Previously went to their other location, which I assume is the first and was recommended to go to…read morethis one if I wanted to get repairs done to consoles I had. Which is exactly what I did. Brought in my old GBA SP which had a busted screen, I've watched videos on how to fix it, but wanted to also swap out the shell. So after countless videos of people saying the trickest part is the hinges, I figured it was best left for the professionals. I also wanted to mod the GBA SP charging port to a USB-C but with Eli's insight, replacing the screen with an IPS and upgrade to USB-C it would probably be better to just buy an entirely new Modded GBA SP. So I just stuck with the shell swap and new IPS screen. We ordered the parts from Ebay as he showed me what was available on 3/28/2026 and called me 4/9/2026 to let me know it was ready for pick up so roughly a 3 week turn around since he had to wait for the parts to be delivered. Finally had it back in my hands and it was beautiful, 15 settings on the brightness and it opened and close with those satisfying clicks the OEM came in. Couldn't be happier, I will say the buttons do rotate when I'm gaming a little too hard, but nothing like rotating them back into their place fixes it. As for the shop itself, BEAUTIFULY CLEAN, it's spotless and they really make this place feel like gamer heaven. All the games in the store were in their respective locations and you had no issues finding what you wanted. (Unless it was in a container with no label)

Such a cool find! I love me a retro game shop so I can drown in all the nostalgia. So many to look…read moreat here, I can easily spend hours looking at games and probably go home broke. The owner is super helpful and chill. We came with some games we were thinking of getting and found them all. I even found games I forgot I loved so much. I think their price is fair, better than getting stuff online. I also love that they will clean disk for you for free and have the 2 week return policy. I got a FFIX game and it wasn't working and I got to return it no problem and got a replacement. I was also having issues with my PS1(that I have had for a very long time) and was told pretty much it's too expensive to fix and better retire it. They didn't try to sell me another one because they said it will have the same issues in the future. I also didn't know PS2 and PS3 is backwards compatible to PS1. Saved me some money. lol I also found out the shop owner used to own Retro Rewind in Milpitas which I also frequent before. Anyway definitely stop by if you are into the retro games (or games in general) this place is super well stocked!

Super helpful. Extremely nice and knowledgeable employee…read more Excellent experience and he spent a lot of time trying to fix a piece of equipment for us free of charge Highly recommend!!!

Great collection of older gaming systems. Plenty of games to choose from depending on your console…read more I got a Wii + 5 games for around $110! The owner is extremely kind, helpful, and you can tell he shares the excitement with the customers. I'll definitely be back.

Bought a "refurbished" DS here for my kid's Christmas present here Dec. 2025 (and a bunch of other…read morevintage consoles and games over the years). Seemed to work fine to me, but my kid found a problem with the contrast and/or screen when he tried to play Christmas morning. We took it back to the location on Campbell Ave where I bought it. Showed the manager/owner and provided receipts. He said they would fix the DS because it was sold "refurbished." He said it would be ready in a few weeks, after the new year, and took my contact into. Never heard back. Called the store after the first month came and went. No answer. Months go by and my kid keeps asking about it. I keep calling the location but then I read on their instagram that the shop is permanently closed. But they they're still doing business online. So I reach out to their instagram and email the address on their Shopify, where in fact they are now selling a metallic blue DS, just like the one I bought in December! Still no reply. Hope to hear back now that I'm posting about this problem.

What a gem! These guys are why we all love to support small businesses! My son was able to get…read moreanime comic books at a great deal here. The sweetest part about this shop is how there are many arcade machines for kids (of all ages) to play with. They've got a deal where you pay by the hour or buy an all day pass. They've got a section in the back for group gaming too! Bring the kids for a few hours on the weekend or before summer is over.

I was worried going in, because 1.) I have a very low opinion of the current culture surrounding…read moreretro gaming, collecting, and reselling. It's really disgusting how 80% of people in the hobby are larping manchildren that are no better than TCG resellers. 2.) I find that retro game shops across the US are generally really terribly ran with insane pricing, dirty interiors, bad selection, and rude staff. I'm happy to say that Gameshop Downstairs is the SOLE EXCEPTION. Their staff are very polite and genuinely want to help you find what you're looking for, even when swamped with customers on a busy day. Their selection is unlike anything I have seen in any game shop in the entire NorCal region, especially for late 2000s-2010s era games such as Wii, DS, and 3DS. I also appreciate that they have a wide selection of DVDs and BluRays - old anime, movies, and cartoons alike. They even regularly stock CRTs, and while a bit expensive, they do in fact sell at fair market price. On that note, their pricing is extremely fair, and even the more contentious pricing I saw was actually on the dot with fair market pricing when checking online. Even if some things are slightly marked up, I think they easily make up for it with the sheer amount of stuff they carry. I can't emphasize enough how good their collection is, I spent a whole hour here. The museum is really cool too. The mix of 80s-90s and 2000s-2010s gear made it a perfect trip for my Dad & I, since that represents the generations of technology we grew up with respectively.

Freaking amazing I love this shop! There's so much cool shit they have in store-South Park VHS…read moretapes, old-school movies and games, awesome case with the Power Glove and other Nintendo stuff!!! Anthony is very knowledgeable and helpful and so his is his wife. One of my favorite places on East Santa Clara st. I recommend everyone to visit this shop when they're in San Jose

Very knowledgeable and Dope collective and distributer of comics and Gamez …read more Feel free to visit if your a fan collector or a _________ , Supervillain . No capes allowed P.S. Athello Gamez and fam

Every single person who works here is professional, helpful and kind. They have helped me and…read moreordered out of print stuff and are super responsive and polite. I pick my comics up there every week. It is rad!

My favorite board game shop!! Whenever I travel, I try to check out all the board game shops I can,…read moresince they're so few and far between. Illusive is just unmatched. The customer service, the vibe, and the selection are all sooo good. I got into board games about a year ago, and discovering that you can play games for free in-store or rent from their huge selection for a small fee was a game changer. It really helped me and my partner figure out what kinds of games we liked before committing to a purchase. Every time I'm in, or whenever I have questions, the employees are so accommodating and kind. You can tell they genuinely know their stuff about every game they carry. They're also dog friendly, inclusive, creating a really welcoming community that i really appreciate!

I moved from Sacramento to Santa Clara recently for work. This store has the largest space I've…read moreseen for players in Santa Clara (from what I've seen) whether it's tabletop or to play a card game. I came in an hour before closing. As soon as I walked in, I was immediately greeted. They asked if I was looking for anything and was shown to the card sleeve section. I've been to multiple stores that specialize in cards. Why was this the ONLY place where I found a large assortment of card sleeves for players!! Lol I met Anna(?) or Ann, and customer service was amazing, gave all information I was asking for, and showed me the weekly schedule. I am more of a mega competitive player (but not a sore winner ;-)), so I wanted to know what their schedule looked like, what is their most supported game, etc. I believe this is a more chill, casual, friendlies kind of vibe (not a bad thing at all), and I'd be open to doing more drafts or pre-release kits or something. Hoping to bring in my coworkers and friends! I can tell that they care very much about making sure they can support their community and create an inclusive and healthy space. Masks are not a big deal for me, they're effective especially nowadays with allergies, new viruses, whatever lol Lots of different card games in stock and tabletop games for rent, a cute dog and a big space for players.. but what really made things great was speaking with Al about Witch Hat Atelier. I've been to a lot of comic book stores, and I'll see the "Favorite Picks", but that's about it. Al and I talked about it, we went through the art, explained the intro, and it really brought me in. Al's passion for stories really made me want to look at this series. I didn't buy it, but I can honestly say that I'd love to come back to the store to find out what the next big thing is Al will share with me. I can sense that these folks are passionate, accommodating, and personable. Hoping for further successes!

I am far removed from being a teen but came here since I was looking for a gift for one. There were…read moresome very interesting anime related items and fun tshirts. Cool store overall.

I appreciate the rising number of anime stores showing up in the Bay Area. I always have a fun time…read morebrowsing these types of stores for the figures, keychains, and other merchandise. They tend to focus on the most popular anime obviously (think One Piece, Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, etc.). I haven't bought anything recently because I'm particular about the blind boxes that I buy and I haven't seen anything I really liked yet, but I will always stop by the store and get my anime fix. They also have some shirts in the back as well.

Lovely place; good service and they accept games for resale so I'll definitely be coming back and…read moretrading off some of my childhood collection. Understandably, mostly cards. I didn't know One Piece had cards so that was cool to see. Accessories for Switch, GameBoy, DS Lite, etc. There were a lot of people in the store so I didn't take many pictures this time around. Reasonably priced from what I could see.

I started collecting Pokémon cards around 6-7 weeks ago and CardArt has been such a safe,…read morewelcoming, and warm space where I can go to organize my binders and grow my collection. It can get very busy in the evenings after people get off work and due to playing card events, but looking past that, I think it comes to show that it's a space for community to come together to enjoy and appreciate Pokémon cards, Magic, Yu-gi-oh, etc together! I have asked the staff numerous questions about cards in general because I was coming into the hobby without very much knowledge, but they have been so patient and kind. The card values are also competitive and affordable - great place to visit to get yourself specific single cards for your collection. they also have lots of cute trinkets and knick knacks to peruse through as well. I got a really cute Miffy license plate frame from here as well. Anyway, great space, thank you for being here and being a part of my recent quiet time routine. Can't wait to see the space grow and change in the coming years too.