GameStop is reopening some of the hundreds of stores it has closed in recent years

It’s game on for GameStop, once again.

Some shuttered locations are reopening with the first confirmed store at 4756 Ridge Road in Brooklyn, Ohio, a company spokesperson told The Independent Friday.

“As for the rest, stay tuned,” the spokesperson added.

The confirmation comes after GameStop, which became a symbol of the 2021 meme-stock craze, announced last week that some stores would begin reopening September 11.

The retailer has not released a complete list or number of locations set to return. As of January 27, 2026, there were 2,086 GameStop stores in the U.S., according to data company ScrapeHero.

The store reopenings come about nine months after GameStop announced plans to close locations across several states as part of its efforts to cut costs and adjust to changing shopping habits.

While GameStop did not release a complete list of stores slated for closure in January, local media reports and customer notices indicated that locations in Ohio, Illinois, New York, Kansas, Kentucky, Connecticut and Minnesota were among those that had either closed or were preparing to shut down.

The closures followed GameStop’s downsizing efforts, which resulted in 590 U.S. stores closing during the company’s 2025 fiscal year, which ended January 31, 2026, according to Fast Company. GameStop said the closures were part of a “store portfolio optimization review.”

In a December SEC filing, GameStop also said it planned to close a “significant number” of additional stores during the fiscal year.

The reopenings come as GameStop’s top executives invest in the company and the retailer continues shifting its business toward collectibles. CEO Ryan Cohen bought 1 million shares of GameStop stock September 10, paying an average of about $20.38 per share, Fox Business reports.

The purchase was worth about $20.4 million, according to federal filings cited by the outlet. GameStop board member Alain Attal also bought 5,000 shares that day, worth about $100,000.

Meanwhile, collectibles are becoming a bigger part of GameStop’s business. Trading cards and other collectibles made up 45.1 percent of the company’s sales in its most recent quarter, up from about 29 percent in fiscal 2025, per Fox Business. Collectibles sales were also 57 percent higher than they were during the same quarter a year earlier.

GameStop’s stock has remained volatile since its explosive rise in 2021 and has never returned to the highs reached during the meme-stock frenzy. Over the past year, the company’s shares have fallen about 36 percent, according to Fast Company.

GameStop became one of the biggest names of the 2021 meme-stock boom after everyday investors, many of them organizing on Reddit’s r/WallStreetBets, helped push its stock from less than $20 to more than $480 at its peak.

The dramatic rise was fueled in part by a short squeeze, which put pressure on hedge funds that had bet the stock would fall. Elon Musk also helped draw attention to GameStop with a tweet about the company. The sudden surge led to trading halts, major losses for some investors and scrutiny of how the stock market operates.

The frenzy eventually prompted congressional hearings and renewed debate over market rules and the role of retail investors.

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