expect that she have to be the master of inspector or gamer experience but you really can't do the "inspect" customer gamer tools by staring for 5 seconds then offer me $25.. and I saw the way how she handled the phone call are very rude and unprofessional. GameStop treat me wayyy better than this . read more

Great spot. Great service and attitudes. Very friendly to their loyal customers. They bought all of my used games and systems. Very straightforward process. read more

I been going to this place since I moved to Hawthorne. I was introduced to this store from a dear friend when I first moved out this way. Judy is the BEST...hands down. She always finds a game for you and even if she doesn't have the game in stock for you, she will order it for you at no extra charge for a finders fee or anything. She hooks you up when you have gone broke and you wanna sell your games. And her prices are way cheaper than GameStop and Best Buy or where ever you buy your games. The new games start at 54.99. You can't beat that with a yard stick. After taxes you pay right under 60 bucks. Now if you go to GameStop or where ever you go, you will pay 59.99 plus tax Which will bring you up to about 65 bucks. Five bucks may not be a lot but it can put a gallon of gas in your car to get you to Cali Games and BUY YOUR GAMING ACCESSORIES AND GAMES!!! TIP: But do call b4 you go that way you can know exactly what you want and that way if its a hot commodity or its a rare game she can place it on hold for you bcus it is a long wait. But thats all bcus of the type of service you get when your there read more

This store is is nice plaza with plenty of parking. Their inventory is good and the store is well spaced out. They have a living room so you can play a small match with a friend if you like. I like the store and prices are ok. I like this store, but will still be my number 2 store. The only thing i would ask is to have a better movie selection. The games are awesome, but also need newer movies and some blu rays. Other than that, great store. Customer service seems ok. read more

Excellent service. Brought in a console with drive that wasn't taking discs. The service desk fixed it and didn't want to be paid since no parts were replaces. Will definitely come back read more

I am a novice to gaming and needed some help finding a game for my daughter. Judy (FHF) the owner was very knowledgeable and helped me find the game and had it in stock at a great price. I highly recommend Cali Games because the staff is great, the selections are endless, and the prices are very fair. I will definitely go back for all of my VG needs. read more