Gamers

Quick Facts

Last checked against official information: 2026-11-12.

What it is

Gamers (ゲーマーズ) is one of Japan's original anime-goods specialty chains, opened in July 1996 and celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026 — marked by a new Ikebukuro store on its original home turf and a goods line with Di Gi Charat, the mascot series linked to the chain. Gamers goes deep on new-release manga and light novels, anime and voice-actor CDs and Blu-rays, games, and character goods, and it is famous for what you cannot buy anywhere else: Gamers-only limited editions bundled with B2 tapestries or acrylic stands, and purchase bonuses (特典) given only at Gamers registers.

The chain is compact — 11 stores — but each is a destination. Several double as official Love Live! tie-up shops (Harajuku for Superstar!!, Odaiba for Nijigasaki, Kanazawa for Hasunosora, Numazu — Aqours' real-world home — for Sunshine!!), and the AKIHABARA Gamers flagship packs an otaku department store into one building beside JR Akihabara Station, from a basement card shop to a pop-up floor on 7F (floor guide below).

How to shop

1. Pick Your Store (Flagship vs. Local):
   • AKIHABARA Gamers (the flagship): Sotokanda 1-14-7, by JR Akihabara Station's Electric Town exit. Floors keep different hours (see below).
   • Everywhere else: the other ten stores (Sendai to Hakata) — several are Love Live! tie-up shops with exclusive corners.
2. Browse by Franchise, and Reserve Exclusives Online:
   • Shelves are organised by title and series. Limited editions and release-day bonuses sell out fast, so use the free Store WEB Reservation service on the official site: reserve online, then pick up and pay in store.
3. Know the Flagship's Floors:
   • B1: Card Lab (trading cards). 1F: new manga, novels, magazines. 2F: Ensemble Stars!! store. 3F: anime/voice-actor/game discs and books. 4F: Bushiroad Store & BanG Dream! store. 5F: Love Live! School Idol Space, games, character goods. 6F: events (entry only during events). 7F: pop-up stores and character goods — also host to official anime "museum" events.
4. Checkout (Standard):
   • Pay at the register by cash, card, transit IC or barcode payment. With the free Card Lab & Gamers Point, show your My Page barcode to earn 1 point per ¥100 before tax (1 point = ¥1 off).
   • Note: deposits (内金) on reservations are cash only.
5. Checkout (Tax-Free):
   • At stores displaying the 免税対応 (tax-free) mark — the flagship's page carries it, as do Harajuku, Odaiba and Kanazawa — present your physical passport at the register. Registration is only possible on the day of purchase, at the store where you bought; if you pay by card, the card name must match the passport holder.
   • Eligible purchases at that store that day must total ¥5,000 or more before tax (after discounts). You pay the tax-included price; the refund comes after customs confirmation — see "Tax-free — refund method" below.
   • Flagship trap: inside the AKIHABARA building, the 2F Ensemble Stars!! store and B1 Card Lab are officially outside the tax-free scheme — purchases there cannot be registered.

Services & options

1. Gamers-Only Limited Editions of Manga & Light Novels (ゲーマーズ限定版): Special editions bundled with a B2 tapestry, acrylic stand or booklet — sold only at Gamers.
2. Di Gi Charat × Gamers 30th Anniversary Goods (デ・ジ・キャラット): Commemorative goods for the chain's 30th year, from can badges to big acrylic stands.
3. Love Live! Tie-Up Shop Exclusives: Each tie-up store (Harajuku, Odaiba, Kanazawa, Numazu) and the flagship's 5F School Idol Space stock store-limited items.
4. Bushiroad Store & Card Lab Trading Cards: The flagship's 4F Bushiroad Store covers Cardfight!! Vanguard and BanG Dream!; B1 Card Lab handles card singles.
5. Voice-Actor Photo Books & Anime CDs with Gamers Bonuses: New releases frequently carry a Gamers-only purchase bonus (bromides, message papers), marked G特典 on the site.

Payment & practical info

Prices and details checked: November 2026.

• Payment Accepted: Cash; Visa, Mastercard, JCB, American Express, Diners Club and UnionPay cards (contactless supported); transit IC and e-money including Suica, PASMO, ICOCA, QUICPay and Rakuten Edy; barcode payments including PayPay, Alipay, WeChat Pay, d Barai and au PAY. Methods vary slightly by store — one exception: PiTaPa is not accepted.
• Hours: Flagship — weekdays 1F 10:00–22:00, 3F–7F 11:00–21:00; weekends/holidays 10:00–21:00; 2F from 11:00 daily. Other stores: mostly 10:00/11:00–20:00/21:00; check each page.
• Points: The free Card Lab & Gamers Point (register on the Gamers website) earns 1 store point per ¥100 before tax; 1 point = ¥1 off, valid one year from your last earn or use. Store and online-shop points are separate pools that cannot be merged; some items (tickets, gift certificates, special-price goods) earn none.
• Tax-free — refund method (checked 2026-11-11): Since 1 November 2026, Japan's tax-free shopping follows the refund system. At a Gamers store displaying the tax-free mark, you pay the tax-included price and register the purchase with your physical passport; Gamers' own conditions are a same-day total of ¥5,000 or more before tax at one store, registration on the day of purchase at that store only, and — at the flagship — the 2F and B1 floors are excluded. At departure, complete customs confirmation at a tax-free procedure terminal with your passport, within 90 days of purchase and before baggage check-in (show the goods only if flagged). The store or its designated refund operator then refunds the tax by the method registered at purchase — customs does not pay refunds. For eligible purchases from participating stores, cash collection at a designated airport refund terminal may be available, but it does not cover every purchase, so confirm the method when you buy. Confirmation is per tax-free purchase record: every tax-free item on the record must leave Japan with you; consumables must not be consumed in Japan (a consumed consumable cancels that record's refund); non-consumables may be used in Japan if exported. There is no sealed-packaging rule and no ¥500,000 cap. Gamers has not published a refund operator or fee, so confirm the method at the counter. Source: Gamers Official Website (flagship tax-free notice).
• Tax-Free Status: Available at stores displaying the 免税対応 mark on their official page (confirmed for the flagship, Harajuku, Odaiba and Kanazawa, 2026-11-11); refund system (see above).

Good to know / Common mistakes

• Not Every Floor of the Flagship Is Tax-Free: The 2F Ensemble Stars!! store and B1 Card Lab inside the AKIHABARA building are excluded from tax-free — a card haul downstairs cannot join your Gamers-floor total.
• Tax-Free Is Same-Day, Same-Store Only: Registration cannot be done the next day or at another branch, and purchases cannot be pooled under one passport.
• Release-Day Exclusives Sell Out: Limited editions and first-press bonuses go quickly; the free Store WEB Reservation service exists for this — reserve before you travel.
• Floors Keep Different Hours: At the flagship, a 10:00 weekday arrival gets you into 1F only; upper floors open at 11:00, and 6F opens only for events.

Sources

• Gamers Japan Official Website (Verified: 2026-11-11)
• Gamers Official Store Directory (Verified: 2026-11-11)
• AKIHABARA Gamers Flagship Store Page (Verified: 2026-11-11)
• Gamers Store WEB Reservation Service (Verified: 2026-11-11)
• Card Lab & Gamers Point Terms (Verified: 2026-11-11)