I have been going here for over five years now and the place just makes me want to keep coming back. The staff is very knowledgeable and even though they have so much on display, you can order items through them if they are missing something you want. I can easily spend a few hours here just looking at everything they have. I travel allot of business and everywhere I go I try to visit at least one game shop while I'm there. This place is always that one I compared the other game shops to. In terms of selection, knowledge of the staff, and gaming space Gamekastle is by the best one I've been to. read more

Over charged me for a box set of iconic masters. On Amazon the box set is $130 and I was charged $200. To make matters worse, the entire experience was awful as Two trainees struggled to complete the purchase. read more

This is a hidden gem! that too in a very hidden neighborhood. If you love board games you should totally visit this hobby shop! Their games are a bit overpriced ($10-$25) per game but I consider it as a way to support them in their unique effort. Check out their game rooms. Go their on Wednesday..chances are you won't even find parking. Great effort people! read more

SO AMAZING. Huge selection on many, many categories, nice and clean, and best of all--super friendly and brilliant staffs, extremely helpful and passionate. I've been to many board game/hobby shops and they usually have one or two dudes sitting at the counter reading his own manual or painting his own pieces without caring much, but this place totally OWNS! I do wish they could have a cheaper pricing instead of full MSRP on most of the games, but everything else they have makes up for it. They even got a reward program! This is indeed the place, and almost the only place I would go to from now on. Keep it up guys! read more

Solid local gaming store. Don't shop here expecting the kind of discounts you can find online. However, if like me, you have your days where you must have that particular game NOW, want to actually touch the paints & minis before you buy them, need some hard-to-find games, or have other excuses why ordering online doesn't work that particular day - Game Kastle is a great place to go. They're knowledgeable, personable, and female friendly. read more

I started shopping here a couple weeks ago, and my wallet already feels lighter (in a good way)! Every area needs a good nerd store, and Game Kastle fills the role admirably. They've got a huge board/card game selection - ranging from the old German-style wargames to their modern equivalent - and enough tabletop RPG books to keep anyone busy for weeks. They're not exactly a superstore, but the staff seems friendly enough that they'd be able to get anything you'd like into the store on order. What's also cool is if they don't have something, they'll take your name and call you to let you know when it's arrived at the store. read more

Its a game store... with minis and dice... I am a fan. I used to buy at Legends gamies - but the owner decided to lay off the good personable staff and keep the idiots who hound you if you want to just browse. I like to sift through the endless walls of minis. I usually don't know what I want, but I will know when I find it. Game Kastle on the other hand is very nice. I especially like the reduced priced minis with missing parts. I buy these to build a frankenstein monster mini. It takes a lot of putty, but I usually end up with crazy creations without paying the full price for minis. Did I mention dice? because they have cats eye, amethyst, silver, copper, brass, bone... they are a bit overpriced, But I guess if you are really a fan then nothing is REALLY overpriced if you are willing to pay for it read more

I am very new to the world of tabletop gaming and was a bit apprehensive about asking for help. I am so glad that I found Game Kastle! They had hundreds of games in stock and the guys who worked there were very friendly and extremely knowledgeable. I gave them a super vague description of what I was looking for and I was promptly taken on a 15 minute tour of several great games that might fit my needs. Amazing customer service! My friend and I ended up leaving with a game each and they were both fantastic. I look forward to visiting again soon. read more

I haven't purchased anything from this store other than sodas and snacks so I don't know much about that aspect of it, competitive pricing, returns, etc. But what I do know is that staff is pretty helpful and knowledgeable. They seem more specialized to games compared to other hobby shops that happen to sell games but are more focused on other areas. If you're looking for board or card games, it has the largest selection that I have seen in the South Bay. Overall I love how they go about doing their business, not only do they sell the products but they offer a place for people to play. Other shops should learn from them. The reason why I don't goto other shops is because they simply are there to push boxes (sell product) and in most cases the staff aren't too knowledgeable about the games. They may know Magic The Gathering and the more common ones. But that should be expected for any shop dealing in trading card games. If I am going to plop down $40-80 of my hard earned money I'd like a good idea of what I am getting myself into. Their staff seem to do a pretty good job and chances are there is someone in the back playing the game you're interested in. If they don't know they'll be honest with you, there are thousands of games out there you would be hard pressed to find anyone that has played every single one. If you want to know about a game before hand check out the boardgamegeek.com which is a huge database/forum of gamings talking about various games. But going back to what I said earlier alot of other shops are setup to just push boxes and if that's the case most people would rather go online and get a better deal. With this place they're also providing a pretty good service for gamers so I think it's worth spending a few extra bucks to support them. They always host different events for various genres which offers opportunities for people to see and learn new games. They also do tournaments for the more dedicated players and people that want a challenge. Other stores usually just cater to Magic The Gathering, this store offers a mix. A big barrier for any type of card/board game is that people just can't find people to play with or they're tired of playing the same people. They have two back areas where people can play, one is like an open area where anyone can play and another is for their tournaments which they close off during tournament play but I think during their game night the entire thing is open. Every week on Wednesday they host a game night where anyone can stop by to play games, you're also encouraged to come in and bring your own board games. Most people there are pretty friendly and are pretty welcoming to new comers. Check their website for hosted events, they hold something every day. They also keep the back area opened for people to play even though the store side is closed down. My only complaint is that the back area could use better ventilation some times that room can smell like orc when it gets crowded but for a free service, I can accept it. read more

Best game shop in town...The staff are all very nice and helpful, their selection is top-notch, their gaming rooms are nice (for a game store, that is...I wouldn't want to live there when the place is packed with sweaty gamer dudes like me. :^) Trick for newbies, go east on Newhall and enter the driveway right after the gas station. It's tricky to find the first time. read more

So this place has moved, if you didn't realize. It's right across from Costco on Coleman Ave. And so far it's still the same place, only bigger. Huge selection, knowledgeable people. For the uninitiated, it's a gaming store that carries a lot of table top rpgs, miniatures, and board games. So anything that requires gathering a bit of people in one room. Check it out if you are king nerd and secure in your own nerdness. read more

I'd bought from them when they'd set up in the dealer room at KublaCon a couple years back, but I didn't become a regular at their store until my boyfriend had me join his Vampire game, which we occasionally run in their open gaming space. Their staff is always amazingly helpful and super nice. It's always refreshing to find a retail place that manages to attract and retain people like that. ^_^ read more

This place's inventory is mostly composed of board games. Everything here is priced at list price, but was 10% off during Black Friday weekend. They did not carry the game we were looking for, though, so we had to resort to buying it from Amazon. The staff was nice when we impulse bought a game even though it was heavily marked down off the list price. They are overly social, so the more talkative member of our party handled the transaction. They have a 50% off bargain bin as well, but nothing in it was particularly interesting. read more

Very friendly game store, with a large game room and a good variety of miniatures to choose from - they even stock some 28mm historical, which can be pretty hard to find these days. 19Feb08 - I've upped my rating to 5 stars, as this place seems to keep getting better and better read more

Game Kastle is a bit of a drive from where I live or I would go there more often. This is about the only place in the South Bay where I even try to go looking for most of the games I am interested in. I highly recommend you a) check out boardgamegeek and b) go pick up some of the highly rated games (in your category of interest) from Game Kastle. Others have mentioned the calendar of events - it's on their website, so check it out if you're interested in leagues or tournaments. I think it's especially cool that they have demo events (on Saturdays per the calendar). read more

I went here for the first time today and was really impressed with the selection they have. The amount of miniatures was staggering. The staff was helpful and friendly. While Game Kastle is a long drive from Emeryville, I will probably be there once or twice a month. My only criticism was that there selection of modern-day miniatures was nonexistent. If they could add some post-WW2 miniatures, I could see myself spending a lot of money here! read more

I preordered a product from them that took a bit to get in. It was at a discount so it seemed awesome. I checked up with them several times while everything was being sent out and they assured me that things were fine and I would get my product *eventually*. After an extra month after the shipping should have been in they finally decided to check on things and admitted that they could not get my product. Offered a refund or store credit and I opted for the refund. I almost missed out on my product because they couldn't be bothered to pick up a phone. Thankfully my LGS had one left for me. I would have let this go without comment, since the refund was quick...but apparently they have not let anyone else know what was happening. I had to let some guy on reddit know that he was not going to receive what he was promised. Who knows how many other people are waiting. I guess when something looks too good to be true it often is. read more

My boyfriend and I came here on Valentine's Day to buy a new board game to play together... and I was wowed! Great selection (I kid you not, shelves and shelves of games), friendly employees, and a rewards program that gives back the more money you spend. At first I was very confused by the layout of the board games section - they seemed to be in alphabetical order by section, but I couldn't figure out what the sections were - until I found some signs at the front of each row, almost hidden by other board games and things. Inside is clean, and off to the right there seemed to be a separate room that I believe is used for weekly board game nights. Small parking lot but there is a Costco across the way, so... We ended up purchasing Power Grid and weren't able to find a copy of Twilight Struggle, but the guy at the cash register kindly offered to place it on reserve for us if we wanted. I'd definitely come here again. Even though neither of us were board game veterans we were made to feel very welcome. It's such a pleasure being able to explore and see the variety of great games that are available here. read more

I've seen better, but not often, and anyplace that's this friendly, clean, and well-stocked is tops. We were asked if we wanted help twice (once each by two staff which is perfect). They had a bunch of boardgames and a pretty respectable collection of miniatures, plus collectible card games behind the counter. There was a bunch of Pokemon (tournament?) going on in the side room, and everyone in there was being good competitors, i.e., a good environment for gaming. They even had air-conditioning that was keeping the place pleasant even though it was 90 outside and that side room was packed with people. The only downside is that it really just isn't big enough. Yes, they've got several tables in that side room, but I'm sure they run into space issues for tournaments. And it's not quite possible for two people to browse in the same aisle of boardgames just due to the lack of elbow room. read more

This place as well as the Game Kastle in Fremont is probably the best for finding the board game that you are looking for. They have a great inventory of games that will suit any gamer from the family type games to the top tiered board games on board game ranking sites. They open late so my friends and I enjoy swinging by to look around on Friday nights after a late dinner. They also have a separate room where you can play games with other people if you are in the mood for that. I only removed one star because there always is some sort of smell in the store that I am unsure where its from. I recommend more ventilation in the building if possible. Otherwise, excellent store! read more

TLDR: Lot's of games, very very friendly and helpful staff. I went here with a group of friends, we went in to look around for a bit to pass the time before going to get milk tea. There were a lot of games there, so we asked the person behind the counter if he knew of any good two player co-op games for me and my boyfriend. He was extremely helpful and enthusiastic, he showed us a few of the games that they had in stock and gave us a pretty detailed summary of what type of people each group caters to. After he exhausted his knowledge of co-op games, he went to get a co-worker who he said knew more about those type of games. He was also very informative and helpful. You could tell they were really interested in what they were selling because he kept remembering more games that we might like and showing us more and more. This is a great place to go if you want to explore some new games. The huge selection, coupled with extremely helpful and knowledgeable staff, will ensure that you find something cool to play with your friends. we live an hour away so we probably wont have a chance to go there much, but if I'm ever in the area I will definitely drop by to see what new game I can find. read more

Great place to pick up board and card games if you're the type that does dinner parties and game nights with friends. These aren't your traditional Monopolys and Scrabbles - they're cooler! I usually give these as gifts. Guillotine is a card game that's great for small or even big groups (when I play with my friends, we end up playing in teams because we have so many people). Every person I have ever introduced to this game ends up buying their own. I also really love Pandemic - which is a collaborative not competitive game (it's a game where you work with all the other players to win). Ask any of the employees for recommendations - they're usually quite helpful. Actually, other customers in the store are also great sources for recs. read more

I started my hobby life here little over a year ago. The staff are nice and very helpful, their selection of games, figures,paints and accessories are incredible! I spent more money here than I should admit, I always stop by when I'm in the bay and I'll be coming here for years to come. read more

Great service great atmosphere great prices. There was soo many board games here, I loved their selection. The workers there were very friendly and made my experience great, I knew I had to get something before I left :) read more

This is the best store for role-playing games in the San Francisco Bay Area. They have the largest selection and often have in stock what can only otherwise be acquired online. They also have an extensive selection of board games. The staff has great knowledge of the game industry. This is not a place for collectibles or electronic games, but in role-playing and esoteric board games, they can't be beat. Check them out at http://www.gamekastle.com/ read more

There are a ton of games. The selection is impressive. I picked up the sold out expansion to Battle of Five Armies so that was a nice find. They have a whole section devoted to complex games. Of course they also have low complexity to moderate complexity. It would be 5 stars if there was sufficient gaming space at the location I visited. I was told by the employee there are two other locales. The help was very friendly. I enjoyed my visit. read more

I'm so happy this store is around and operating. The staff is ALWAYS helpful and friendly. They make solid recommendations after getting to know what you like. I've been to other game shops in the bay and this will always be my first go to. I will gladly continue to shop here and buy local.They are also taking safety precautions regarding COVID-19 seriously. read more

If I died and went to gamer heaven, it would probably look quite a bit like this store. Whenever we are in the Bay Area, it is inevitable that my boyfriend and I will end up visiting here. There are gamebooks and boardgames a plenty and enough war gaming bits, bases, and conversions to make a wargamer dissolve into a puddle of happiness. An example of available brands include Cool Mini or Not, Foundry, and Micro Art Studios pieces. They also have a large play area in the back for tabletop RPGs and wargaming. The staff is incredibly helpful and I cannot say enough good things about them. Coming to mind, I forget his name, but one guy has a British accent and spend quite a few minutes helping my boyfriend and I with some Warmachine figures we wanted to be Death Cult Assassins for Grey Knights. They also run a booth at Kublacon which truly is a treat to traipse around. Again, a heaven for gamers especially of the wargaming variety how I wish I could give you 6 or 7 stars instead of 5! read more

Been here twice in about 6 months...both times staff were extremely helpful...big shout out to SUZIE and SARAH..helped me out with Fluxx variants...also previously Satah helped me with Cthulhu Gloom and talked me into the add on module!.. Seriously..great people with great attitudes always genuinely willing to listen and help!.. I wish I had a bigger budget I would definitely upgrade into the higher tier of rewards program... read more

Great local board games/miniature/collectible card game shop. Prices are usually about amazon (for collectable card games) or a touch higher (board games), but that's life these days. Knowledgeable staff who are willing to give recommendations (I had one walk around the shop with me, pointing out games I might consider based on a specific set of criteria) without being pushy. I'll definitely be buying a lot of things here when I can. read more

My inner geek isn't so inner any more. I told my bf that in going here, it wasn't just about becoming a geek, but developing another geek domain of mine. First music geek, definitely an info geek (duh, I'm a librarian), and now a gaming geek? Well, we shall see. I found some needed equipment for rolling--Chris found some new tools for working on his miniatures. We both had to look at each other and try not to laugh out loud when overhearing commentary by other customers in the store very telling of their geekdom. And our cashier just rocks, because she revealed to me she's in library school! Awesome for many sorts of gaming and supplies you may need, including a few sweets and munchies if you really must get your game on right away and forgo the grocery store. May the geekdom roll! read more

Game Kastle is a great local game store that has a wide selection of expansion sets and stand alone games. I mainly come in to check out the X-Wing miniatures selection (and play mats in the back), but also enjoy browsing the aisles. They have a TON of Warhammer, Magic, and other miniature painting supplies. The store has lots of game nights for different games and has all that info on their website. They also offer a rewards program (free to sign up) that tracks how much you spend and gives back rewards. They have a small shelf on the right as you enter the store that has 50% off Mark downs. The sales staff behind the counter are helpful and friendly. If you are a South Bay gamer, you should definitely come check this place out. read more

I'm not actually sure what is going on here, but it's a happening spot. They used to be located in Santa Clara off bascom behind a rotten robbie, but they expanded exponentially to a warehouse location across from the santa clara costco. I don't play card/role playing games, but the employees are really nice and they attract a wide age and gender range to their game tables, it's packed here on a Saturday. read more

This is my new favorite Hobby shop! We'd just come from a nearby store and the difference in friendliness and service level was so drastic. Kevin and James are the best! I'm a complete n00b to magic and they were so helpful, kind, and non condescending. They had great advice for a starting player like me, and it everyone who was rung up by them left happy. This place has some loyal customers. I will return!! read more

Great place! Lots of board and miniatures games. Tons of open gaming space. Friendly and helpful staff.

They have a large selection of board games, miniatures, and other game related things. Oh if you don't see it something you want, check with one of the employees there, they have the rest of their stuff in the back. They're open until late (10pm). They have gaming events there which is awesome! The employees are super helpful and nice! read more

Susan kindly greeted me and helped me to assess the cost of more than a dozen Pokemon card singles that they were selling. She probably spent 20 minutes or more helping me check the prices and ended up giving me a great deal. She talked a lot about the Prerelease they were holding in the upcoming week and the otherwise weekly Pokemon meets where I can find cards for my collection. I highly recommend Game Kastle and the friendly staff. read more

What other place would let you bring your own food+bev into the store... and play your own games? (Imagine doing this at ToysRUs). These guys are dedicated to your fun! When I asked about a hot title, they called me back twice - once they had a shipment (but it was already all pre-sold) and again the next day as they got more. Instead of buying over the internet, come here and support the local game store. You'll leave happy. read more

Game Kastle is every board game lover's heaven on earth! They have an amazing collection of games that suits every players need. Unfortunately, there is almost a $10-$15 difference between GK and Amazon. For this reason, they lose one star. read more

The staff was very helpful and knowledgeable, the store is also really well stocked which is a great convenience since I live about 35 miles away so going to them isn't the most convenient thing for me but they are the best game shop and will be my main shop because of there excellent customer service attention to detail and well stocked shelves. read more