GameStop Shocks Gamers With Sudden Closure of 220 Stores; Idaho’s On the List

It’s a big statement to make, but we think we speak for all millennials when we say there was at least one video game system that defined your childhood. For some it was the original Nintendo Entertainment System. Others it was the Sega Genesis. For ‘90s kids, it was either the original Sony PlayStation or the Nintendo 64. 

Personally? I still think the Nintendo 64 was the greatest gaming system of all time. So many of my childhood memories are tied to that system. Staying up until 3 a.m. playing Mario Kart 64 during sleepovers at my best friend’s house. Getting blisters in the center of my palm while playing mini-games on the original Mario Party. Going to Hollywood Video on a Friday night to pick out a game to play over the weekend. 

READ MORE: 9 Big Brands Most Likely to Close Idaho Locations in 2026

Sure, renting the games was cool but when your parents walked you into a video game store and said you could actually buy one to keep? That was next-level!

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Unfortunately, modern gaming has really shifted to digital downloads, fewer kids get to make those same core memories. When the sale of physical games plummets, what happens? Stores who developed their business model around selling them struggle to stay afloat.

According to Cheapism, that’s one of the major factors driving GameStop to close around 220 stores in 2026, many with little to no notice. 

Idaho Included in Latest Round of GameStop Closures

In 2013, someone started a blog tracking GameStop locations closing across the United States. The latest update from December 31 included a list of 223 “confirmed” closing stores, but doesn’t explain how the information was confirmed. 

A Redditor mentioned that if you see a single day with hours and others as “CLOSED,” it’s a sign that the store is indeed one of the doomed locations.  

The GameStop location at 5681 E. Franklin Rd was on the website and only has hours listed for Wednesday, January 7. All other days, like the Redditor predicted, are listed as closed. 

Our calls to the store to confirm the closure went unanswered. We simply got a recording saying that the store’s team is busy helping other customers to call back in a few minutes. After an hour, we threw in the towel. Google already lists the store as "permanently closed."

If January 7 is indeed the last day for this store, it’s the first major retail chain to close a location in the Treasure Valley in 2026. 

GameStop closed a location in the Oliver Finley Shopping Center in Boise last year.