Great store with great people.They stock a wide range of games and puzzles for gamers of all experience and interest levels. If youd like to come check out games still in development, designers bring in games to test play on Wednesday nights. Highly recommend!

A really positive environment with great staff who are very knowledgeable-- and when a staff member doesnt know something, they tell you so instead of guessing. Every game theyve recommended has been a hit with my friends :]They also have a really comprehensive selection of figure paints at a shockingly affordable price!! Even had the hard to find colors in stock!

Great experience. Staff was very knowledgeable and gave some great recommendations! Thanks for the tips on the area.

Frequent events, friendly community, helpful staff. I feel lucky to live near Elm City Games!

Absolute treasure of a store, but also much more than that. It is a social hub, a gaming center, a community, a movement. Praise be they survived the pandemic! The owners are incredibly cool, chill people who love games. Cant recommend them enough. Support them any way you can!

This is easily my favorite game store. The way they do business makes nerd culture feel totally accessible to everyone, especially as a non-white trans person. I got my first set of dice here before covid and had a ton of fun building a dice set from individual dice. There are a ton of options for everything and all the items are very reasonably priced! The employees are always friendly. Elm City is my go to for minis, dice, source books, and all my tabletop needs! Highly recommended!! 🙌🙌🙌

They definitely wear their politics on their sleeve, demand to see your papers for gaming. Will not return.

Lots and lots of games. Person working was very friendly and told us about a few new games based on other games we liked

The staff is incredibly knowledgeable, friendly and kind! I cant recommend this store enough! If you have a chance to check it out you absolutely should!

Search youtube for Magic Stores Re-Sealing ALL the Pre-Release Kits and Hosing Players to see how this store steals from its customers. What a scam. Avoid.

Great staff, Nice roster of events and anall around good community

Scammers....these guys have been busted for resealing Magic Booster packs......low-lifes.

Went to check this place out to look for some different board games for my daughter that you dont see in the big stores. This little gem had a great variety of games from the classics to more unique unknown for kids and adults! They even have a local section! The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. These are the kinda stores we need to support and save during this difficult time! An FYI a customer came in asking if they sell video games and he was very disappointed as I see some reviews follow this too but nowhere online on their website nor anywhere does it say they do, so i suggest you research the kind of store you are going to before you make a negative review for something they never claim to sell. This is a tabletop board game store and they are fantastic!

Great games including some originals developed by the owner. The staff was great explaining how some of the games are played.

Kind of a weird space, but Im just glad a spot for game playing exists. Not too hard to find parking a block away, and elm City games is in the building with the stone facade and then up a flight of stairs. Feels like sort of a co-working space but the staff is friendly and nice and you can buy games or pay 10 bucks for the day to play any games in their library (see pic). Its also BYOB, if youre so inclined!

Elm City Games is the best. All the tips games, plus games from indie and local game makers. And puzzles.

My brother got this card from a pack:

Tons of games to play, helpful staff and great spaces to hang out with friends. Byob is an awesome bonus!

I looked up video game store on the internet and this is what I got, this place dont sell video games, Im looking to buy nes,snes, and sega genesis games, let me guess its just card games and junk like that here

I absolutely love this place. The first time I came here I was worried about not being able to meet anyone who would play on a casual level, but after just one day I realized I was worrying for nothing. On my first night there, I had the best commander experience Ive had so far. The staff are very helpful and friendly. Everyone there was inclusive and the people I played with switched to lower powered decks in order to let me have a fun playing experience too. The space itself is also very neat. It has a really cool game library as well as multiple different playing areas that are all very relaxing and let you focus on the game. They have a plethora of neat events that mostly happen at times convenient for everyone. I could not ask for a better local game store. With helpful and friendly staff, inclusive and friendly players, and an amazing space. I dont see why anyone would not want to come and pay this amazing game store a visit. If you are a new, returning, or experienced player in any of the events that Elm City Games has to offer, or you just want to buy a game, then I could not recommend this place more. After one visit to this place I liked it so much that I went home and wrote this paragraph about how much I liked it. Many other people have written long and detailed reviews on how much they liked it. The bottom line is that if you are looking for a friendly and inclusive game store in the Greater New Haven area, then this should be the number 1 place on your list.

Really cool place. I went in looking for game similar to The Thing board game and the owner was very helpful and knowledgeable. I ended up getting two games based off his recommendation. The store flows super well and makes sense in its layout. I definitely plan on going back.

Best place to play and buy games that Ive ever been to. Comfortable, aesthetically gorgeous, practical and *full* of tabletop games and RPGs. Quiet nooks with large tables, or rooms with several tables. All decorated nicely, lit well and roomy. They let you use any of their D&D books (from advanced to 5e), as well as miniatures and much more. So glad we found it!

Elm City Games has a great selection of games, dice, and models. The employees are very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable about the games they sell.

Ive been going to Elm City Games since February 2018 and am very glad that I found the shop. The community as a whole has been incredibly welcoming and the people there are always willing to teach you if youre unfamiliar with a board game. I also love their take on D&D Adventurers League on Thursdays and Sundays -- I go every week. I also appreciate that the shop is BYOB so I can enjoy ciders with my dice rolling. Thank you ECG!

Elm City has a great library of playables available for free play. Their new location is much more accessible as well, with several new private rooms. I much appreciate the fact that elm city also hosts the new haven game makers guild every month, since its not often you get the chance to playtest brand-new games that havent even been released yet.

Great social scene downtown. Huge supply and inventory. Friendly staff. Clean environment. Cant speak highly enough!

This is part of a concerted effort to attack the store due to false claims online made by people who don’t like our outspoken positions on inclusivity and generally progressive views. The vast majority of these ‘reviews’ aren’t even from people who are anywhere near here, let alone the fact that we don’t even sell MTG singles.

The coolest game store I’ve ever visited. The staff are all super friendly and we played quite a few games. We ended up spending the night in New Haven because we gamed so late. Definitely check it out!

It’s a nice place it’s very pretty, just doesn’t feel like it’s for me as a person of color. I just feel out of place and my interactions with others don’t feel very genuine, hopefully this changes the next time I decide to visit

Elm City Games is one of the best places I have ever been. The staff is amazingly helpful and friendly! If you have questions they will genuinely try to help you- not because it’s their job, but because they love games and their patrons!

This place is so, so good!!! I’ve been to the old location and the new location, and the new one is so much better! Lots of space and different rooms, friendly staff, and overall amazing. Would highly recommend going here if you’re into board games at all!

Elm City Games is a fun place to go for a playful time and good company. There are plenty of different games to choose from, a friendly and helpful staff willing to suggest games and even teach you. Wonderful experience with a group of friends that is memorable and much more fun then a restaurant.

Elm City is the best place to game in the entire Northeast. The staff are all super friendly, incredibly knowledable about games (theyve even designed some really rad ones!), and have a strong focus on running an inclusive space which I really appreciate. They regularly support the community by hosting various types of game nights and even design nights if you fancy crafting your own game. Elm City Games is my second home and I love it.

Loved coming here. The people who work here are the nicest around and so welcoming and lovely. Tons of great games to play, and constantly RPGs or other games you can join in on. They make you feel like family here and I know I’ll be back a ton more

Great local game shop. They have a few tables to play at, and a membership if you want to go regularly, as well as a great selection of modern board games, some tabletop paints, and some other gaming accessories (dice, gaming related puzzles, bags, etc ). All in all, solid place to get your gaming on. Check them out.

Friendly staff and atmosphere. Comfortable space. Lots of games. Highly recommended. They make you feel like a regular even if its your first visit.

Dont listen to these fake politically motivated one star reviews. Unlike those reviewers, Ive been here a few times with my kids and its one of our favorite activities. For half the price of going to the movies you can bring your own snacks and drinks, and play all day. The staff is friendly and inclusive, except to Nazis 👍Just today when we went, we were warmly greeted, offered great suggestions of games to play, and even sat down to teach us the rules. This place is a gem and Ill keep going back.

Elm City Games is one of the true gems of CT and New Haven. They have every board game imaginable for purchase. A great staff to help you find what you need.My favorite though is just going with some friends, paying the low single day fee and playing tons of games. The staff will always help recommend a game if youre looking for something new or dont know where to start.From Magic the Gathering events, to D&D sessions, to awesome events like Fantasticon (a weekend where game developers bring there new unreleased games and you get to beta test them out before everyone) Elm City Games is one of my favorite spots I tell people on and offline that they MUST get down there. Absolutely love them.

The new space on Orange street looks great! Nice retail space and plenty of nooks and crannies to play games. I wish them best of luck!

Staff is awesome and the rates for everything are incredibly reasonable. It is awesome to have somewhere in the area that we can use for game nights!

Reseal all their pre release kits!

Elm city games is a fantastic and welcoming environment for all. It’s hard to find a mix of game enthusiasts, creatives, and open folks - and yet it is possible at Elm City Games. For many “the shop” is a home away from home thanks to the direction of the owners. Five stars!!

Large selection of board games and super chill staff. The D&D scene is really quite big and even though the Magic crowd is smaller, everyone is very casual and friendly. Great shop!

Kind, warm-hearted and fun people! Exactly what you want from a gaming space, with well-apportioned rooms to play, a shop full of fun items, and a gaming library that you literally could spend your entire gaming time in rather than actually playing. Go to this place.

Nothing is better than after a few days of moving here, and getting to find such a wonderful group of people and an amazing place to spend time in.The board game selection is amazingAnd the staff are all so friendlyPlus there’s like no other place I’d rather find friends to play dnd with.See you next week elm city games!

Absolutely amazing place. Not only do the owners and employees put their heart and soul into this business, but the people who come to Elm City Games are amazing as well, which makes for an inviting and fantastic environment. The library of games and retail selection are both extensive, and if you don’t know how to play a game, there’s always someone there to help. Plus, they’re right across the street from Barcade, so the gaming never ends!!

ECG is the best. Full of friendly regulars and run by awesome people. An inclusive place to make friends and play fun games.

This amazing place is my home away from home. It’s so hard for girl gamers to find a space where she can meet cool people and feel welcomed and this is 100% the place for that. A super diverse magic community full of casual and fun players. Come for the mtg stay for the homies!!!

I run D&D games twice weekly here, its a great location and the owners are legitimately very nice people. The store is like a second home and they have a HUGE selection of games for people who arent interested in D&D or Magic, which they also do a lot of. I dont know how the MTG tournaments rate, since I dont play, but everyone -seems- like theyre having a good time.

I love Elm City Games. Their new location is fantastic. It is a welcoming community with a lovely group of people running it. Keep it up!

One of the best places to be in town, and the locus of my second family. If you have anything like an interest in games, come by, make some great friends and learn some new ways to have some fun

Great place for casual MTG playing, very diverse, friendly non-spikey crowd. BYOB which makes for a cheap fun alternate choice than bar hopping. Also recently brought my 5 year old there, and staff hooked us up with free welcome decks so he could start to learn with his own cards. Also theres usually a dog hanging out which makes it even more wonderful. #1 nerd hangout spot in New Haven.

Awesome game shop! Love the atmosphere and the welcoming and accepting vibe. No trip to New Haven is complete without a stop at ECG!

Ive been playing Magic on and off for almost 25 years, and out of all of the shops Ive been to and played at, Elm City Games is by far the best. The players are all likable, welcoming, and all around good people. The owners are inclusive and treat their customers more like friends than open wallets. I highly recommend for Magic, and people playing Dungeons and Dragons and other games seem to have the same experience I have had!

Went to my first Magic Pre- Release this weekend- LOVED Elm City. Nice atmosphere, Trish was great as well as (Craig?). I will definitely be back.

I visited the store recently sand while some of the staff was pleasant one female staff member accused me of stealing because she thought I had been looking at 5 packs of dice but when she looked again there where only four. Conduct like that is frankly unacceptable for a place that’s supposed to be a friendly hang out location. I regret ever going to that store.

Nice friendly store and staff.

Elm City Games is a better center for entertainment and fun than ever before in its new location at 71 Orange Street. Their library of board games and party games, the friendly community, and the variety of weekly programming all make for an amazing place in this wonderful city; go this week! You wont be disappointed!

Elm City Games is a New Haven treasure. Matt, Trisha, Greg and the rest are great people whose love for gaming is evident in everything they do. They’ve built a great community here!

Great space, great staff, friendly to all ages. My org decided to do a game night for our students and they all loved it!

Just an awesome place. Great employees who love their jobs, the hobby and the community.Couldn’t ask for a better place to kill a few hours with some friends.

Great place to get advice on what board games to buy.

Good place to hang out and play board games, especially appreciate their extensive board game library, Ive gotten to try a lot of expensive board games with friends before pulling the trigger to buying them. Community is of all ages and of various interests, I have seen people play magic, casual board games, dnd, hardcore 4+ hour board games, doing puzzles and Ive even seen wargaming being played on occasion. If you live in New Haven (or even nearby) its your hands down best option for a communal place to play anything related to tabletop. Oh... and you can bring your own food and drink!One warning though if its your first time, parking isnt great, but you can easily walk the 1-3 blocks from several of the garages that are nearby.

Fantastic Store, with super friendly people. Tons of fun to play board games, mtg, or just chill with friends. BYOB policy is all really nice.

Im a liberal so their auto response is null and void.

Great spot to either get in game mode or get the components needed for gaming. Awesome folks and a real asset to the community.

Great place for gaming, either to hang out and play from their selection, or purchase for yourself and take home. Pleasent staff, and very knowledgeable.

Not a local to the area, stopped in as a way to kill time. A little hard to find because there isnt a sign in the street, but photos on street view helped. Quant place, clerk was friendly and knowledgeable. Ended up walking out with something I didnt even know I wanted.

Their new location is great. The staff is great. Great products. Party time!

Best game shop I’ve ever played in, especially Magic: the Gathering. Trish and Matt and their staff work hard to make the store a welcoming environment, especially for people who don’t feel safe at other places.

Elm city games has recently moved to a new location- this is my first time here, but I am not impressed (for reasons not relating to the fact they are transitioning). There was a dog that was inside in a public area that was NOT friendly and was GROWLING (not barking) and showing it’s teeth to everyone who walked by. Also it was SO HOT- there was no air conditioning and we were all sweating and uncomfortable. Lastly the parking situation is not good. Parking garages are very far away and street parking impossible.

This is hands down the best board game store and group of people Ive ever met. I now live across the country, but it is the number 1 spot whenever I visit.

Lackluster gaming space. Owner has strong social hang-ups and having a different viewpoint he can be quite aggressive. There are too many better stores in the local area to waste time here...Just because you dont like your negative reviews does not mean there is some sort of concerted effort to attack your store. Grow Up!

They have a great game collection and friendly staff who are always willing to help out. The best part of Elm City Games though is the community. People are welcoming and friendly and you can get people from all walks of life who come together to enjoy great games.

Absolutely love the environment that Matt and Trish have been fostering over the years. Between several Meetups occurring in their space, game nights with friends, and nights dropping in for DnD, Ive never felt anything but gladly welcomed into their community.Theyre my first stop for games (Matt even hooks me up with wholesale board games to donate to women/children shelters around the holidays) and highly recommend them for anyone looking to find a new game. Between their stacks of games for sale, and even more available to play in-store, theyll steer you towards something you and your friends/family will love.

Elm City Games is a great spot for gaming. I play Magic: The Gathering there and its always a treat. There are a good mix of experience levels and everyone is welcoming and fun.

Great local store. Big selection of games, and a nice space to play them too

Lovely people who created a lovely space in which one can play boardgames and hang out with friends. Kudos!!!

Good game store with a fabulous game library available. For a fee for the evening or month, you can play any games you want from the library! Friendly and welcoming atmosphere, come and go, and you are welcome to bring your own food and drink.

Selling resealed packs

Whenever I go through New Haven, I love stopping here. A+, great for families too!

Very cool shop with a good selection of games and friendly staff.

LOVE this place!! Whether you’re a gamer or looking to get a gift for one, ECG is absolutely amazing!

Really chill place with some awesome staff. One of my favorite places to bring friends.

Amazing atmosphere and helpful employees, they have a vast collection of different books and games. They also stock minis for any need. Try one of their game nights. You will not be disappointed

Great vibe and great people. Nothing but acceptance, love, and fun going on here.

Matt is a warm and welcoming person and there is a really well thought out library of games here. Check it this place out for sure.

Helpful staff with quick contact response times and helpful suggestions.

Good folks running the place, good atmosphere. Game store selection itself is a bit limited.I think 4.2 is a reasonable average score, ranking at 5 stars because of the vindictive rankings.

Wonderful staff and amazing events.

Selling resealed prereleases MTG packs. Theyve been exposed before for it. If you wanna lose out on a bunch of money go ahead and buy from them.

Great place to meet up with gamers - staff friendly and helpful -atmosphere welcoming

I love this concept. I went on a lazy Sunday in hopes of finding some good two player games on their library. There value is great, you can either pay by the day or pay for a monthly pass and have access to the space and games. Its also byob/food which is cool, do you can really stay all day playing games. The staff was helpful and friendly but could use some more knowledge of good two player games as I ended up just playing Stratego and connect four.

This is a wonderful game shop that exists in a common area style building and they offer both daypasses and monthly subscriptions. They have an enormous selection of board games you can play in addition to merchandise and gaming events like Magic and D&D.

Lovely place! Nice, approachable employees, huge collection of games, always people to learn a new game with!

I had the pleasure of stopping through here for a Magic: the Gathering draft tournament while in town. Cool little shop with some nice hours for late gaming sessions. Wish the selection was a bit larger.

Big fan! Lovely people! Will definitely come back when Im back in town!

If you love playing board games or fantasy role playing games youve found the right place. Its a byob or bring your own food. They offer drinkware, cutlery and a variety of tea you really cant go wrong. Good times are had especially when you have a bunch of your friends playing with you. Its a great way to meet new people too.

Fun place to hangout. Easy to Iose track of time. I would recommend the place to anyone who enjoys board games.

Great public space for table top gaming. Friendly people, friendly and knowledgeable staff, great selection of games. Did I mention friendly?