I had a very uncomfortable and disappointing experience at this store today. I saw two Xbox games priced the same -- one with a clean case but no disc inside, and another with a disc but a damaged case. Since there was no sign indicating that discs are kept behind the counter, l reasonably assumed the disc was missing and placed it into the better case. Instead of calmly explaining their policy, the employee immediately responded in an aggressive and disrespectful way, telling me to "put that shit back." Only afterward did he explain that the discs are kept at the counter - something that should have been clearly communicated to customers in the first place. A simple explanation would have avoided the entire situation. Being spoken to like that was unnecessary, unprofessional, and made me feel extremely uncomfortable. What made this even more upsetting was reading another customer's review describing how staff openly discussed taking advantage of a child who unknowingly brought in a rare Galaxy 3DS XL and traded it for a regular 3DS -- which is far less valuable. Instead of informing the child of what he had, they reportedly took advantage of the situation and even bragged about it afterward.Seeing behavior like that toward a kid is honestly disturbing and unethical. After experiencing the rude treatment myself, it's hard to believe this was an isolated incident. On top of all of this, many of the games and consoles here are significantly overpriced compared to other stores. This is especially concerning for beginners or casual gamers who may not yet know typical market values. Between the aggressive customer service, lack of clear communication, unethical behavior, and high prices, this is not a store I would return to or recommend. （l've attached a screenshot of that review for reference.） read more

Fair Game Retro Video Games - "l've attached a screenshot of that review for reference." - Video Game Stores Near Me - Carmichael, California

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This is a well stocked gaming store that buys, sells, & trades everything anime + gaming related items. Today is the 2nd time I have been here & the employees who helped me are very professional, helpful, and courteous. If you were selling anything here they are meticulous however they do pay more than other places. Example: I sold some fighting PS2 games here and was paid about $5 each game where as places like The Cave would have paid $1. This place is a gamer's paradise plus holy Grail for the hard to find game(s) *see picture of a PS2 game in my review. I definitely would recommend all gamers or just anybody shopping or selling to try this place first before going anywhere else especially places like GameStop. read more

Fair Game Retro Video Games - Store layout - Video Game Stores Near Me - Carmichael, California

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This place is very clean and well organized. The prices are as advertised and the selection is pretty good. They may be a bit out of the way, but definitely worth a visit if you're in the Sacramento area. read more

Don't let the outside fool you--this place is a gem! I don't play games myself, but I stopped in to buy a gift. The staff was super helpful and welcoming, even to a total non-gamer like me. They were patient, informative, and made the whole experience really easy. I came back a second time with someone who does play, and again, it was a great experience. They were just as kind and patient with me as they were incredibly detailed and enthusiastic with my gamer companion--happy to chat about even the tiniest specifics. They clearly love what they do and take great care with their customers. The store is bright, clean, and super inviting--a complete contrast to the outside, which honestly looks like an old, forgotten video game shop from the '80s. When I brought my family, they thought I was joking until we stepped inside. We were all pleasantly surprised. Great prices, fantastic customer service, and an awesome team running the place. A real hidden gem! read more

Fair Game Retro Video Games - Video Game Stores Near Me - Carmichael, California

Had a great experience this morning. I brought my old Nintendo 64. I was unsure if it still worked or not. The worker I didn't get the name of helped me test it to confirm it worked. They had a good selection of power cords av chords and controllers so I could get my system running they have really good prices as well! read more

Take My Rupees, Fair Game! Walking into this place felt like I'd just unlocked a secret level of my childhood. Retro games everywhere, zero loading time, and no annoying NPCs trying to upsell me a rewards card. The selection? Fire. The vibes? Immaculate. The staff? Radical. This place is a treasure chest for retro gamers, and somehow, it won't drain all your gold coins. The prices are actually fair (go figure), and the trade-in values? Way better than GameStop's "here's $2 and a stare" energy. Respect. The staff are super chill and actually seem happy to talk games, not a trace of gatekeeper attitude. Selection is top-tier, value is real, and the vibe is unbeatable. 10/10 would rage-quit adult responsibilities to shop here again. I came in for one game and left with a bag full of nostalgia and zero regrets. read more

Location is very small, but not crowded, has a hole in the wall kinda vibe. The store is always clean and the employees are not extremely friendly but they're not unkind. We have purchased quite a few games, controllers, and one console from here, and traded in even more. The prices can be a little high for some games, but I don't find them to be unreasonable for the market. read more

My Favorite Game Store!!! This place is fantastic! Not only do they have a killer selection of games but the service is top notch. The staff is super friendly and you can tell they genuinely care about gaming. They took the time to chat with me and even helped me track down exactly what I was looking for. Plus they offer great deals on trade-ins so I was able to get some extra credit toward my next purchase when I brought in a few of my old games. The selection is solid! Tons of choices across all platforms and everything I picked up was in great condition. Prices are more than fair and honestly I felt like I got way more value than I expected. Whether you're buying, selling, or just browsing this place is a must visit. Great service, awesome variety, and great value all around. I Love coming here! read more

The Employees there were passive aggressive, I seemed like an inconvenience even going into the store. All their games prices are hyperinflated , I understand they need to make some profit but its a bit over reaching imo. While they do have a decent selection of rare games, the vibes of the employees weren't great. I've only gone to this place a handful of times and I can honestly say its felt the same every time. Probably would skip out on this place. Also based on other review i've read im clearly not alone read more

Amazing service today and great collection of games. Love that they will make custom boxes for loose games in your collection if you ask. Will be checking this place out again for any missing pieces of my video game collections read more

If I could give this business 0 stars I would. Their service is no good! They won't greet you at the door...Won't ask you if you need help. If you try to buy something they get upset, because it's more important for them watching the tv than to help a customer. I won't be going back there anymore! read more

First impression of this place was awesome!! They spent a few minutes tracking down their last copy of Skyrim(PS4) for me. I get home to download/play the disc only to get a notification that it's unreadable because there's a decent sized scratch on it(wish I had examined the disc before I bought it). I assumed it was good since they sold it to me and put it in an envelope and then into the Skyrim game case. I get to the store the next day and their policy says I can only get store credit, despite the broken game being sold to me that way, Oh and an employee also says there's a protocol where they test each game to make sure it works, I guess this one didn't get tested and I got the short end of the stick? Do better. read more

Fair Game Retro Video Games - Thanks for nothing? - Video Game Stores Near Me - Carmichael, California

For the most part, these guys love going out of business won't try to get a deal unwilling to work with you! This place is only good for finding games that are hard to find or getting stuff repaired! read more

Test the games you buy before you leave the store. Better yet, before purchasing. Told guy "I think i want to buy this Pokemon Pinball for gameboy IF IT WORKS". He didnt hesitate and said it did and happily sold it to me. My fault for not testing it in store I guess. Ill stick to marketplace and ebay if im going to have to fix the game anyway. read more

Great service and selection. It all comes at a cost so I can understand that. A business has to be profitable to stay open and provide a service. Looking forward to my future visits. read more

Amazing Service Thank You guys for helping me find the best quality retro games the staff help you with everything you need!

all the Og retro games and all the best prices you can think of been coming here since a kid

It was a one-and-done visit for me. The guy at the counter was super rude and obviously irked that I interrupted whatever he was doing to make a purchase. I almost walked out without buying anything. Never again. read more

This happened in 2021 to me at fair game retro and honestly at the time I didn't bother to make a review about it. Customer beware, they sell copies of Pokemon games that are known fake Chinese reproductions. I purchased a Pokemon emerald games from them for $280+ at the time and during game play I noticed things that were off about the game. Example: the delay in file saves on my GBA. Overall, after complaining they did refund me and told me that the game needed to be repaired, I returned the next week just to find the same game being resold as a real copy! BUYER BEWARE!!! read more

They are awesome and very knowledgeable! I actually rode my motorcycle there in a blistering 103 Degree Summer and was extremely dehydrated! The staff immediately gave me some water and turned on a fan. They saved me!!! Forever greatfull and customer for life! read more

I went into this store blindly not really sure what I was going to find. I've driven by this place so many times and always wanted to stop inside, so, I finally did! I decided I wanted to get a Nintendo 64 console and see if they had a few games in stock that I could purchase. Unknowingly, I didn't realize the inflation of prices of Nintendo 64 cartridges, as well as the console itself. Though, I looked online and I realized that the prices were very similar elsewhere... I was informed that all the games and consoles were played before hand to make sure there were no defects and to make sure that they all worked properly. I was also informed that they actually fix game consoles there, which is pretty cool too! All I have to say, is that my Nintendo 64 works perfectly just like the one I used to have. The game that I purchased (Banjo Kazooie) is a legitimate cartridge and also works perfectly. I was just sad that the inflation and prices were so much more than what I have sold my original Nintendo 64 and ALL my games about 10 years ago... If I were to know this would happen, I probably wouldn't have sold everything for like 20 bucks at GameStop towards a PS3... But I digress... I'm glad I found this place, I'm glad I now own a Nintendo 64 again that I can pass down to my child (if they even want it when I die lol) and I look forward to purchasing more games from here. Because upon further inspection of purchasing Nintendo 64 cartridges online, is that, you either get fake cartridges, or they don't work and they're fake, or the seller won't get back to you because of issues because they're fake or you might get one that works perfectly AND it's fake... I'm an Oregon Trail Millennial, and as much as I like buying stuff on Amazon and having it show up to my doorstep, I'd rather not gamble if it's legit or not. And I really enjoy seeing people in real life when it comes to things that are nerdy like this and talking to them about it. The staff was really nice and informative and convinced me I needed an extension cord to my controller, which was amazing. I'm glad that they have a return policy where you can go back, just in case anything is wrong, but I have yet to experience this. I will probably be going back to find if they still have: Conker's Bad Fur Day, Starfox 64, MarioKart 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Donkey Kong 64... Thanks, Fair Game, for the N64 and Banjo Kazooie! Also, if you're reading this, can I have a discount on Conker's Bad Fur Day when I come back if it's still there? Haha! :-) read more

Fair Game Retro Video Games - This is the Nintendo 64 console, controller, controller extension and Banjo Kazooie I purchased. - Video Game Stores Near Me - Carmichael, California

Stopped in to buy some video games, located off of Fair Oaks Blvd in Carmichael. Like the name implies, has good price games, hard to find games, retro games and consoles. They also can fix hardware or trade in the older console for store credit or cash. Staff was really nice and I will continue to come back in the future. Got to support local businesses! read more

I haven't wrote a review in a long time, but tonight I feel like this business doesn't get the credit they deserve, so now is the right time for me to pay my respects. I have been a fan of classic home and arcade video games since the 1980s, and out of all the video game stores in the Sacramento county, it is my opinion that 'Fair Game' is the absolute best video game store by far. -- WHY 5 STARS: Fair Game a small business, totally unique to the Sacramento area. They are not a cookie-cutter chain store, like Game Stop, a place that never has anything except the latest high-end consoles at cut-throat prices, and all they want is to rip you off. Employees at Fair Game are friendly and have always given me top tier service if I needed anything. And their selection of games and merchandise puts a smile on my face and satisfies my desire for gaming nostalgia every time I come here. -- WHAT MAKES THEM UNIQUE: I can walk into Fair Game on any day of the week and I'm always amazed by their selection of retro/vintage video games that you never see sold anywhere anymore, (Mario Bros, Sonic, Pac-man) and occasionally I'll spot *very rare* games here on sale as well. For example, once I saw "Lunar 2: Eternal Blue" for the PlayStation, and on another occasion I was with my friend and he was shocked to see "Final Fantasy 7 and 8", both still boxed and it great condition. (Needless to say he snatched those games immediately.) I remember they even had Crash Bandicoot! You NEVER see these games anywhere!! -- WHY SOME BAD REVIEWS ON YELP?: Some people on yelp are leaving negative reviews for retarded reasons like "price mark-up", are you serious? Some of these games are like 30 years old and are rare classics. A serious game collector would recognize the value and just buy it without complaining. Another fool said, "1 day to return" - give me a freaking break! You're lucky to even get that! This is not Walmart. This is a small business, and they'd quickly go out of business if they allowed everyone to buy, play, and return games for nothing. And also, "I sold my PS4 for cash and didn't count the cash" bah. That was your own fault idiot. For all we know, you could be lying too. Most of the people on here leaving negative reviews of this place are total crybabies and should not be taken the least bit seriously. Fair Game is by far, one of the most amazing retro video game stores in the entire Sacramento county, and sadly they have been the victim of theft on multiple occasions and even in spite of that (and the pandemic) they are still holding on and trying to weather the storm. I hope we don't lose them. Fair Game comes highly recommended in my book, and I encourage all of you who are fans of classic games (and newer ones too) definitely go check them out, and don't be a crybaby. Rare games shouldn't be cheap anyway. read more

This is the best retro gaming place in the greater Sacramento area. So much inventory, that is regularly updated. Me and my buddy went in last night to settle a match of Mario party 2. The game they had available was the Japenese edition, which needed to be modified to fit in the American N64 console. The friendly staff was able to assist us with modifying the cartridge. I would recommend this place to any retro gamer. Or anyone looking to bringing back that warm, nostalgic sensation. P.s. I destroyed my buddy in Mario Party 2. read more

Fair Game Retro Video Games - results of when Hollis challenged me to a game of Mario Party 2. claims he is undefeated. I put that to rest quick. I'm DK, he is Mario - Video Game Stores Near Me - Carmichael, California

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29 March - Tried calling ahead of time and they have an automated system that makes it difficult to reach anyone at the store. Decided to drive to the location anyways. Walked in with my trade-in and the man behind the counter looked over and gave an exaggerated expression like he was overwhelmed. There were only like 5 people in the store. I asked to trade in my items and the man groaned and snapped at me that that it is going to be a while while gesturing to the one person in line and the couple of people just looking around. Another employee came over and looked in the trade-in box and said it will be a while, I told him it's not a big deal I wanted to look around the store and shop anyways, he takes my ID card and the other guy asks me if it can just be a drop off because they have one trade in front of mine. I told him I live 30 minutes away so it would be another hour of my time and I don't mind waiting. He then got an attitude and starting telling me that they are super busy and the guy before me traded in a bunch of controllers that they have to test and that my trade-in will have to be a drop off. I just took my items and left instead. It's a shame because a year ago when I came to this store the customer service was very good. read more

Looked through a lot of the gaming stores in the area and this one had the best selection on Nintendo stuff. Pricing seemed a little high but helpful staff 5/5 read more

This place is a huge rip off. Beware gamers, these folk are trying to sell you games at almost 110% over regular price. Any game you can find here, you can find online 5x cheaper than this rip off. Avoid this store at all costs. Nothing good or worth buying here. read more

I purchased a wired Hyperkin controller for the Series X/S roughly a month and a half ago, which seemed like a solid piece of software that I was actually satisfied with for the most part. Well the right trigger crapped out on me just the other day (mind you I take good care of my electronics) not even a full two months of use. I'd expect at least half a year out of a $30 product, and of course they couldn't do anything for me since they have a 14 day return policy. Now I'm s.o.l. with two flawed controllers, safe to say I won't be returning to this location again. I really miss the owners from 10+ years ago. read more

This shop will scam you. Return policy is absolutely absurd. 1 day to return. We got some store credit so we will have to be back but I would advise to find another store to get your new or retro games. The guy that was working kept telling me to Facebook message the owner but didn't have the balls to contact him hisself. Service was garbage. They have the games but it just seems like they are trying to rope people into getting store credit so they have to go to this scam to get their games. They don't care about the people at all just about money. read more

I feel conflicted leaving this review as I have been a customer at this store for 12 years, in that time I have seen the store change hands in ownership as well as go through several renovations. Hearing of the latest renovation is what brought me in today. I have to admit that I was impressed at the changes made, the store is much better lit the placement of games flowed better and items were much easier to find overall. It is however once you find an item your looking for where the problems arise. If nothing stores who use a pricing structure like Fair Game become one of the strongest arguments for emulation. I say this without being a PC owner. The pricing here can be described as predatory at best. Of course there are other options out there, eBay is no secret nor is facebook marketplace where you can and will eventually find the same item in similar condition at a lower price. The ones that I feel more deeply affected by such aggressive pricing is the younger generation. Gone are the days of them coming into a game store to find a hidden gem or a new favorite at a fair price. Overall I feel that these prices are reflective to what has become a rather toxic collector culture which allows places to exist, although on the same note places like these also exacerbate the problem. As I walked through the store I felt very much of what the store has lost, the store has lost its warmth. In its place is a brightly lit sterile feeling store which feels much more like a boutique than a used video game store. I hate to say that this will most likely have been my last trip to Fair Game. I hope that they become more flexible in their pricing because it is difficult to envision how they will be able to maintain in the current market. I hope Fair Game will be able to adapt and be around for a long time because for the culture of gaming it is important to have brick and mortar store such as this for a sense of community and tangible copies of games still have a place in the gaming landscape. However Marvel Vs Capcom 2 on the PlayStation 2 should never be nearly $30 more than a newly released next gen console. I do wish Fair Game the best of luck. I will miss what you once were. read more

As a retro collector, this place hurts my soul. The prices are terribly high compared to current Ebay sales. Their trade in values are horrible, and the staff seems a little unfriendly. We have gone a few times because we thought it was the only retro store close by but started to visit 1-Up Retro on J st instead! What a night and day difference. The prices at 1-Up are perfect and the staff is amazing. Definitely recommend you stop going to UNFAIR GAME, and visit 1-Up instead! read more

Are Fair Game's prices...fair? Sorry bad joke =). I visited this place for the first time and it was a very clean store and the employees were very welcoming. I enjoyed browsing the various games for sale. They even had the original Nintendo hooked up for Duck Hunt free to play! If you are looking for games that are on the rarer or expensive side, this place may have them, but be prepared to pay a lot for them. I purchased a few Xbox games and they were reasonably priced. I love visiting retro gaming stores and love that this one is in our community. read more

Amazing selection of games. Most prices are on point with what price charting would have. Staff is great too read more

Fair Game Retro Video Games - Christmas gift for my friend - Video Game Stores Near Me - Carmichael, California

They never buy like they advertise. They are crooks and their prices are way too high. Go to fire and ice in Rocklin. They are in a cleaner place and workers are nice there and you don't have to deal with their rats and homeless people and rude lying workers. read more

I received my PS3 console today super clean condition but the prior owner was not deleted and as I was setting up my personal system it crashed overheated and burned couldn't even play a game at least Walmart accepts in store returns read more

Very helpful staff, inventory is great and it's ORGANIZED so you don't spend all day looking for things. They had what I was after at a fair price, will be back again. read more

I wanted to like Fair Game since retro game stores are rare in Sacramento, but the games are overpriced. I've been to Fair Game once before last year and recently came back to see if the store was better, long story short it's not. I know how much some of the games I saw are worth, but the price of the games are just as bad if not worse than ebay scalpers at Fair Game. This is never a good sign and shows how little whoever runs the store cares about selling games for a fair price. Also worth considering the fact I was not looking for rare games. Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2005) for example, is one of the best selling Star Wars games and not worth over 40$ used on Xbox. Doesn't help that the overpriced games are often not in very good condition anyways. If I wanted to buy games for ebay prices, I would buy games from ebay not Fair Game. Because of this I have no good reason to come back. The only good thing I can say about the store is that I had some fun playing House of the Dead 2 and Metal Slug. The main reason Fair Game has been praised is because retro game stores are uncommon in Sacramento. This is why I wanted to write a honest review, we need better retro game stores in Sacramento. We don't need another store that relies on ebay scalpers to price games. If you're looking for a retro game store in Sacramento, keep looking. Because Fair Game is not the place to buy games for a fair price. read more

Very unwelcoming staff and bad prices. It's a shame how this is constantly raved about when I've only had bad experiences. Staff never seems to want to talk about anything, it's almost as if they go into the back and hide. Prices are also egregious. Their trade in process isn't great either, went in with a large stack to trade in and they denied half of it, saying "we have too many of these in stock." The stuff they did take they offered me less than 5 cents per game. Not recommended. read more

I took some game there some of the games were not worth much but to were not even open bran new and they will turn around and make a mint this place used to be good I guess times have change for the worst read more

This shop is my local go to. They have a great website for those that aren't really comfortable with in person shopping at the moment due to covid. or if you want to make it minimal, you can order what you need online for in store pick up. The team at Fair Game loves what they do, and are always willing to help the customer find what they are looking for. read more